Crystal Umbrella

You are responsible for ensuring that the contractors using your recruitment agency are operating in full compliance with HMRC regulations. How do you feel about that, we wonder?

This isn’t a hypothetical situation, because as the law currently stands you could be financially liable if one of your contractors has underpaid their Tax or NICs. HM Revenue & Customs even have the power to force you to disclose details of all the contractors on your books, finding yourself in such a situation is unlikely to endear you to existing clients or to impress prospective ones.

But it doesn’t have to be that way; there is a simple solution to your dilemma. By putting your contractors under contract with Crystal Umbrella, this scenario can be avoided entirely. We operate a 100% compliant PAYE payment solution and even better, all employment liability lies with us, so basically the buck stops right here, with Crystal.

A little about Crystal

Crystal Umbrella, which is currently the UK's No 1 PAYE umbrella company, as voted for by contractors themselves at freelancesupermarket.com, was established in 2008, to take over the pioneering and industry leading work initiated by our predecessor No Longer Limited (incorporated in 2001). Two forward thinking entrepreneurs, had the foresight and determination to create an organisation that removed the day to day legislative nightmare of employing and paying contractors & freelancers.

Since its formation, Crystal Umbrella has gone from strength to strength. Now employing over 45 staff at our head office in the picturesque town of Hertford and working with some of the most respected agencies and clients in the UK, we have supplied compliant, prudent and profitable employment management services to some 15,000 contractor employees.

Supporting Employment Businesses for the Last 10 Years

It goes without saying that we wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the fantastic relationships we’ve developed with recruitment agencies, recruiters and, of course, our hard-working and loyal contractor employees. The primary aim of our award winning service, is not only to provide you with an unparalleled level of support, but also to make the administration of your contracts as hassle-free and transparent as possible.

How we can help you

Not only do we offer our contractors an indispensable array of benefits, we also offer agencies a comprehensive solution to make the whole process just that little bit easier.

• A simple, above board and transparent service - for both you and your contractors. Regular external HMRC audits and AEMC accreditation ensure our constant compliancy.
• Contracts of employment - issued to every contractor, extending full employment rights and a whole host of additional benefits associated with employment.
• Ultra fast processing – we run multiple payrolls every day. Processing starts as soon as we receive a remittance, this allows us to provide your contractors with the fastest payment cycle on the market. In most cases there is a zero day delay on when you would normally expect to pay your contractor.
• All eventualities covered – we provide a Professional Insurance package of £20m. That equates to £5m Professional Indemnity, £10m Employers Liability and £5m Public and Product Liability.
• Full employment rights – are extended to each contractor, providing statutory benefits such as statutory sick, maternity and paternity pay, along with additional benefits such as access to a company pension.
• HR support – Our CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) qualified team of HR professionals are on hand to help and advise you and your contractor regarding queries, concerns or issues.
• Dedicated support – we provide a single point of contact for both contractors and agencies to help deal with problem resolution. Queries are dealt with faster and more efficiently.
• Reduced paperwork – our simple, easy-to-use, online Web Portal is open 24/7. At any time of the day or night you or your contractors can make secure submission of timesheets and expenses. Contractors can also keep track of their contracts, invoicing, payroll and those all-important payments.
• Compliant expense processing – we help guide your contractors through the expenses minefield, advising them what they can and can’t claim and how their income will be affected. We also ensure that they maintain compliancy at all times.
• Health, Wealth & Happiness – is maintained by a range of discounted Financial, Health and Wellbeing products and services, which are specifically tailored to suit the needs of contractors and freelancers.
• SMS pay alerts – the moment your workers payrolls are completed we’ll text them with details of their take home pay and when it will be deposited in their bank accounts.
• Compliance training – will be carried out at your own premises, enabling you to pass on our expertise to your clients and candidates.

These are just a small sample of the key benefits we are able to offer. Every agency is slightly different and will therefore receive a service tailored to meet their own specific requirements.

Crystal: officially accredited and operating to the highest standards

Highly respected within the industry, Crystal are proud to be a founder member of the Association of Employment Management Companies (AEMC), which was set-up to provide a unified voice introduce a comprehensive set of standards within the Umbrella Industry.

To find out more

Simply give our experienced New Business Team a call today on 0800 848 8888, chat to us online or feel free to submit your query using our quick online form

Ready to join?

Call us on 0800 848 8888, download an application form or open an account online