What is an Umbrella Company Calculator?

Umbrella company calculators make it easy to estimate your income and find the right umbrella company for you

If you’re self-employed or a contractor, working with an umbrella company can be a beneficial option. But how can you be sure it will be worthwhile for you? Many contractors have started their successful working relationships with umbrellas through detailed research, yet there are much easier ways of considering the benefits.

Umbrella company calculators are the secret to making the process simpler. Read on as we explain what they are, and how you can make the most of them…

Umbrella company calculators 

Many factors make umbrella companies favourable to contractors. Effectively, it's like being self-employed but with all the benefits of a full-time employee. They'll put you on PAYE (pay as you earn), taking care of all your taxes, expenses, even offering sick and holiday pay.

An umbrella company calculator will allow you to input your income and will then tell you what they think your ‘take-home pay’ will be. The only information you need is your hourly/daily rate and your minimum work hours per month. It is an incredibly handy tool when you’re trying to make decisions and plans that require a bit of financial foresight.

Considerations when finding an umbrella calculator

It’s important to understand how these calculators come to their results as, in some cases, there will be an assumption made on how many expenses you claim a month. If an umbrella company is offering a calculator for their own services, you may find they incorporate high expenses. This is so that it appears as though you’ll be taking home more money than you otherwise would do with a competing umbrella company.

It's more beneficial to find an umbrella company calculator that is non-biased. This will allow you to compare and contrast different umbrella companies and weigh up your options. It will also help you identify another important factor – the company's margins.

Umbrella companies can function by having a margin of money they earn from the work that you’re doing. For some companies, this will be a flat rate. For others, it might be a percentage of your income. Either way, the calculator you use should clearly highlight this.

What makes a good calculator?

There are a lot of factors to consider when searching for a good umbrella company calculator to use. Here are our top tips for finding the best results:

Clear outcomes

If you use a calculator and the results they give you are confusing, vague or unclear in any way then you need to find a different calculator. The results you receive should list the costs that were included when the calculation was made. If it doesn’t, then you won’t be able to use those results to make a fully informed decision.

Additional perks

It’s all well and good knowing the financial facts, but many umbrellas offer other benefits that can affect your finances elsewhere. For example, some provide pensions, while others offer income protection.

These additional perks mean that you don't need to put extra money elsewhere, so they could have a direct financial value. It might be worth researching the cost of a private pension or independent income protection to figure out a rough value.

Biased sales tools

One of the biggest red flags you’ll come across when looking for an umbrella company calculator is when they ask for contact details before revealing your results. This suggests that they're focused on selling to you rather than providing helpful support. Don't fill in contact details unless you're looking for sales calls and emails!

Ease of use

It can be hard enough to get your head around complicated facts and figures without having to use a tool that makes the process even more complex. The best calculators will support you in evaluating your options, even if it means changing different factors such as your monthly income, so you can see how the results change.

The benefits of a good calculator

There are many benefits to finding a good umbrella company calculator to help you weigh up your umbrella options.

Firstly, you don’t have to spend time factoring different fees and taxes into the results. The calculator will do this for you, saving you valuable time and effort. It will also take into consideration your total National Insurance requirements. In most cases, this means both Employer’s and Employee’s National Insurance.

Not only that but finding a calculator that compares umbrella companies for you will save you hours of your time. Instead, you can crack on with some extra work or make the most of your downtime.

You can also benefit from huge financial savings. By being able to compare and contrast different companies, you will see which ones boast the best value for money. For example, you can weigh up the additional perks of a higher cost umbrella to see if it would be better than the lower fees of another one that has no extra benefits.

Finally, by using a calculator, you'll be able to find the best umbrella company for you. You'll gain access to exemplary customer service, the best perks for you and have your contractor admin fully taken care of.

The benefits of umbrella companies

Regardless of whether you're an experienced freelancer or just starting out as a contractor, there are many benefits of working with an umbrella company.

They can provide the advantages of being fully employed while you get to enjoy life as a self-employed worker. You can maintain the perks of holiday and sick pay, negate the risks of not being paid on time and circumnavigate IR35, all while enjoying the freedom of being your own boss.

With umbrella companies, you really can get the best of both worlds.

Recommended umbrella company calculator

So, if you want to find your perfect umbrella to start taking care of the tricky admin involved with being self-employed, find a good umbrella company calculator today.

At Umbrella Supermarket, we provide a 100% non-biased calculator that can help you work out your finances. Just input your rates and we'll provide useful and easy to understand results. From customer reviews to extra benefits, our calculator will break down results to help you find the best umbrella to work with.

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