Why do Companies Hire Contractors and Umbrella Employees?
If you’re considering getting into contracting it’s important to know your worth and to understand why a company may choose to engage you instead of taking on a permanent employee. There are a few distinct reasons that a business may choose contractors over “permies” – let’s use a very common industry in the contracting world […]
Choosing an Umbrella Company: Top 10 Tips
IR35 reform took place on April 6th and since that date, there has been a marked increase in contractors looking for umbrella payroll services. To briefly recap a few educational articles we’ve released in the past – if your end client deems you to be inside IR35, you must operate under an employed status, paid […]
Confusing Terms Explained
What does it all mean? It can be confusing as a contractor starting out when you hear so many acronyms mentioned by both your agency and Umbrella Company. You may hear things such as IR35, WTR, AWR, and SDC along with terms such as ‘Opting Out’. You will also see it on documentation that you […]
How do I claim holidays?
How do I request holidays as an Umbrella Employee? As an employee of Umbrella Requirements you are entitled to annual holidays just like any other employee in the UK. Taking holidays while contracting via an umbrella company is a relatively simple process, but if you’re new to this way of working sometimes it can be […]
Umbrella Requirements and the Agency Worker Regulations
What Is AWR? AWR stands for Agency Workers Regulations (2010) and is a legislation designed specifically to protect agency workers from any discrimination in favour of permanent co-workers in the same role at the end client. Issues addressed by this legislation include pay rate, access to holidays and working time conditions. Agency Worker Vs Permanent […]
Umbrella 101 – What is an Umbrella Company?
April 6th and IR35 is here. Your agency has told you, you fall inside of IR35 and you now need to use an umbrella company. But what is an umbrella company? What does it do? While there is no current legal definition of an umbrella company within the legislation, at the time of writing Wikipedia describes an umbrella […]
Contractor FAQ’s: How is an Umbrella Salary Calculated?
You’ve been asked to use an umbrella company, but one aspect that can be confusing is how an umbrella company calculates the salary payment you get at the end of each week or month. When you’re an employee of a company, the employer offers you an annual or hourly rate and calculates and deducts your […]
The Key Information Document – A Reminder of your Responsibilities
Key Information Document Explained Amid the turmoil of the pandemic, on the 6th April 2020, the UK government introduced the Key Information Document (KID) as a part of their Good Work Plan, in an attempt to improve pay transparency for agency workers. This document is required in order to comply with Regulation 13A of the […]
Claiming Expenses with an Umbrella Company
One of the most frequently asked questions that we receive is in relation to reclaiming expenses as a contractor working through our umbrella services – here’s what you need to know. Contractors who have been around for some time would have noticed significant changes in this arena over the years. We remember receiving receipts and […]
Working Time Regulations (WTR) – Your Right Explained
Being a contractor can mean many things; perhaps you’re working as a freelancer, operating through your own company, you’re self-employed or you’re working via an umbrella company. The way you operate may alter your rights in relation to Working Time Regulations, but we want to focus on our customer base within the following article. As […]
