umbrella Articles

HMRC fudging call centre waiting time figures

The taxman has come under pressure from MPs and contracting organisations after it was revealed that HMRC doesn’t include time spent listening to automated messages in their official ‘waiting time’ figures.

January is a busy month for contractors. Many have a back-log of Christmas work and now have less than 2 weeks left to file any outstanding self-assessment tax returns.

Umbrella.co.uk announces East Cheshire Hospice as nominated charity for 2018

We are delighted to announce that we have chosen East Cheshire Hospice as our nominated charity for 2018. As a 500 Club Member Umbrella.co.uk are committed to raising as much money as possible for the hospice through staff fundraising events.

Although there are many worthy charities out there, Umbrella.co.uk is Wilmslow based and we prefer to support local charities in the community where we operate and many of our staff live.

East Cheshire Hospice provide compassionate care and support to many local families and we are proud to support their invaluable work.

Winner of the iPhoneX Raffle - Congratulations to Maddie Blazeby from Liquid Personnel
At Umbrella.co.uk we value and appreciate every single one of our fantastic recruitment agency partners. Our recruitment agency partners and their contractors are at the heart of everything we do here at Umbrella.co.uk.
 
At Umbrella.co.uk our core focus and commitment has always been to deliver reliable value, service and compliance. However, at Umbrella.co.uk we do also like to give back and say ‘Thank You’ to our partners throughout the year. Every quarter we offer a brilliant prize which all of our recruitment partners can qualify to enter. Please keep an eye on our regular newsletters for information on our next excellent 2018 promotion. Please ensure that you are adhering to your company’s policies by taking part in our competitions. 
Skills shortages in IT and construction increase contractor pay outs
marketing | 20 November 2017
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Skills shortages in the key industries of IT and construction are pushing up wages for contractors employed in these sectors.
 
CompTIA’s annual workforce survey of IT executives found that most were in a positive mood about the future, with 62% planning to increase investment in IT products and services.
Could treasury extend IR35 reforms to private sector?

Reforms to ‘disguised employment’ IR35 rules were introduced in the public sector this year. The new rules caused confusion amongst recruiters and lead to a take-home pay cut for many contractors.

Now the Treasury has dropped its strongest hint yet that similar reforms could be introduced in the private sector – with the potential to affect millions of contractors and freelancers. 

There are troubling signals for contractors in the construction industry as Carillion is forced into liquidation and sector output dips dramatically. Contributing £90 billion to the economy each year, the construction sector is one of the largest in the UK. It is highly reliant on self-employed workers, with 800,000 of the 2.9 million people working in construction self-employed. Carillion, the second largest construction company in the UK, went into liquidation on Monday after the company’s banks refused
marketing | 16 January 2018
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There are troubling signals for contractors in the construction industry as Carillion is forced into liquidation and sector output dips dramatically.

Contributing £90 billion to the economy each year, the construction sector is one of the largest in the UK. It is highly reliant on self-employed workers, with 800,000 of the 2.9 million people working in construction self-employed.

Carillion, the second largest construction company in the UK, went into liquidation on Monday after the company’s banks refused to lend it more money. 

Six tax changes contractors need to know about in 2018

For many contractors, the Christmas break finished as quickly as it started. A whirlwind few days of stressed-out travelling and mince pie gorging is all that your average contractor can expect before its back to work.

But the New Year period does offer some space for quiet reflection.

Many contractors will have set New Year’s Resolutions and many of these will have centred on money. 

 Autumn Statement - 5 key takeaways for contractors
marketing | 23 November 2017
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In amongst the Britain’s Got Talent audition that the chancellor took part in yesterday were some announcements regarding the economy and some good news for contractors. We won’t repeat his numerous Christmas Cracker jokes but here’s the 5 key takeaways for contractors;

Paradise Papers show tide turning on tax avoidance schemes

Like the Panama Papers before, the latest leak on the tax affairs of the world’s rich and powerful show that the tide is turning against tax avoidance schemes.

There is no suggestion that those implicated in the leaks did anything illegal, the Paradise Papers have reignited a public debate about the global structures that facilitate tax avoidance.

The leak has led to a further blurring of the line between legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion. It has also caused serious reputational damage for dozens of individuals and multinational companies.

Umbrella.co.uk Halloween Spooktacular
marketing | 31 October 2017
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Umbrella.co.uk staff are fundraising for charity with a Halloween 'dress up' day in the office...There's some scarily good costumes, giant spiders and zombies creeping about......

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