Umbrella Company benefits

An Umbrella Company provides contractors, freelancers self-employed professionals with a simple, compliant and low risk alternative to setting-up and running your own company.

What are the benefits?

If you join an Umbrella Company, you will become an employee of that Company, allowing you to choose the assignments that you want to work on, whilst being paid through an Umbrella Company that processes your payroll.

• Ease of set up & use - Quick & easy set up and running in minutes. Simply submit your timesheets and expenses. Holiday pay and insurance is included.
• Low risk - All tax and NI is automatically deducted so no need to worry about Tax Returns or budgetary spend.
• Length of assignment - Suitable for any period of working; short or long term contracts. A good choice if you are working intermittently.
• Expenses - The ability to claim back allowable expenses.

What is an Umbrella Employee?

If you choose to work through an Umbrella Company, you become an employee of that company. It then contracts out your services to the end client or agency. The Umbrella Company pays you directly after making the necessary deductions for tax and National Insurance contributions on a Pay As You Earn (PAYE) basis.

You remain an employee of the Umbrella Company regardless of whether you move to a new assignment or start a project with a new end client or agency. The choice of Umbrella Company employer is entirely up to you and you can build up a long-term relationship independent of the client or the agency you are working for.

In terms of administration, there is none. As an employee, it is all taken care of for you. The Umbrella Company will, however, retain a margin from the revenue it receives for providing your services. This is why, if you are working via an agency, they may offer you a higher rate of pay if you wish to become an employee of an umbrella company than if you were to be paid via the agency payroll.

Get the right advice

If you would like to understand more about your working options and how they affect you financially and the levels of day-to-day responsibility then you will find our free, no obligation consultation and take home pay illustration really helpful.

Simply tell us which sector you work in, your annual income or agency rate, hours per week and any business expenses you incur - and we'll do the rest!

† Specialist Advisors available six days a week, Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm and Saturday, 9am-1pm.