Umbrella recommendation

**hobnob** · 2024-11-20T19:52:31

Start with this sticky post:
Top 10 checklist when choosing an umbrella - Contractor UK Bulletin Board
Particularly if you've had problems with tax avoidance schemes in the past.

Can you choose any umbrella you like, or has the agency given you a shortlist to pick from? If you have a free choice, Clarity is popular. If you have a shortlist, search this forum for each of their names to see what other people have said about them.

**plmatch** · 2024-11-20T20:04:20

Thanks for this - I will take a look.

Why is Clarity popular?

**eek** · 2024-11-20T20:15:41

Originally posted by plmatch View Post

Thanks for this - I will take a look.

Why is Clarity popular?

Because Lucy posts here - and Clarity is small enough to give you personal service. It's also won Umbrella Company of the year multiple times because they are that good.

**northernladuk** · 2024-11-20T20:46:54

Clarity have won the ContractorUK Awards for best Umbrella under 500 clients three years running. Most recently was last Wednesday. Lucy has done a lot of work for us and gives a lot of good advice in all areas of brollies. I've been with Lucy at Contractor Umbrella many years ago and more recently with Clarity. So I'd recommend them on reputation and as a customer as well.

Problem you might have though. Not many agents are flexible enough to allow your choice. They often roll out the standard five or six big guns who generally give kickbacks that the smaller ones can't afford to do so you might be constrained to that. If they do give you a list push back, they'll give you some mumbo jumbo about onboarding and the like. Speak to Lucy at Clarity and get her to speak to them. Sometimes she can get it sorted so the agent will accept them.

Tell us how you get on and if there is a list who's on it and we can guide you on them.

**plmatch** · 2024-11-20T21:03:55

Thanks for the sound advice.

The contract is with a goverment department and PSR.

**northernladuk** · 2024-11-20T21:52:49

Originally posted by plmatch View Post

Thanks for the sound advice.

The contract is with a goverment department and PSR.

Ugh that's even more unfortunate. PSR used to offer a different list than the usual candidates. Just had a look and not sure how up to date it is but they mention a number of brollies on this page.
https://www.psrsolutions.co.uk/PAYE-or-Limited-Company/

I've only heard of Crest Plus who put themselves forward for CUK awards in 2023 (they didn't win). Lord knows who the others are.
Did a bit of research of mentions on here. Crest Plus have been mentioned only because they were on other lists. Bright Sky are only mentioned because one of their employee's very foolishly created an account and tried to unashamedly ingratiate himself with the forum and history tells us that is probably the worst thing you can do. No mention of the other two.

But before you take that list as verbatim, go back to PSR and tell them your preferred umbrella is Clarity, they'll probably pull up their preferred suppliers list, which hopefully is different than the one on their page. At that point go speak to Lucy to see what she knows about getting on their suppliers list. If she's hit a dead end then post the list on here and we can have a look.

Even if Clarity aren't on it now it could prompt them to try again and if they are successful you can swap to them later. That's where I am currently. I'm with a big recruiter and a big brolly but hoping that Lucy is working away in the background so I can swap.

**lucyclarityumbrella** · 2024-11-20T22:01:33

Originally posted by plmatch View Post

Thanks for the sound advice.

The contract is with a goverment department and PSR.

Luckily we do work with PSR, so more than happy to help if we can. I am in the office all day tomorrow, so please don't hesitate to reach out and I can talk you through it all, and don't worry you won't get a sales pitch - I leave that for this lot to do for me

**plmatch** · 2024-11-20T22:02:19

Sorry, I really should have put the URL in my post rather than assume there is only one PSR (duh).

https://publicsectorresourcing.co.uk/

So the PSR you have is not the correct one.

**lucyclarityumbrella** · 2024-11-20T22:05:08

Originally posted by northernladuk View Post

Ugh that's even more unfortunate. PSR used to offer a different list than the usual candidates. Just had a look and not sure how up to date it is but they mention a number of brollies on this page.
https://www.psrsolutions.co.uk/PAYE-or-Limited-Company/

Wrong PSR I think

Umbrella recommendation