reputable umbrella companies ratings

[gardener]

Orange Genie sucks

Hi comrades,

After using Orange Genie for one month I canceled their services. It was ridiculous. Hope umbrellas are not all like that.

[kal]

Hi comrades,

After using Orange Genie for one month I canceled their services. It was ridiculous. Hope umbrellas are not all like that.

Did you accuse them of being parasites?

[northernladuk]

Hi comrades,

After using Orange Genie for one month I canceled their services. It was ridiculous. Hope umbrellas are not all like that.

Hang on.... You call agencies for being parasites and sitting between you and the client taking your money.... and you are working through a ******* umbrella?!?!??!?!?

You can't make this up

Oh oh have mercy... stop please...




Oh my aching sides....

[gardener]

Did you accuse them of being parasites?

Well no, they were supposed to provide a service I pay for. Did I explain my self well enough for you?

[kal]

Well no, they were supposed to provide a service I pay for. Did I explain my self well enough for you?

The fact that you fail to grasp irony is no surprise, you work through an umbrella... priceless! The agent also provided you with a service in that you would be sat at home claiming JSA otherwise...

[TheDandy]

Hi comrades,

After using Orange Genie for one month I canceled their services. It was ridiculous. Hope umbrellas are not all like that.

All like what? What was ridiculous?

[northernladuk]

Well no, they were supposed to provide a service I pay for. Did I explain my self well enough for you?

Which is exactly what agent does....... Hilarious.

[SuperWeegie]

Thanks for the recommendations lads

To the op - there are a number of things you need to be aware of when choosing an umbrella company and how their actions could affect you.

Firstly, you need to ensure that the whole contract value less the umbrella company's margin is subject to PAYE tax; some companies advertise themselves as brollies but, in fact, operate tax avoidance schemes which use loans or trusts that will put you at serious financial risk (there is a whole section on this forum devoted to the trouble that contractors have found themselves in after using an avoidance scheme).

Secondly you should check out the contract of employment that you will be signing with them to make sure that it is genuinely overarching - this is a complicated issue but HMRC have extensive guidance in their own internal manuals ESM2075 - Agency and temporary workers: overarching contracts of employment - background - this will give you an overview of the concept but you will find more here: ESM2085 - Agency and temporary workers: overarching contracts of employment - the contract. If the umbrella company doesn't operate an over arching contract your workplaces will be viewed as permanent by HMRC and you will have no entitlement to tax relief on travel and subsistence expenses which could mean a bill for additional tax in the future. The umbrella company should also ask you to confirm that it is your intention to work on more than one assignment whilst you are in their employment - a single assignment would be viewed as permanent by HMRC and, again, you would have no entitlement to tax relief on travel and subsistence expenses.

Thirdly you should ask them all for quotes and ensure that the figures you are provided with are more or less identical (the only difference should be the margin retained by the umbrella company) - if one company offers more than another then they may be operating a tax avoidance scheme or they may be including an amount for expenses in the calculation that you would not actually be entitled to claim.

Fourthly you should ensure that you would be entitled to all the statutory payments whilst in their employment - this is a legal obligation and any payments should be made from the umbrella company's profits and not from monies which are deducted from the contractor to cover such payments. You should also ensure that any holiday pay will be paid to you when you actually are on leave and not 'rolled up' as part of your weekly/monthly salary.

Fifthly you should ensure that you would be entitled to a salary payment even if the umbrella company had not received funds from the agency - the amount that is processed after the umbrella company's margin has been accounted for as well as the amount that they are legally obliged to pay for Employer's NIC's must exceed minimum wage otherwise there will be a contravention of the legislation surrounding minimum wage payments.

Lastly you should ensure that any questions you have can be answered comprehensively by the person you speak to when you make your enquiries - you should know exactly what to expect.

HTH

Hi Lisa

Newbie and 1st time contractor so apologies for jumping right in unannounced.
The sentence I highlighted is interesting. My umbrella (nameless for now but a battle was once fought there ) have suggested that very thing i.e. that holiday pay is included in my monthly pay NOT when I take time off. This is contrary to what their paperwork suggests (but I had it clarified). Should I challenge this further, or simply move off if they insist on rolling it up that way??

Steve

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Hi Lisa

Newbie and 1st time contractor so apologies for jumping right in unannounced.
The sentence I highlighted is interesting. My umbrella (nameless for now but a battle was once fought there ) have suggested that very thing i.e. that holiday pay is included in my monthly pay NOT when I take time off. This is contrary to what their paperwork suggests (but I had it clarified). Should I challenge this further, or simply move off if they insist on rolling it up that way??

Steve

Hi Steve

As with any other employment contract what happens in reality should mirror what's written in the contract - you could use this page for reference https://www.gov.uk/holiday-entitleme...pay-the-basics

HTH

[SuperWeegie]

Thanks Lisa....answer given is that they pay it up front or would deduct %age to create a fund to pay when on holiday......