About us

From the banks of the River Bollin in the leafy Cheshire town of Wilmslow, we’ve been providing the best value, expert and compliant services to contractors for over 15 years.

Man showing the content on his laptop to woman in an office environment Man showing the content on his laptop to woman in an office environment
Our story

The journey so far, and the journey ahead…

Our story starts back in 2008, with our founders Miles Grady and Nick Holmes realising the growing need for umbrella payroll solutions for freelancers and contractors. Back then, the two-person team called themselves ‘Paymatters’ and operated out of a small office next to Manchester Airport.

With several bigger players already on the field, Nick and Miles aimed to stand out from the crowd through their focus on providing the best customer service possible. The hiring of a dedicated Customer Services Manager was the catalyst needed to allow the business to grow and expand.

Growth led to the need to find a bigger home, and the business moved up the road to the nearby town of Wilmslow – once home to the great computer scientist Alan Turing. A new office also came with a change of name to Umbrella.co.uk.

As legislations around contracting working evolved, and to help fulfill the wider needs of our contractor workers, our services also expanded to include accountancy solutions in the form of Umbrella Accountants (now CloudAccountant.co.uk.) So, another move was needed, this time literally across the road to our current home at Bollin House.

We’re now a team of roughly 70 people and in 2023 were grateful to be able to celebrate our 15th year as a business. It was a time to reflect on where we have come from, but most importantly, where we are going. While some things will always remain the same, like our dedication to providing the outstanding customer service and keeping compliance a priority, we decided it was time for a new look to better represent the colourful spectrum of people and industries we represent. So, with a fresh new look, you’re all up to date with where we are today.

We look forward to continuing our story and hope you come along with us.

 

Meet the team of Umbrella.co.uk

Get to know the people helping you at each stage of your time with us.

Interested in a career at Umbrella.co.uk?

We’re always on the lookout for budding talent to join our growing team. See what current opportunities are available.

Crunching the numbers

Take a look at some of the numbers behind what we do…

100K+

Contractors we’ve looked after up and down the country

4.7

Rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot

16

Years providing the best value, expert and compliant services

Who we work with

We believe in going the extra mile to help with your contracting journey. This includes working with expert partners specialising in salary sacrifice, mortgages, insurance and more.

Latest updates

The latest information about Umbrella.co.uk and the world of finance at your fingertips.

In this article, we take a look at IR35 compliance and what it means to contractor workers in 2025. ...

Dexter Dyer
28 Jan 2025 4 min read

We round up the key takeaways for contractors from the Autumn Budget 2024. ...

Sam Stanhope
31 Oct 2024 5 min read

We explore 10 things you can do to help your Contractor CV stand out from the crowd and help increase your chances of landing your next dream contract. ...

11 Sep 2024 5 min read

Industry

IR35 Compliance: What Contractors Need to Know in 2025

In this article, we take a look at IR35 compliance and what it means to contractor workers in 2025.

Dexter Dyer
28 Jan 2025 4 min read

Industry

Autumn Budget 2024: Key Takeaways for UK Contractors

We round up the key takeaways for contractors from the Autumn Budget 2024.

Sam Stanhope
31 Oct 2024 5 min read

Industry

10 Tips to Make Your Contractor CV Stand Out

We explore 10 things you can do to help your Contractor CV stand out from the crowd and help increase your chances of landing your next dream contract.

11 Sep 2024 5 min read

Talk to our team

If you’d like to speak with any of our team, we’re always more than happy to help.