freelancer Articles

How to get a higher rate of pay as a freelancer
marketing | 19 May 2022
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With the cost of living going up many freelancers will be looking at ways to save money or boost their income.

One of the main benefits of working as a freelancer is that it’s easier to find additional work when you need to.

IR35 Contractors: Watch Out For Unlawful Umbrellas

New IR35 rules due to take effect in the private sector from April 2021 could force thousands of limited company contractors to shutter their limited company and start using an umbrella company for the first time.

Joining an umbrella company is a tax efficient way to ensure IR35 compliance while also enjoying some for the benefits that come along with being an employee, such as holiday and sick pay.

Unfortunately some non-PAYE payment vehicles also describe themselves as ‘umbrellas’ and these schemes are often illegitimate.

How do umbrella companies avoid IR35?

Umbrella companies allow contractors to achieve IR35 compliance. If a limited company contract is deemed ‘inside IR35’, contracting through an umbrella company is usually preferable.

This will become more important as an upcoming rule change will mean that many more contractors are caught out by IR35 legislation.

The Job Retention Scheme - Update for Umbrella Contractor Employees

We hope you are staying safe in these testing times.
 
The Job Retention Scheme has been announced by the government to support those PAYE workers who have been laid off due to the coronavirus.
 
Unfortunately as a business we are restricted by the pace in which the government releases the detail. The Directors here at umbrella.co.uk are in talks with our employment lawyers continuously about the Job Retention Scheme as well as liaising with industry bodies like the FCSA & APSCo. See the latest response from the FCSA here.
 
Rest assured we are hoping to be in a position where those whose assignments are terminated due to Covid 19 are able to be furloughed. However, until we are comfortable with the detail we cannot provide you with confirmation.
 
Once we have the full detail from the government in terms of how furlough payments can be processed for umbrella employees, we will be back in touch with the information you need.

Stephen Holt Wins Umbrella.co.uk December Employee of the Month
marketing | 14 January 2020
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We are delighted to announce that Stephen Holt, Payroll Assistant, has won December Umbrella.co.uk Employee of the Month.

“Stephen always goes the extra mile to help agencies and our internal teams, ensuring contractors get paid correctly and on time. A crucial team player who’s enthusiasm and positive attitude shines through every day.

Congratulations Stephen for your double December win…Employee of the Month and got engaged! Well done and keep up the good work.” Jon Biddle, Director.

When you work for yourself and you only get paid for the time you work, it can be difficult to switch off from work.

Contractor productivity worth £5,000 per employee

A new report into contractor productivity has found that firms with at least 11% of their workforce as contractors are more productive, with each employee generating an extra £4,669 for their organisation on average.

Researchers from the Trinity Business School and the University of Derby said the results showed the important role that contractors can play in the UK’s recovery.

Government guidance issued on 4 April confirms that Company Directors are eligible to be furloughed and receive support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

Government guidance issued on 4 April confirms that Company Directors are eligible to be furloughed and receive support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). This is welcome news as Directors could get paid 80% of wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500.
 
If the furlough option is followed, the Director may not work for a minimum 3 week period and may only carry out statutory duties set out in the Companies Act 2006. The decision to furlough should be formally adopted as a decision of the company, noted in the company records and communicated in writing to the Director(s) concerned.
 
If you require further information regarding furlough, please email furlough@umbrella.co.uk or follow the following useful links:

Keep well and stay safe. We will continue to update you with any relevant information.

Business Continuity Update from Customer Service - COVID-19

Umbrella.co.uk have of course been putting together comprehensive plans to ensure that we are fully prepared for whatever the next few months brings.  

The planning has considered all key parts of our business.  We consider these to be:

  1. ​Business partner relationship management
  2. New business consultation and registration
  3. Contracting with and onboarding of new clients
  4. Submission of timesheets and expenses
  5. Payroll
  6. Customer service

We obviously hope that the situation is unlikely and will not occur but, should the worst happen and significant numbers of staff are unable to attend the office, we are 100% confident that we will be able to maintain all the above processes with minimal disruption.

  • We have identified key staff who will manage business critical activity in all areas.  We will adapt to any given circumstances and flexibility exists for the key staff to either work from the office or from home with equal efficiency.
  • We are confident that we would not lose any capability to support and pay our contractor employees.  Our confidence is borne from the fact that all of our major softwares which are intrinsic to processes are web-based and can therefore be accessed from anywhere.  Those that sit on our internal servers would be available via VPN connections.  Our external IT administrators have provided sufficient hardware capacity for multiple staff to be accessing the servers via VPN simultaneously.  Mobile equipment for staff remote working is already in place and tested. 
  • Our telephone system is also web-based and all key staff will have access to it via their mobile phones using a SWiP app.  This means that inbound calls can be taken on staff mobiles wherever they are, without the caller even being aware that the call has been re-routed.  Routing calls through our server also allows us to maintain our practice of recording all in and outbound calls.

"Please be assured that we are confident of maintaining ‘business as usual’ as best we can.  We are not however complacent and will continue to monitor developments to ensure we can react quickly.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions" - Nick Holmes, CEO

Government Launches ‘Meaningless’ Review of IR35 Changes

The Government has this week launched a review of the upcoming change to off-payroll (IR35) working rules. But the review has already been branded ‘limited’ and ‘meaningless’ by industry experts.

The review will gather evidence from contractors and large and medium-sized businesses and will determine if any further steps can be taken to ensure the ‘smooth implementation’ of the reforms.

Legislators will need to act quickly, however, because the reforms are still due to take effect in April 2020.

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