Umbrella Companies | Latest News

New umbrella company calculator sets out to help the UK’s temporary workforce

The team at UCHQ has been extremely busy over the last few months building a new umbrella company calculator for contractors, freelancers and temporary workers in the UK. Now, we’re pleased to announce that Umbrella Company Calculator is live. If you’re interested in an accurate and free umbrella company calculation, […]

New umbrella company calculator sets out to help the UK’s temporary workforce » Read the full story

Oasis Umbrella issues warning that it has been cloned

news / October 26, 2021 / cloned umbrella, fcsa cloned, oasis umbrella, oasis umbrella cloned, umbrella cloning, umbrella companies, umbrella company, umbrella company cloning

In a series of tweets posted on Tuesday 26th October, Oasis Umbrella announced it has been subjected to umbrella company cloning. The FCSA accredited umbrella company released a series of messages to its followers warning them about cloning and how to stay safe from potential communication by criminals. Keep reading

Oasis Umbrella issues warning that it has been cloned » Read the full story

HMRC release new guidance to help agencies reduce risk of engaging with non-compliant umbrella companies

news / October 20, 2021 / compliance, disguised remuneration schemes, hmrc, hmrc guidance, non-compliant umbrella companies, preferred supplier list, PSL, recruitment agencies, tax avoidance, temporary workers, umbrella companies, umbrella company

The government may not actively endorse umbrella companies, but they have recently released some helpful guidance online for temporary workers, recruitment agencies and businesses that engage with contractors and freelancers. The latest guidance (released in October 2021) is written for recruitment agencies and firms that use temporary workers and is

HMRC release new guidance to help agencies reduce risk of engaging with non-compliant umbrella companies » Read the full story

The FCSA updates Charter to clear up confusion surrounding offshore operations for its members

news / October 18, 2021 / charter, crawford temple, fcsa, fcsa charter, fcsa compliance, fcsa updates charter, Freelancer and Contractor Services Association, hmrc, offshore umbrella companies, PAYE, phil pluck, professional passport, umbrella companies

The FCSA, the UK’s leading professional body committed to ensuring the supply chain of temporary workers is compliant with UK tax law, has updated its Charter in response to concerns raised by third parties. Rather than approach the FCSA in a calm and collected manner, some stakeholders were quick to

The FCSA updates Charter to clear up confusion surrounding offshore operations for its members » Read the full story

Déjà vu: The FCSA is under attack again for promoting the “highest standards of compliant and ethical behaviour”

news / October 14, 2021 / compliance, Computer Weekly, crawford temple, fcsa charter, Freelancer and Contractor Services Association, offshore intermediaries, offshore operations, offshore umbrella, offshore umbrella company, phil pluck, professional passport, umbrella companies

The FCSA has come under more scrutiny by a “well-respected” online source of information for IT contractors, and we wanted to explain the situation. Apparently, the FCSA is happy to endorse non-compliant, offshore umbrella companies. This simply isn’t the case – and it’s accusations like this that do far more

Déjà vu: The FCSA is under attack again for promoting the “highest standards of compliant and ethical behaviour” » Read the full story

Warning: The FCSA has website cloned

news / October 14, 2021 / agency workers, contractors, fcsa, fcsa website, fcsa website cloned, freelancers, temporary workers, umbrella companies, umbrella company, warning for contractors, warning for freelancers

The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has had its website cloned by a third party. This type of behaviour is shameful. The person or persons responsible registered a similar-sounding domain on the 11th of October and have built a replica of the FCSA’s website. The cloned website includes bogus

Warning: The FCSA has website cloned » Read the full story

What Is Umbrella Company Software And How Can It Help?

news / October 13, 2021 / agency workers, contractors, freelancers, merit, my digital, software, solution, temporary workers, umbrella companies, umbrella company, umbrella company software, umbrella in a box

Whether it’s built in-house or provided by a third party, almost every UK-based umbrella company uses umbrella company software. Not only can umbrella company software make life easier for those working at the umbrella company, but there are loads of benefits available to umbrella company employees too. Keep reading, and

What Is Umbrella Company Software And How Can It Help? » Read the full story

Umbrella company cloning is the latest threat to the contractor payroll industry

news / October 11, 2021 / agency workers, companies house, contractors, cyber security, freelancers, hmrc, recruitment agencies, temporary workers, umbrella companies, umbrella company, umbrella company cloning

In a recent article published by the FCSA, a warning has been issued to recruitment agencies that refer candidates to umbrella companies. It’s become apparent that criminals are pretending to represent well-respected umbrellas under fake companies (with almost identical names) in an attempt to trick agencies into sending payments to

Umbrella company cloning is the latest threat to the contractor payroll industry » Read the full story

What personal information do you need to give to an umbrella company?

news / October 4, 2021 / register with umbrella company, sign up umbrella company, umbrella companies, umbrella company, umbrella company data, umbrella company personal information, umbrella company security

Before you can officially complete your registration with an umbrella company, you will be required to provide them with plenty of personal information, including your name, address and bank account details. This article explains what personal information you need to give an umbrella company to be paid correctly and compliantly.

