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Below is a list of common words you're likely to come across when working through an umbrella company.

Umbrella Company – An employment services company that enables contractors to receive payments, without the need of setting up and running their own Limited Company.

Timesheet – A timesheet is used to record the number of hours/days worked and is used by both Umbrella Companies and Recruitment Agencies. The Recruitment Agency will need a timesheet signed by the client to confirm hours worked before they will issue a payment and the   Umbrella Company needs a timesheet to be able to generate an invoice to send to the Recruitment Agency.

Invoice – A payment request, detailing hours worked and rate, issued by the Umbrella Company, after timesheet details have been submitted by the worker

BACS – The standard bank transfer method (Bank Automated Clearing System). A BACS transfer takes 2-3 working days to clear in your bank account.

Same Day Payment – A Same Day Payment ensures that funds will clear in your bank account the same day that they are transferred.

IR35 – Government tax legislation that took effect in April 2000 to highlight contractors working as a ‘disguised employee’

HMRC – Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (formally the Inland Revenue) is responsible for collecting tax revenue for the government and policing current legislation to make sure companies are compliant.

P45 – An official record of taxable earnings and tax paid to date in the current tax year which will be supplied to you when you leave an employer. This should be passed on to your new employer.

P60 – An official record of your total earnings and tax paid for a particular tax year, issued by your current employer at the end of the financial year.

Gross Pay/Income – Your earnings before any deductions for tax, national insurance and any other statutory payments.

Net Pay/Income – Your earnings after tax, national insurance and any other statutory payments i.e. the amount you receive

Self-billing – If an agency are self-billing, this means they pay directly from the timesheets you submit rather than from the Umbrella Company’s invoice.

MSC – An MSC (Managed Service Company) is a third party service that makes dividend payments to contractors. This type of service became illegal with new legislation introduced in April 2007.

Dispensation – A dispensation allows Umbrella Companies to process expenses without having to record them on a P11d form. Without a dispensation, the Umbrella Company would need to ask to see receipts for every expense you claim. It does not dictate the expenses that you are entitled to claim.

Self-assessment – If you have received earnings other than through PAYE, you will need to complete a self-assessment form and declare your earnings from the previous tax year to HMRC.

Expenses – Certain costs that you may incur, as a direct result of your contract, can be claimed as an expense; your Contract Manager will be able to advise you of those which are allowable.

PAYE – Pay As You Earn is a method used to determine the tax and national insurance contributions due on your weekly/monthly earnings.

Why Choose Contractor Umbrella?

Contractor Umbrella is the hassle-free, straight talking umbrella company that provides umbrella employment for UK based contractors and freelancers. Independently voted as the best umbrella company by the readers of Contractor UK.

As one of the most trusted umbrella companies in the UK, we guarantee our employees peace of mind, absolute compliance and complete security. We are one of the longest standing and most respected umbrella companies in the UK.

If you’d like to find out more, call us on 01206 591 000 or request a call back by completing our online form.

Benefits of working through Contractor Umbrella;

  • Fast and easy registration –  be ready to work in 24 hours, simply register online and we’ll take care of the rest.
  • Calculate your take home pay – use our online calculator to find out how much you could be taking home through Contractor Umbrella.
  • Same day payments – We offer same day payments as standard providing funds are received into our account by 9am, for no additional fee.
  • Our Service Guarantee – is our guarantee that you will be looked after at every step of the way.
  • Flexible Limited Company accountancy – when you sign up to our sister company Dolan Accountancy, you can transfer to Contractor Umbrella when umbrella employment better suits or your assignment sits inside IR35.
  • Employee Benefits at Contractor Umbrella there are many benefits available to you as our employee including Childcare Vouchers, our Employee Rewards Scheme, Group Pension Scheme, Foreign Currency Exchange, Contractor Accommodation, Contractor Mortgages and much more.
  • Expert Contractor Support Team – Every employee of Contractor Umbrella has access to our expert Contractor Support Team who are available to deal with any queries that you may have. You can get in touch with the Contractor Support Team, through the online chat, by email or by telephone.
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