IR35 post April 2020: Choosing a legitimate Umbrella

[Chameleon5669]

Contractorumbrella. Lucy who's the MD is all over this and has put a lot of effort in to fighting legislation in the past. Being very active on the forums she'll know exactly what's going on and what our situation is.

Oh, she runs the All Umbrellas Are Equal bit as well.

Www.contractorumbrella.com

I'm not very impressed with them actually. I signed up nearly three weeks ago, they asked for the same info from about 20 times and still haven't properly set me up. Also, the person assigned to me doesn't respond for days at a time. Will be seeking to go elsewhere. It's an umbrella company, not rocket science. It really shouldn't be this difficult.

[eek]

I'm not very impressed with them actually. I signed up nearly three weeks ago, they asked for the same info from about 20 times and still haven't properly set me up. Also, the person assigned to me doesn't respond for days at a time. Will be seeking to go elsewhere. It's an umbrella company, not rocket science. It really shouldn't be this difficult.

Contractorumbrella sacked all their original between that post and now.

Nowadays the forum recommendation is Clarity (owned by the old director of contractor umbrella).

[jamesbrown]

I'm not very impressed with them actually. I signed up nearly three weeks ago, they asked for the same info from about 20 times and still haven't properly set me up. Also, the person assigned to me doesn't respond for days at a time. Will be seeking to go elsewhere. It's an umbrella company, not rocket science. It really shouldn't be this difficult.

To be fair, that was in 2017 and they've changed ownership since then. Lucy moved on to start Clarity Umbrella in around 2019-ish, I think, and most people recommend that now.

[eek]

To be fair, that was in 2017 and they've changed ownership since then. Lucy moved on to start Clarity Umbrella in around 2019-ish, I think, and most people recommend that now.

Not quite, same owner but he binned everyone in Ipswich and merged CU into Dolan accountants as soon as his none compete agreement with the new owners of SJD timed out.

[lucyclarityumbrella]

Thanks all - always appreciative of the recommendations

[cojak]

News update here:

HMRC hands umbrella contractors new avoidance ‘risk-checker’ tool (contractoruk.com)

with the new tool: Do you work through an umbrella company? – Guidance – GOV.UK (tax.service.gov.uk)

[lucyclarityumbrella]

It's about as predicatable as the CEST test - one slight query and you "could be using a tax avoidance scheme"

[eek]

It's about as predicatable as the CEST test - one slight query and you "could be using a tax avoidance scheme"

You have to love the other answer - after battling all the questions (many of which as with CEST need explanations or examples that don't exist) you get to the final page and get the following message

You may not be involved in a tax avoidance scheme

because there isn't enough information there for HMRC to say anything beyond - we can move the balance of doubt from 51% (may be) down to 49% (may NOT be).

So it's useful but really isn't as helpful as you would hope for.

[lucyclarityumbrella]

we can move the balance of doubt from 51% (may be) down to 49% (may NOT be).

[ITContrator]

Thanks all - always appreciative of the recommendations

Just to bad it is near impossible to circumvent Recruiters PSL lists.