Umbrella offering expenses?!

[Acme Thunderer]

Well, I spoke to Parasol today. And raised the expenses point. They said they are audited by HMRC each year and their practices are completely legal.

Also spoke to Paystream who also said I can claim expenses.

I'm with Paystream and these are the questions they asked me, so they could check if the expenses were allowable


- Can you outline the nature of your usual role in more detail?
- What is the nature of your day to day travel/month to month?
- Have you worked at the site(s) you are claiming for previously?
- Will you be returning to this site(s)?
- How long will you be stationed at this site/these sites?
- Are you stationed at this site/these sites exclusively during this assignment?
- What expenses would you be claiming?
- Will the client/agency be reimbursing these expenses?

[ladymuck]

I opted for Paystream. They were more friendly, produced an instant illustration, no heavy sales pitch and a very simple 5 minute sign up process. I dont intend on claiming any expenses personally. I'm aware i'll be under SDC most likely.

Parasol were pretty useless. Heavy sales pitch, I asked for an illustration via email and they just emailed me bullet points of why they're amazing and tried to sell me platinium. Didn't provide any illustrations, as promised. I wish I could share their email with you guys - it's actually diabolical.

CTRL+C, CTRL+V and remove personally identifying information

[sira]

Have you joined them yet - see my point above about sales pitches not necessarily matching reality.

Also you have the fun of SDC when the contract has been deemed inside by the end client which is a very different proposition from you treating it as inside.

I opted for Paystream. They were more friendly, produced an instant illustration, no heavy sales pitch and a very simple 5 minute sign up process. I dont intend on claiming any expenses personally. I'm aware i'll be under SDC most likely.

Parasol were pretty useless. Heavy sales pitch, I asked for an illustration via email and they just emailed me bullet points of why they're amazing and tried to sell me platinium. Didn't provide any illustrations, as promised. I wish I could share their email with you guys - it's actually diabolical.

[eek]

According to the link I posted earlier - Parasol reimburse Business costs (ie hardware etc) free of tax and NIC whether SDC applies or not.

https://www.parasolgroup.co.uk/wp-co...038.1602687741

But as I pointed out before hardware is not expenses.

Hardware purchases are a different issue which to be blunt I'm looking forward to finding out HMRCs opinion on now I know how Parasol do it.

[gizzmo]

Also you have the fun of SDC when the contract has been deemed inside by the end client which is a very different proposition from you treating it as inside.

According to the link I posted earlier - Parasol reimburse Business costs (ie hardware etc) free of tax and NIC whether SDC applies or not.

https://www.parasolgroup.co.uk/wp-co...038.1602687741

[eek]

What I don't get - and am probably being thick here - is how an employee can claim tax relief on a personal purchase...

For the hardware I can see how they do it but it's dubious were HMRC to match figures closely.

[eek]

Well, I spoke to Parasol today. And raised the expenses point. They said they are audited by HMRC each year and their practices are completely legal.

Also spoke to Paystream who also said I can claim expenses.

Have you joined them yet - see my point above about sales pitches not neccesarily matching reality.

Also you have the fun of SDC when the contract has been deemed inside by the end client which is a very different proposition from you treating it as inside.

[malvolio]

What I don't get - and am probably being thick here - is how an employee can claim tax relief on a personal purchase...

[sira]

HMRC is going to find that interesting in a few years....

Well, I spoke to Parasol today. And raised the expenses point. They said they are audited by HMRC each year and their practices are completely legal.

Also spoke to Paystream who also said I can claim expenses.

[SueEllen]

Parasol call Electronic equipment Business costs - but the staff use the term expenses interchangeably as per the email blurb i posted in my earlier post. A laptop, ipad or mobile phone is described as a Business cost which they will reimburse 85% for and retain 15% because they still own it - and then when you complete the assignment you can buy it off them for the 15% remainder (or more) depending on the value.

https://www.parasolgroup.co.uk/wp-co...038.1602687741

HMRC is going to find that interesting in a few years....