General FAQ's

If you are employed by an umbrella company, you only need to complete a self-assessment tax return if you have additional income that is not taxed PAYE by them.

Along with your payslips, your umbrella employer is obliged to provide you with a P60 each year.

‘Pay intervals’ are the periods of time in between payments you receive, usually a week or a month. The odd day or days at the end of the last complete tax week are added up to make a full week – known as week 53.

If you think your tax code is incorrect, you should contact HMRC directly.

A notice of coding shows your tax code if you are going to pay through the PAYE system. The notice is usually sent out in January or February for the tax year beginning on the following 6 April.

If HMRC does not have enough information to issue a full tax code, an emergency tax code is generated until more information is received

This is the amount retained by your umbrella company when they pay you to cover their costs.

There are certain costs that all employers face, such as Employers National Insurance - these are retained by your umbrella company and paid over to HMRC as part of PAYE legislation.

Unfortunately, not. Visas can only be sponsored by the company who you will actually be performing the work for. Because an umbrella company is an intermediary, they are not permitted to sponsor visas.

Typically, the costs of working through an umbrella company are less than running a limited company, although without the tax advantages. For any contractor captured permanently under IR35, it can be the best way to work in compliance with HMRC guidelines.