Why do umbrella companies charge fees?
Let’s start by looking at why umbrella companies charge fees.
An umbrella company will employ the contractor and offer them a range of benefits. These include statutory benefits such as sick pay, holiday leave, a workplace pension and paternity or maternity leave. The umbrella company will also take care of tasks such as invoicing the client, chasing payments, plus any admin or paperwork that is required.
Finally, the umbrella company will also provide the contractor with a basic level of insurance required to carry out the contract at hand. This usually covers professional indemnity insurance, public liability insurance and employer liability insurance as a minimum.
Many umbrella companies will also offer additional benefits and services to the contractor for an increased fee. This is important to consider when comparing umbrella company fees as those with low fees might only offer basic services but you might require more from a company.
Additional perks can include:
In return for these benefits, the contractor will pay the company a fee.
The great news is that HMRC considers umbrella company fees as a legitimate expense, meaning you will not pay tax on them.
To help you compare umbrella company fees, we will next outline how umbrella companies charge their fees, how much you should expect to pay and any extras to look out for, to help you find the best deal.