Looking for the Best Umbrella Company?

02/04/2015 - 11:02

At Umbrella.co.uk we would not claim to be the Best Umbrella Company but hope that we are up there with a number of other Compliant Umbrella Companies. At the end of the day most umbrella companies should operate in a similar way but there are some differences that may affect your decision.

 

  1. Can anyone recommend an Umbrella Company? If someone you know has had a positive experience with a certain umbrella company then this can be a good start. Ideally this would be from another contractor’s point of view. At Umbrella we regularly receive “refer a friend” enquiries which we hope is a good sign.
     
  2. Does the Umbrella Company have positive feedback on their own website? At Umbrella we have a testimonials sections that highlights a number of the great reviews we have had. We also perform monthly quality surveys and publish these in our news section. We have always ranked between good to very good and in some responses outstanding.
     
  3. How was your enquiry handled? When you speak to a business you can learn a lot from how your enquiry was handled. Did they get back to you promptly, was the person you spoke to professional and explain all aspects of the service in a clear and honest fashion, did you receive an illustration and paperwork? Was this also clear and concise? You should never feel pressurised into a decision and should be free to choose your preferred option. At Umbrella we regularly monitor the quality of our paperwork, illustration and phone calls.
     
  4. How long have they been established? At Umbrella we have been trading since 2009 and therefore have a proven track record in employing contractors. We are on the Preferred Supplier Lists (PSL’s) for a number of major agencies. As such we are subject to a number of “audits” from their respective compliance departments.
     
  5. Is the Umbrella Company  a Member of any trade bodies or subject to an external audit? There are a number of associations that Umbrella Companies can be members of including: Professional Passport, APSCo and All Umbrella Companies are Equal. We are either members or affiliate members of these and are subject to an annual audit by Professional Passport. We are also subject to a financial audit by our Accountants, Mazars. Other associations that Umbrella Companies are members of (but not us) include the FCSA and IPSE.
     
  6. What other Services can the Umbrella Company provide? At Umbrella contractors working through us have access to a Group Pension Scheme, we can arrange specialist contractor mortgages and offer a tax incentive scheme in respect of Childcare Voucher Scheme. Umbrella Company workers receive full statutory employment rights including Maternity pay and Sick Pay. Through our sister company Umbrella Accountants LLP we provide accountancy and taxation services to contractors wanting to work through their own limited company. 
     
  7. Is the Umbrella Company Registered in the UK? Some offshore schemes are frowned upon by HMRC. At Umbrella our registered office is in Wilmslow, UK and are a registered UK business. We also have a London Office and provide coverage of the whole of the UK.
     
  8. Do they operate PayDay by Pay Day (PDBPD) or Elective Deduction Models (EDM)? At Umbrella we do not operate these models and all workers receive at least the National Minimum Wage and full employment rights.

Please call 0800 121 6513.