Umbrella.co.uk staff got into the ‘spirit’ of Halloween today fundraising in aid of East Cheshire Hospice. Staff dressed up in their scariest costumes, sold spooky themed cakes, played Tombs of Doom and held a fancy dress and creepiest desk design competition.

Neil Armitage, Operations Director, said: “We are very proud of the commitment to fundraising shown by our employees. Their enthusiasm, creativity and generosity never fails to amaze me. There’s always something fun going on at umbrella.co.uk”.

Internet and telecoms company TalkTalk was the victim of a “significant and sustained” cyber-attack last week, which could have compromised the personal details and bank account information of thousands of their customers.

Police in Northern Ireland have arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection with the attack, which is just the latest in a string of cyber insecurities.

As more companies wake up to the dangers of cyber-crime the demand for skilled IT contractors is on the rise.  

Editor | 20 October 2015
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In response to a petition asking the government to reconsider their proposed dividend tax hike, HM Treasury published a statement which, according to critics, was out of touch with the contracting industry and the needs of small businesses. 

The reply was published on the Parliament website where, once a petition reaches 10,000 signatures it must receive an official response from the government.

One contractor writing for IT Contracting dissected the government’s statement and explained paragraph by paragraph why it was “factually wrong” and removed from the realities of running a small business. 

Editor | 14 October 2015
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New research has found that proposed changes to contractors' travel and subsistence allowances could cost them up to 20 per cent of their annual revenue. 

In July of last year the government launched a review into expenses and benefits for contractors. On 23 September 2014 they published a discussion paper outlining their case for changing the current rules on tax relief.

The government believes that travel and subsistence expenses, like travel between workplaces and the cost of a meal at a temporary workplace, are over generous and outdated. 

Editor | 9 October 2015
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Self-employed contractors and umbrella PAYE employees had lots of reasons to cheer at this year’s party conferences.  We’ve highlighted some of the most important points that could affect our clients. 

As the party in government, what came out of the Conservative camp in Manchester will have the most immediate impact for our contractors.

David Cameron announced a relaxation of planning rules in an attempt to boost home ownership. Under the plans, builders would no longer be required to offer low-cost ‘affordable’ homes as part of new developments. More building work is always welcomed by construction contractors whether they are self-employed or PAYE.  

Potentially good news for lower paid contractors working through an umbrella company is that on 26th October 2015 the House of Lords voted not to accept the Chancellors proposed changes to tax credits that will affect the entitlement to the credits for low income families.

The proposed changes are expected to result in some families being up to £1,300 worse off per year by 2020. The Government are trying to reduce the earnings limit for entitlement to the Working tax Credit and the Child Tax credit.

Umbrella, the Cloud Accountants, are pleased to announce that we now have 18 accredited accountants for both FreeAgent and Xero Cloud Accounting Software products.

By giving a choice Umbrella are able to find a solution that satisfies most contractors & freelancers operating through their own limited company in the UK.

 In fact Umbrella Accountants LLP are one of the few accountants to offer more than one Cloud Accounting Service.

We are also able to help if you are already with a different provider i.e. Sage One, Quickbooks, ClearBooks etc.

Umbrella contractor accountants currently have in excess of 1,000 limited companies using one of their accounting services.

Editor | 19 October 2015
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The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE) has welcomed news of deflation in the UK economy.

Last week, the consumer price index figures for September showed that prices had dropped by 0.1%. This news was welcomed by IPSE which said that lower prices and rising incomes were making freelancers and other self-employed people better off.  

While deflation is treated cautiously by some economists and politicians, lower consumer prices and, in particular, lower transport costs will directly benefit contractors. 

What do Recruitment Agencies or Recruitment Consultants look for when deciding which umbrella company to work with?

Last week, our accountants stumbled across a huge data set produced by The Bank of England called 'Three centuries of macroeconomic data'