Umbrella Companies

Freelancers need economic stability!

By UCHQ Team March 5, 2011

The government needs to concentrate on prioritising economic stability in this month’s budget, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. A call that is also likely to be endorsed by umbrella company contractors.

Opportunities galore for IT contractors

By UCHQ Team March 4, 2011

IT umbrella company contractors should have been amongst those to benefit from an upsurge in demand for their services in recent months.

Do umbrella company contractors need language lessons?

By UCHQ Team March 3, 2011

Contractors who have been used to public sector working will need to learn private sector language if they become victims of the government spending cuts.

HMRC should rethink its Business Records Check programme

By UCHQ Team March 2, 2011

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland has claimed that HMRC’s proposals to check SME and umbrella company record keeping are flawed.

Nearly £24bn over 4 years to implement new employment laws

By UCHQ Team March 1, 2011

The next four years will see employers paying out an additional £23.87 billion due to new employment laws, according to the British Chambers of Commerce.

Do umbrella company contractors name God as a referee?

By UCHQ Team February 28, 2011

You may think God is on your side but he doesn’t give job references!

Employee sickness levels are on the rise

By UCHQ Team February 26, 2011

The latest ONS statistics show that levels of staff sickness absence have reverted to pre-recession levels. Before the economic crisis, 2.5% of respondents said they had taken a day off in the 7 days prior to the survey.

HMRC amends wording of new tax avoidance regulations

By UCHQ Team February 25, 2011

The government has confirmed that deferred bonuses will not fall under its new tough tax avoidance regulations.

Economy is improving, will business confidence follow suit?

By UCHQ Team February 24, 2011

The latest ICAEW/Grant Thornton UK Business Confidence monitor shows that business confidence is weakening but the economy is slowly improving.

Does a north/south divide affect umbrella company contractors?

By UCHQ Team February 23, 2011

There is a North-South divide when it comes to hiring intentions, according to the latest quarterly survey of entrepreneurs conducted by RSM Tenon, the professional services firm.

The end of the road for IR35?

By UCHQ Team February 22, 2011

Member companies of the REC met with the Office of Tax Simplification last week to discuss IR35. The REC was recently appointed to the OTS’ small business consultative committee. The head of public policy at the REC, Gillian Econopouly, said she was delighted that members had the opportunity to discuss IR35 directly with the OTS.

SMEs spend weeks trying to understand government regulations

By UCHQ Team February 21, 2011

The problem of the multitude of different government regulations is now so bad that businesses often breach them simply because they don’t know which rules apply to them, according to a new report from the National Audit Office.