Why outsource employment to an umbrella company
Recruitment agencies have enough on their plates from sourcing top talent to keeping clients happy. But when it comes to managing the employment side for contractors, things can get complex and time-consuming fast. That’s where umbrella companies come into play. If...
How contractors can beat NHS waiting times
We’ve all been there. Sat in an NHS waiting room, scrolling endlessly on our phones, wondering just how long it’ll be before we’re seen. The truth is, NHS waiting times are a hot topic for everyone, but when you’re a contractor, time really is money. Missing a day or...
Fitting your health goals into life as a supply teacher
Being a supply teacher is exciting, unpredictable, and full of variety. One day you’re teaching phonics to primary pupils, and the next, you’re explaining trigonometry to teenagers. But while this lifestyle can be incredibly rewarding, it also comes with unique...
How supply teachers can gain medical and wellbeing perks
The education sector is the backbone of communities and teachers are its driving force. Yet, the demands of the profession often take a toll on their financial, physical, and mental wellbeing. Education agencies partnering with umbrella companies have a unique...
Contractors’ holiday pay in the umbrella company model
Contractors working through umbrella companies are classed as employees of the umbrella company. This employment model and status entitles them to certain statutory rights, including holiday pay. Under UK law, employees are entitled to a minimum of 28 days of paid...
How your student loan affects your pay as an umbrella company contractor
If you’re a contractor paid through an umbrella company and have a student loan, it will help to understand how your repayments work and how they impact your take-home pay. Our team has got together to explain the key details, the repayment process, and provide...
Can supply teachers use personal service companies? No – here’s why
For education agencies, understanding compliance is serious. With supply teachers increasingly being engaged through umbrella companies, one common question arises: Can supply teachers use Personal Service Companies (PSCs)? The short answer is no. The complexities of...
What if your umbrella company is using a tax avoidance scheme?
Recruitment agencies rely on umbrella companies to simplify contractor payroll, ensure compliance, and deliver a seamless experience for all parties involved. But what happens if your umbrella company is using a tax avoidance scheme? The answer could have serious...
FAQs about umbrella companies: What contractors need to know
If you’re new to contracting or considering switching to an umbrella company, it’s natural to have questions about how they operate and what benefits they offer. From understanding how payments work to ensuring compliance with tax laws, choosing the right umbrella...
Unlock savings with Fair Pay Services discount outlet
Contracting comes with its perks. Flexibility, independence, and often a higher earning potential. But alongside the freedom of contracting, wouldn’t it be great to make your money stretch further? Enter the exclusive discount outlet from Fair Pay Services. Whether...
Statutory payments: Who is responsible for contractors’ entitlements?
As a recruitment agency working with contractors, statutory payments are important to get to grips with. Questions often arise about who is responsible for handling statutory entitlements such as holiday pay, sick pay, and parental leave. This responsibility varies...
Working for multiple schools and agencies as a supply teacher
Supply teachers often work as contractors to maintain flexibility and control over their careers. The freedom of supply teaching can help educators explore multiple school environments, gain diverse experiences, and choose assignments that fit their schedules. Acting...
Do supply teachers benefit from a pension through umbrella companies?
Can a supply teacher have a pension? The answer is yes. Supply teachers can benefit from the advantages of an employment model that goes beyond weekly income, including pension contributions, statutory benefits, and comprehensive employment rights. This can happen if...
Why are umbrella company payslips different?
When contractors transition to an umbrella company, one of the first things they notice is a shift in how their payslips look compared to traditional employment. Umbrella company payslips contain unique information tailored to the umbrella model, where the contractor...
Getting contractors paid on time: a guide for recruitment agencies using umbrella companies
For those in the recruitment sector, ensuring your contractors get paid on time is a fundamental duty. Recruitment agencies want reliable payroll services that comply with HMRC guidelines, protect contractors’ employment rights, and handle statutory benefits....
How CIS Contractors Pay National Insurance Contributions
For the self-employed in the UK construction industry, managing tax and National Insurance (NI) contributions can be a bit complex. Those working under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) need to understand how their tax and NI contributions work to remain...