What personal information do you need to give to an umbrella company? » Read the full story

Giant Pay confirms over 18,000 payments have been made and “all outstanding payrolls” have been processed after security breach

news / October 1, 2021 / agency workers, contractors, cyber security, giant pay, giant pay umbrella, recruitment agencies, security threats, temporary workers, umbrella companies, umbrella company, unified payroll

Over a week after Giant Pay became the “victim of a sophisticated cyber-attack”, an update on the company’s website confirmed that on Friday 1st October 2021, Giant Pay had been able to make “over 18,000 payments to workers” and had “processed and paid all outstanding payrolls”. The full announcement from

Giant Pay confirms over 18,000 payments have been made and “all outstanding payrolls” have been processed after security breach » Read the full story

Advice for contractors and recruitment agencies to stay safe from cyber-criminals when engaging with an umbrella company

news / September 30, 2021 / agency workers, contractors, cyber security, giant pay, recruitment agencies, security threats, temporary workers, umbrella companies, umbrella company, unified payroll

The security threats faced by Giant Pay and Unified Payroll have sent shockwaves through the umbrella company marketplace. Thousands of contractors have failed to receive their hard-earned salaries, and a lack of communication has caused extreme frustration by those impacted. We sincerely hope everything is resolved shortly. Our thoughts are

Advice for contractors and recruitment agencies to stay safe from cyber-criminals when engaging with an umbrella company » Read the full story

The pros and cons of regulating the umbrella company sector

news / September 29, 2021 / agency workers, cons, contractors, freelancers, government, pros, regulate umbrella companies, regulate umbrella company, regulate umbrella sector, self-employed, temporary workers, umbrella companies, umbrella company, umbrella company legislation, umbrella company regulations, working through an umbrella company

There has been a long-standing wish from numerous stakeholders in the temporary workforce sector for the government to regulate umbrella companies. However, is regulating the umbrella company industry the correct solution to improve compliance and protect contractors, freelancers and agency workers? We’ve had a look at the pros and cons

The pros and cons of regulating the umbrella company sector » Read the full story

Unified Payroll also struck by a “security issue” that has resulted in missed payments to umbrella employees

news / September 27, 2021 / cyber threat, cyber threat umbrella company, giant pay umbrella company, PAYE, umbrella companies, umbrella company, unified, unified payroll, unified umbrella, unified umbrella company

Another umbrella company has been targeted by scammers resulting in failed payments to umbrella company employees. This time, Unified Payroll has been left “unable to remit any payments to any workers” due to “severe issues” with their payroll system. The entire company update is posted below. If you are an

Unified Payroll also struck by a “security issue” that has resulted in missed payments to umbrella employees » Read the full story

Giant Pay temporarily close down systems in response to “suspicious activity” on network

news / September 27, 2021 / cyber threat, cyber threat umbrella company, giant, giant pay, giant pay umbrella, giant pay umbrella company, giant umbrella, PAYE, umbrella companies, umbrella company

Leading umbrella company Giant Pay was forced to close down their systems on Friday 24th September due to “suspicious activity”. As a result, thousands of contractors have been left unpaid. Here is what we know so far. We sincerely hope the matter is resolved soon. If you use Giant Pay

Giant Pay temporarily close down systems in response to “suspicious activity” on network » Read the full story

Boris’s plan to increase National Insurance and dividend tax will “squeeze the battered self-employed community”

news / September 27, 2021 / April 2022, April 2023, Dividend Tax, employees national insurance, employer's national insurance, Health, health and social care levy, income tax, Levy, National Insurance Contributions, NI, NIC, personal service company, PSC, Social Care, Tax Hike, umbrella company

To help the UK’s economy recover from the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the government has announced a 1.25% increase in National Insurance (April 2022), as well as a new Health and Social Care Levy (April 2023). A rise in National Insurance was perhaps unavoidable. However, the self-employed are

Boris’s plan to increase National Insurance and dividend tax will “squeeze the battered self-employed community” » Read the full story

Understanding an umbrella company calculation: a short breakdown

news / September 22, 2021 / abatement, PAYE, pension contributions, student loan, umbrella companies, umbrella company, umbrella company calculation, umbrella comparison

Before registering with an umbrella company, it’s common for temporary workers to request an umbrella company calculation to get a better understanding of take-home pay retention. However, before shopping around for an umbrella company that ticks all of your boxes, it’s crucial you understand how umbrella companies work, and how

Understanding an umbrella company calculation: a short breakdown » Read the full story