How umbrella payroll works
Where your money goes between the agency invoice and your bank account — and why employer's NI changes the arithmetic.
Clear, current guidance on umbrella payroll, self-assessment, IR35 and getting paid — written for UK contractors rather than accountants.
Where your money goes between the agency invoice and your bank account — and why employer's NI changes the arithmetic.
Who determines your status, where the real exposure sits, and why PAYE removes the disguised remuneration risk.
Registering, gathering records, the deadlines that matter, and the mistakes that catch people out every January.
How to change provider mid-contract, what to tell your agency, and the questions to ask before you move.
Gross salary, income tax, National Insurance, holiday accrual — what each line means and how to check it.
Quick answers on fees, switching, holiday pay, expenses and IR35 — the questions we are asked most often.
Guidance is useful up to a point — but the question most contractors actually want answered is what they would take home.
Our calculator uses the current 2026/27 rates and shows every deduction, including the employer costs that providers often gloss over. It is the same arithmetic we use when we quote you.
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