Contractors: are you making the most of Christmas discounts with your PAYE umbrella employment?
The holidays are approaching and purse strings are tightening to save for Christmas. Like most people, many contractors will be gearing up for holiday spending. From gifts to Christmas gatherings, expenses can quickly add up. But unlike most people, contractors can...
Supply teachers’ employment status: A guide to payroll, tax status, and employment conditions
The employment status of supply teachers and the implications for tax and payroll can feel challenging. For many supply teachers, finding a structure that simplifies these complexities is essential. And that’s where an umbrella company can make all the difference. As...
Understanding statutory payments for contractors working under an umbrella company
If you’re a contractor working under an umbrella company in the UK, statutory payments will form a huge part of your financial safety net. Whether it’s sickness, maternity, or paternity leave, statutory payments provide support during key life events. But...
What do Employee Assistance Programmes do for contractors?
As a contractor working under an umbrella company, you may enjoy several benefits that go beyond the basic conveniences of payroll and tax management. One of the most valuable yet often overlooked benefits is access to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs). These...
Avoiding tax avoidance: the pitfalls and penalties
Compliance with tax regulations is a top priority for maintaining your reputation and protecting your contractors as a recruitment agency. With increasing governmental scrutiny on tax avoidance schemes, it’s essential to understand how to avoid these pitfalls. There...
Umbrella employment vs. agency PAYE: A guide for recruitment agencies
As a recruitment agency, you often face the challenge of advising your contractors on the best payment method. There are two options: umbrella employment and agency PAYE. Understanding the differences, advantages, and disadvantages of each can help you provide...
Pension auto-enrolment for supply teachers: what it means and how it works
As a supply teacher working as a contractor through an umbrella company, you’re likely familiar with the flexibility and independence that contracting offers. However, one area that can feel less straightforward is retirement planning. This can be particularly...
What if your supply teacher doesn’t have a P45?
As in all sectors, administrative hiccups or inconveniences can sometimes arise, and a missing P45 is one that can cause confusion. This document is crucial for ensuring the correct tax code is applied. For educational agencies recruiting supply teachers, employment...
Boost candidate retention and satisfaction by encouraging Fair Pay Services
As a recruiter, one of your primary goals is to not only place talented professionals into the right roles but also ensure that they remain happy and productive in their positions. This is where partnering with Fair Pay Services can make a significant impact....
Unlocking exclusive benefits for contractors
As a contract worker, managing your work-life balance, health, and finances can be challenging, especially without the perks and stability that full-time employees enjoy. Fair Pay Services offers you more than just payroll solutions. It provides a comprehensive...
Back to school: Why supply teachers should join Fair Pay Services
As the new school year begins, supply teachers face the challenge of managing their time, wellbeing, and finances in the midst of an already demanding job. Fair Pay Services is designed to help alleviate some of these burdens by providing a comprehensive range of...
How umbrella pay is calculated for supply teachers as contractors
Supply teaching offers a unique level of flexibility and freedom for education professionals, allowing them to choose when and where they work. Many supply teachers operate as contractors through an umbrella company, which takes care of their tax and payroll...
Improve retention with benefits for your supply teachers: How an umbrella company can help
Retention of supply teachers is a growing challenge for schools and recruitment agencies alike. Given the flexible nature of supply teaching, many professionals opt to move between roles frequently, often driven by opportunities that offer better working conditions,...
Which employment model is best for your contractors? A guide for recruitment agencies
Recruitment agencies play a pivotal role in ensuring that contractors are placed in the right roles, but also that they are engaged through the most suitable employment model. The decision on whether to engage contractors through a limited company (Ltd), umbrella...
The essential role of Key Information Documents (KID) for recruitment agencies
With recent changes in UK employment laws, the mandatory Key Information Document (KID) has gained increased importance in ensuring transparency in the recruitment process. Employment businesses – otherwise known as recruitment agencies – must, by law (since April 6,...
How Umbrella Companies Work
We receive a lot of queries about umbrella company pay, and most of them come down to misunderstandings about how the umbrella companies work, so in this article we explain what umbrella company employees need to know. Before we start: Before we get into the...
