Agencies Frequently asked questions

Moneytree Payroll Services

Agencies FAQs

Umbrella companies employ workers who are either on a fixed term or temporary assignment. We act as an intermediaries between yourself – a contractor and your end client or agency. Your agent pays us and we pay you through PAYE as our employee.
Umbrella employment is a form of employment often used by temporary workers. The worker becomes and employee of us as your umbrella company rather than being directly employed by your agency or end client.
The ‘contracted rate’ agreed with your agency is an enhanced rate that factors in ‘employments costs’. These costs usually include employers NI, Employers pension and Apprenticeship Levy. It is this ‘contracted rate’ that is charged to your agency, we will the deduct the employment costs and our margin. What is left is your ‘gross taxable pay’ and is subject to statutory deductions such as PAYE and Employees NI.

First step is Worker Engagement, this is simply the worker signing up with the umbrella company. This can be through personal choice or a requirement of industry legislation.

The worker will then engage into contracts with clients or agencies to provide a service.

Your agency will provide your umbrella company with your timesheet along with payment for your services.

Your umbrella company will then calculate your salary deducting any statutory costs such as PAYE and NI. Your net pay will be paid to you by bank transfer by your umbrella company.

There are a few factors to consider here below are just a few: Do they have Accreditation or Certification? Look for the likes of Professional Passport or FCSA accreditation. These associations set out compliance standards for umbrella complies to adhere to and are therefore the umbrella company is much more likely to be compliant with tax and employment regulations. Transparency: A compliant umbrella company will be transparent about their margins and provide a clear and detailed breakdown of how your income is calculated. This should include any deductions made. Compliance with Tax regulations and employment rights: Ensure you are provided with regular payslips which show they are operating PAYE tax deductions and NICs. Ensure you are provided with employment rights such as holiday and sick pay. Legal Compliance: Your umbrella company should adhere to legal compliance such as AWR (Agency Worker Regulations) and IR35. Does it sound too good to be true? If it does it probably is. Avoid unrealistic claims about tax savings and take home pay. Contracts and agreements: Review your contract fully paying particular care over any clauses that may affect your rights or obligations. Ones to look out for are notice periods, termination conditions of exclusivity. Communication: You umbrella company should keep lines of communication open, clear whilst dealing with your queries in a timely manner. Insurance: Does your umbrella company provide professional indemnity and public liability insurance?

Moneytree works well for agency workers, we are committed, trustworthy and compliant in every matter we address.

Agency workers know Moneytree is a payroll company to trust. We care for our employees; we offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) free of charge for all our staff as well as some of the most competitive umbrella company rates on the market.
We provide Professional Indemnity Insurance to the value of £5,000,000 and public liability to the value of £10,000,000.

Moneytree will calculate your earnings accurately and in accordance to all legislation, paying your wages directly into your bank account each week. If you ever have any issues with your payslips or timesheets you can contact us by email at info@moneytreepayroll.co.uk and we will manage your query in a timely and efficient manner.

Here at Moneytree Payroll Services, we are committed to providing trustworthy support to our staff, be that personal, financial, medical, or housing issues. 

The EAP we subscribe to has a 24-hour free helpline for stress, anxiety, debt, work, lifestyle addictions, relationships and legal advice on 0800 047 4097. You will always be supported in a friendly, non-judgemental manner by an experienced advisor or therapist.  

Alternatively, you can login to their online health portal at www.healthassuredeap.com to access webinars, health checks, an e-Hub App, four-week programmes, and so much more. 

If you wish to avail of this service, please contact us on info@moneytreepayroll.co.uk for our staff login details.

IR35 is a set of rules intended to target tax avoidance in the contract market. The aim is to identify between a ‘disguised employee’ and a ‘true contractor.’ A worker deemed to be inside IR35 would be considered an employee whilst those outside IR35 would be a true contractor.

Inside IR35 workers are workers where their working arrangement are similar to that of a normal employee. Aspects of this can include a number of considerations including:

Control – The client will dictate how, when and where work is performed.

Exclusivity – The worker may be required to work solely for one client.

Business Risk – The worker does not bear significant financial or business risk

No right to substitution – Unlike with self-employment a worker with in IR35 does not have the right to send a substitute to complete the work.

Inside IR35 workers are subject to PAYE and NIC deductions at source inline with regular employees. They are therefore also entitled to the same employment benefits such as holiday and sick pay.

Workers outside IR35 are classed as ‘true contractor’ and are responsible for managing their own taxes and NICs.

Working outside IR35 can often lead to a higher tax efficiency and payment can be through salary and dividends and further tax allowances and deductions can be taken advantage of.

However, being outside IR35 means fewer employment rights those that fall outside will not be entitled to holiday or sick pay.

End client responsibilities? – The end client is crucial in complying with IR35 and are responsible for:

  • Determining IR35 status
  • Providing Status Determination Statements (SDS).
  • Communicating with the worker and agency and or Umbrella company
  • Passing information to intermediaries
  • Handling disputes
  • Liability for incorrect determinations under
  • certain conditions.

Otherwise known as Supervision, Direction or control is an assessment an umbrella company is required to carry out. Those that fall under SDC will not be able to claim tac relief on travel and subsistence expenses. A worker would also need to be paid PAYE rather than CIS.

There are many benefits including:

Expert payroll administration including tax and NI deductions on behalf of the agency’s contractors. This allows the agency to concentrate on what they do best, recruitment!

Compliance; umbrella companies are well experienced in tax and employment laws ensuring contractors are engaged compliantly reducing any legal risk and penalties that are associated with incorrect processing. Using an umbrella company can indicate an agency places compliance high in their priorities.

Recruitment companies often find using an umbrella company attracts a larger pool of contractors as they will receive certain employment rights and benefits along with their tax affairs simplified. Contractors are also reassured that they will receive regular and timely payments.

Got a question? Want more info? Give us a call on 01753 362198