Umbrella Company Frequently Asked Questions

In the UK, an umbrella company directly employs contractors and freelancers who wish to work inside the IR35 regulations. Generally, an umbrella company's services are administrative and accountancy-based - such as managing timesheets, calculating PAYE tax and NI contributions, invoicing the client, collecting monies and paying the contractor.

An umbrella service gives you legal employee status and handles all the paperwork. It's the simplest solution for most contractors, with no unexpected tax bills and because you have one continuous employment it's much easier to secure important things like loans and mortgages too.

When you decide to join an umbrella company, it becomes your employer. The umbrella company invoices the agency / end client and the agency / end client pays the money direct to the umbrella company. The umbrella company will then deduct PAYE and National Insurance contributions before paying you your wage.

There are no setup charges. It's so easy to join us - you can sign up in just ten minutes! You can join directly using our online joining portal or by talking with one of our experienced advisers on 0161 929 6000 (option 1) who will go through what you need to do over the phone.

No, we are happy to work with any end client. All we need are their contact details and we will contact them on your behalf in order to discuss, agree and set up the contract and payroll process.