Umbrella Company Contractors – What Recruiters Need to Know
If your recruitment agency engages contractors, there’s a good chance at least some of them are employed by umbrella companies. In this article we’re looking at what recruiters need to know about umbrella company employment, so you can advise your contractors and...
Supply Teachers: How not Getting Paid in the Holidays Could Affect Your Payslips
Variable pay is part of life as a supply teacher, and you’d expect your tax to vary as well. If you work more in a particular week or month, you’ll earn more and you’ll pay more tax. However, sometimes it isn’t clear why your tax has changed from one payslip to...
6 employment legislation changes affecting recruitment agencies
The Labour Party has announced several key changes to employment legislation that will impact recruitment agencies. They plan to implement these within the first 100 days of forming a new government. Although the timeline may extend due to necessary consultations and...
Making the Most of your Holidays as an Umbrella Company Contractor
When we talk about our umbrella company employees taking time off, it’s not a minor concern or a frivolous detail. The ability to take time for yourself is important in protecting your mental and physical health. For too many contractors, even some who are employed by...
Recruiters: Can Supply Teachers Claim Statutory Sick Pay During the School Holidays?
Supply teachers generally don’t expect the school to pay for their services unless they actually work, and many assume this means they’re not entitled to sick pay, but the truth is that many are entitled to claim. In fact, for teachers who are employed by an umbrella...
The National Minimum Wage and Umbrella Contracts
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage set out the minimum hourly rate a UK worker must receive. It’s important to ensure that your contractors are paid at least this amount, so in this article we’ll look at how umbrella company pay interacts with...
Recruiters, are You on Top of Your Quarterly Intermediaries Reporting to HMRC?
It’s more important than ever for recruitment agencies to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, and it can be difficult to keep up with all the requirements, so in this article we’re looking at what recruiters need to know about the Employment...
Funding Time Off as a Supply Teacher
Many supply teachers will only be paid when they’re working but this situation is slightly different for umbrella company employees. In this article we’ll look at how employment with an umbrella company can help supply teachers to cover their time off. Use...
Your Discounts – Summer Holiday Savings for Our Employees
We know the school summer holidays come with additional expenses for many of our employees, and that’s exactly what Your Discounts is designed to help with. In this article we’ll look at some of the deals you can find in your Fair Pay Companion portal or app. These...
Umbrella Company Employees – What Happens When You Get Paid
If you’re employed by an umbrella company, the payroll process will be slightly different from what you might be used to as a conventional employee, mostly because the supply chain involves other companies. The exact process will vary depending on your umbrella...
What Election Promises are the Major Political Parties Making to Workers and Contractors?
A general election always holds the possibility sweeping change, whether you see that as a promise or a risk, and employment legislation is often a prime target. In this article we’re looking at the manifesto promises from the three main parliamentary parties, so you...
The Pros and Cons of Using an Umbrella Company PSL
If your recruitment agency engages contractors, there’s a good chance that it also works with umbrella companies on a regular basis and you may have considered using a Preferred Supplier List (PSL) to help you streamline the management of your umbrella contractors. In...
Recruiters: Why do Umbrella Companies Conduct Right to Work Checks?
Getting your contractors registered with an umbrella company should be relatively simple, but there are some things that the umbrella absolutely must do before they can pay your contractors for the first time, even if they result in frustrating delays. In this article...
Updates to the Shortage Occupation List – What Recruiters Need to Know
If you’ve engaged overseas contractors on a skilled worker visa, there are some recent changes that you need to be aware of. The main effect is to make it easier for workers to take additional work, once the conditions of their sponsorship are met. In this article...
Amazing benefits for Our Umbrella Company Employees
At Fair Pay Services, we’re determined to be a powerful positive force in the lives of our umbrella employees. Part of that just involves doing what you expect of us – paying you correctly and on time, supporting you as your employer and getting all the “basics”...
As a Contractor, Do I Get a Pension?
Investing in your future has always been a good idea, and pensions are an obvious way to start. The earlier you start saving, the easier it will be to give your future self the gift of a comfortable retirement, so in this article we’re looking at the question of how...