Reply to: Seeking A Good Umbrella Company

[northernladuk]

Hi Lucy,


I note that a number of contributors on here have spoken very highly of your in-depth knowledge and
expertise on this subject matter. If it's therefore okay, I'll drop you a PM to discuss my situation further
please.

Thank you.

Pick up the phone. Much easier to do business. 01473 845835

[hitman126]

Every umbrella should be netting you the same take home pay, so if you want to get the best value for money pick up the phone and make sure you get the right feeling from the company you want to engage with, make sure they can explain it all and at it present it seems, see how quickly they respond to you

Hi Lucy,


I note that a number of contributors on here have spoken very highly of your in-depth knowledge and
expertise on this subject matter. If it's therefore okay, I'll drop you a PM to discuss my situation further
please.

Thank you.

[hitman126]

As NLUK has said, send a PM to Lucy (further up the thread). She's provided illustrations in the past on here and explained what the only differences should be - just the fees. Also, based on when I used an umbrella when starting out, it's cheaper to go on one monthly pay run rather than weekly processing. Not sure if that's the case with Lucy's team but I'm sure she'll cover that off for you.

Thanks @LondonManc. Will hook up with Lucy for some assistance.

[hitman126]

Best value is Lucy at Clarity. I've been with her and had no problems at all. No idea how the charges compare but looking at the problems people are having with the big sausage factories then it's worth every penny. Can easily make the difference and much more up with the pension offering Clarity has allowing unlimited payments. No brainer IMO.

Thanks buddy. Will contact Lucy asap. Much appreciated.

[northernladuk]

Thanks for the feedback @Paralytic. Yes, for "value for money", I was actually referring to those two key points, i.e. lowest possible fee, coupled with the most take-home pay.

That doesn't constitute good value to me. The crappy service you'll get in the meantime will cause you more angst than the few pounds you save. That sounds more like cheapest and you know what comes with that.

[LondonManc]

Hmmm, not sure I'm familiar with any umbrella bonus schemes either @ladymuck.

As NLUK has said, send a PM to Lucy (further up the thread). She's provided illustrations in the past on here and explained what the only differences should be - just the fees. Also, based on when I used an umbrella when starting out, it's cheaper to go on one monthly pay run rather than weekly processing. Not sure if that's the case with Lucy's team but I'm sure she'll cover that off for you.

[hitman126]

Also worth asking if they do something odd with bonuses (that I have to say I don't understand in the slightest) as these arrangements seem to be causing some problem with CJRS (just thinking ahead in case your contract gets cancelled).

Hmmm, not sure I'm familiar with any umbrella bonus schemes either @ladymuck.

[ladymuck]

Also worth asking if they do something odd with bonuses (that I have to say I don't understand in the slightest) as these arrangements seem to be causing some problem with CJRS (just thinking ahead in case your contract gets cancelled).

[hitman126]

Firstly ignore any that don't work on a flat fee basis.

Then the quick test is to ask for an illustrative payslip, based on your actual numbers and tax code.

They should all come out with a few pounds of each other.

More than a few won't oblige, so cancel them. More than a few will offer something unrealistic, so ignore them. One or two will offer something that is both accurate and easily understood.

That's your short list.

Thanks @Malvolio. I think you're very much spot-on. I received an illustrative payslip from one company which frankly looked so inflated. Even more concerning for me was the fact that the illustration was
based on some arbitrary figure and not my actual daily rate which I'd provided.

[hitman126]

Can you choose from the whole market or does your agency/client have a preferred supplier list you must choose from?

And, what do you mean "value for money"?

If you mean the cheapest weekly fee, there's only a few £s between them, so chose the one that has the services, options (eg, salary sacrifice, perks etc) that work for you.

If you mean which one will give you the most take-home pay, they should all be the same (or within rounding errors of each other). Any that looks too good to be true is and will likely leave you with HMRC coming after you in few years.

Thanks for the feedback @Paralytic. Yes, for "value for money", I was actually referring to those two key points, i.e. lowest possible fee, coupled with the most take-home pay.

[northernladuk]

Best value is Lucy at Clarity. I've been with her and had no problems at all. No idea how the charges compare but looking at the problems people are having with the big sausage factories then it's worth every penny. Can easily make the difference and much more up with the pension offering Clarity has allowing unlimited payments. No brainer IMO.

[malvolio]

Firstly ignore any that don't work on a flat fee basis.

Then the quick test is to ask for an illustrative payslip, based on your actual numbers and tax code.

They should all come out with a few pounds of each other.

More than a few won't oblige, so cancel them. More than a few will offer something unrealistic, so ignore them. One or two will offer something that is both accurate and easily understood.

That's your short list.

[lucyclarityumbrella]

Every umbrella should be netting you the same take home pay, so if you want to get the best value for money pick up the phone and make sure you get the right feeling from the company you want to engage with, make sure they can explain it all and at it present it seems, see how quickly they respond to you

[Paralytic]

Can you choose from the whole market or does your agency/client have a preferred supplier list you must choose from?

And, what do you mean "value for money"?

If you mean the cheapest weekly fee, there's only a few £s between them, so chose the one that has the services, options (eg, salary sacrifice, perks etc) that work for you.

If you mean which one will give you the most take-home pay, they should all be the same (or within rounding errors of each other). Any that looks too good to be true is and will likely leave you with HMRC coming after you in few years.

[GhostofTarbera]

So no need to put any large amounts of money in a sipp or your own pension then?




Sent from my iPhone using Contractor UK Forum