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List of the best UK PAYE umbrella companies

Before you sign up with a contractor umbrella company, make sure you read some of our leading umbrella guides first, and our notes at the bottom of this page.

Here is a select list of some of the best UK contractor umbrella solution providers:

Partner Umbrella Companies

Umbrella Company UK

  • Only £12.00 per week – amazing value!
  • FCSA Accredited Member.
  • Founded by experts with over 20 years of industry experience.
  • Upload your hours and expenses in minutes via an innovative app.
  • £25 million insurance cover included.
  • Refer your friends and earn rewards.
  • Perfect for public and private sector contractors
  • No joining and leaving costs, or other hidden fees.
  • Sign up in minutes.
  • umbrellacompanyuk.co.uk
  • 01707 669 023

Churchill Knight Umbrella

churchill knight

  • £12 per week margin.
  • SafeRec Certified – Realtime payslip audits in place
  • Accredited by the FCSA.
  • The team behind CK Umbrella has 50+ years of contractor payroll expertise.
  • Employee Benefits – Continuity of employment, Sick Pay, Maternity/Paternity Pay.
  • Free Insurance (business liability and professional indemnity)
  • No tie in period or hidden costs whatsoever.
  • Payments are made same day (Faster Payments).
  • 01707 871622
  • churchill-knight.co.uk

SG Umbrella

SG umbrella

  • Fully FCSA Accredited.
  • Switch between umbrella and limited company accounting.
  • IR35 and tax-planning advice included.
  • No hidden fees, plus fixed-margin fees.
  • Contribute as much as you want into your pension – save tax and NICs.
  • sg-umbrella.co.uk
  • 01962 896954

Clarity Umbrella

  • Simple, fast registration process.
  • First-class customer service.
  • You will have a dedicated point of contact.
  • Flexible pension scheme.
  • Highly-rated rewards scheme.
  • Competitive margin: £25/week, £95/month.
  • clarityumbrella.co.uk
  • 01473 845 835

Workwell Umbrella

  • Simple set up process. You can be up and running in minutes.
  • 30+ years of experience supporting contractors.
  • Over 30,000 workers use Workwell solutions.
  • Full employment rights.
  • FCSA Accredited firm.
  • umbrella.workwellsolutions.com
  • 01923 257 257

Suggest an Umbrella Company

If you’d like to add your umbrella company to this directory, simply email us for further details.

General Advice

Before signing up to an umbrella company scheme, you should consider a number of important factors first – how much does the company charge on a weekly/monthly basis, are there any hidden extras? Are there any charges or penalties if you decide to leave the scheme?

Be sure to ask what the scheme’s expenses policy is. You should only claim for expenses incurred wholly and exclusively as a result of your contract work.

We only list PAYE schemes which comply with UK tax regulations and deduct the correct amount of tax from employees. In fact, the only difference in your take-home pay between providers should only ever be the umbrella company’s fees.

Thankfully, most leading umbrella companies operate compliant expenses policies these days. We also recommend you ask contractor colleagues for their recommendations.

Before signing up, make sure you also speak to a representative of the umbrella company – it is important that you get the right personal feeling before committing yourself.

Also remember, if a scheme provider does not meet your expectations, you can easily switch providers at a later date.

List of FCSA Accredited umbrella companies

Here is a list of umbrella companies that have been tested for compliance with the FCSA Codes. You can browse all FCSA accredited firms (for both umbrella and accountancy) here.

  • SD Payroll Services
  • Trafalgar
  • Dasa Umbrella
  • Sapphire
  • We Contract
  • Umbrella Company UK
  • Generate
  • NWM
  • Azebra
  • Liquid Friday
  • Brookson One
  • Fore Two Group
  • Eden Group
  • Clarity
  • Black Diamond
  • Payments Pro
  • CWC Solutions
  • Orange Genie
  • Oasis Umbrella
  • Workr
  • Umbrellaphant
  • The Indigo Group
  • Bright Sky Contracting
  • Crest Plus
  • Umbrella.co.uk
  • Clipper Contracting Group
  • Sterling
  • Orbital
  • Pendragon Consultancy
  • Contractor Umbrella
  • Paystream
  • Carrington
  • PayMe
  • Key
  • Workwell
  • Champion Contractors
  • SG Umbrella
  • ICS
  • Fair Pay Services
  • Advance
  • Focused
  • Mango Pay
  • Smartwork
  • iConsult
  • Mortimer Childe
  • No Worries
  • Husp
  • Exact Payroll
  • Churchill Knight Umbrella
  • Global Challenge
  • Granite BPO
  • SSC Services
  • Giant
  • My Pay
  • Danbro
  • Nasa
  • Exchequer Solutions
  • Amaze
  • Parasol
  • DNS
  • NumberMill

Professional Passport also carries out audits of contractor service providers. You can view its list of approved umbrella providers here.

Remember. Only ever sign up with a UK-based PAYE umbrella company. Find out how an umbrella company works, and what to look out for in this guide.

About the Editor

  • James Leckie

    James is an experienced business and finance writer. He studied economics and worked for large companies including British Airways, Citi and JP Morgan before working as a data analyst IT contractor in the late 1990s and 2000s. He founded Contract Eye in 2006 and also writes widely for a number of popular business sites. Connect with James on LinkedIn.

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Last updated: 7th November 2023