It is estimated that there are over 500 umbrella companies operating in the UK, both big and small. The biggest challenge that the temporary workforce of the UK is facing is that the umbrella company services sector is unregulated and it is by far the biggest threat to the temporary workforce.
It is because of the IR35 legislation, most temporary workers have opted to work through umbrella companies. This has boosted the umbrella company's business. The number of dubious and fraudulent umbrella companies has risen significantly. This is mainly because the umbrella companies are not regulated by the government.
There are 2 non-government bodies that do compliance audits of umbrella companies for a fee. They are namely the FCSA (Freelancer and Contractor Services Association) and the other one is the Professional Passport. They both provide their accreditation/approval after doing diligence/audits of the umbrella companies.
FCSA claims that the umbrella companies that get their accreditation are compliant companies. Though some companies even with their accreditation have been involved in questionable practices and have been suspended by their membership body. This leads us to believe that no matter the accreditation, there is always a high chance that dubious umbrella companies will find a way to find a loophole in the process and get away with it (at least until they’re caught).
It should be noted that some companies have been found not conforming to FCSA compliance codes. Leading to some people believing that the FCSA is a fake regulatory body. Some rightly say that if the accredited companies are not complying then the said compliance codes are nothing but just words. This is exactly why it is important to have a government-regulated body to keep fraudulent umbrella companies at bay.
You can follow this interesting discussion on LinkedIn on FCSA.
On their respective websites, they’ve claimed to be the best. FCSA says that they are recognised as the industry’s compliance gold standard. Professional Passport claims that they are the largest independent assessor of payment intermediary compliance, the only insurance-backed accreditation.
If we are to do a head-to-head comparison, FCSA has 64 accredited umbrella companies and Professional Passport has got 61 approved umbrella service providers.
If you are looking to appoint an umbrella company, you can have a look at our partners mentioned below.
| Umbrella Company | Services Offered | Company Profile |
|---|---|---|
 |
Professional Passport Accredited Payroll flexibility (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) Free tax investigation consultation* through our sister company Templeton Brook Witt Free employment dispute advice* through our sister company Beaumont Swiss Contractor portal Outstanding customer service |
Professional Passport Approved View Profile |
 |
Special £10 per week margin FCSA accredited umbrella committed to compliance and exceptional customer service No joining or leaving fees and ongoing phone and email support - as and when you need it Free £25 million insurance cover, Same Day Faster Payments and Employee Benefits Fantastic online reputation - rated excellent on Trustpilot (4.5/5.0) |
FCSA Accredited View Profile |
Legal Disclaimer: ITContractorsUK.com cannot be held liable due to non performance or for any issues arising out of the Umbrella Companies on our list. This list includes our service partners/affiliates and you are required to do the complete due diligence before hiring/appointing any of them. Our experience with them has been very good and hence we are recommending them. But again, we do not accept any liability and due diligence is on the person appointing them.
Below is the FCSA and Professional Paspport comparison table.
| Umbrella Company | Professional Passport | FCSA |
|---|---|---|
| A J Rayson | ✔ | ✕ |
| Umbrella Company UK | ✕ | ✔ |
| Abacus Umbrella | ✔ | ✕ |
| Pendragon Consultancy | ✕ | ✔ |
| Adroit Payroll | ✔ | ✕ |
| Numbermill | ✕ | ✔ |
| Alpha Saint | ✔ | ✕ |
| Brookson One | ✕ | ✔ |
| AmaanahPay | ✔ | ✕ |
| Umbrellaphant Limited | ✕ | ✔ |
| Arch Finance | ✔ | ✕ |
| Global Challenge Umbrella Services | ✕ | ✔ |
| Azure Global | ✔ | ✕ |
| Advance | ✕ | ✔ |
| Big Fish Group | ✔ | ✕ |
| iConsult | ✕ | ✔ |
| Bishopsgate | ✔ | ✔ |
| SSC Services | ✕ | ✔ |
| Bonzai | ✔ | ✕ |
| Umbrella.co.uk | ✕ | ✔ |
| Bright Sky Contracting | ✔ | ✔ |
| Omnia | ✕ | ✔ |
| Citadel Collective | ✔ | ✕ |
| Eden Group | ✕ | ✔ |
| Compass | ✔ | ✕ |
| The Indigo Group | ✕ | ✔ |
| Competex Pro | ✔ | ✕ |
| NASA | ✕ | ✔ |
| Contractor Bureau | ✔ | ✕ |
| Orange Genie - Suspended | ✕ | ✔ |
| Cool Company | ✔ | ✕ |
| Exchequer Solutions | ✕ | ✔ |
| Core Finance Management | ✔ | ✕ |
| SG Umbrella | ✕ | ✔ |
| DASA Umbrella | ✔ | ✔ |
| Rebus | ✕ | ✔ |
| Dynasty Payroll Solutions | ✔ | ✕ |
| PAYME | ✕ | ✔ |
| ePayMe | ✔ | ✕ |
| Sterling | ✕ | ✔ |
| Exceed Outsourcing | ✔ | ✕ |
| Black Diamond (A part of Danbro Group) | ✕ | ✔ |
| EZ PAYE | ✔ | ✕ |
| Clipper Contracting Group | ✕ | ✔ |
| Fair Pay Services | ✔ | ✔ |
| Carrington Umbrella | ✕ | ✔ |
| Fruition Outsourcing Ltd | ✔ | ✕ |
| Propaye | ✔ | ✕ |
| Husp | ✕ | ✔ |
| Granite BPO | ✔ | ✔ |
| Workwell Group | ✕ | ✔ |
| I-PAYE Ltd | ✔ | ✕ |
| Smartwork | ✕ | ✔ |
| ForeTwo Group | ✕ | ✔ |
| We Contracting Limited | ✕ | ✔ |
| IPS Umbrella Ltd | ✔ | ✕ |
| New Red Planet | ✕ | ✔ |
| JMK Umbrella | ✔ | ✕ |
| Oasis Group | ✕ | ✔ |
| Lesters | ✔ | ✕ |
| Amaze Umbrella Ltd | ✕ | ✔ |
| Mint | ✔ | ✕ |
| Exact Payroll | ✕ | ✔ |
| MyPay | ✔ | ✔ |
| Clarity Umbrella | ✕ | ✔ |
| Odyssey Payroll | ✔ | ✕ |
| Contractor Umbrella | ✕ | ✔ |
| Optimum Pay Group | ✔ | ✕ |
| Stonebridge Payment Solutions Ltd | ✕ | ✔ |
| Orbital Group | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ship Shape | ✕ | ✔ |
| Ovations Umbrella Ltd | ✔ | ✕ | Parasol | ✕ | ✔ |
| PAYBRELLA | ✔ | ✕ | Mortimer Childe | ✕ | ✔ |
| People Group | ✔ | ✕ |
| Giant Pay | ✕ | ✔ |
| Pinnacle and Partners | ✔ | ✕ |
| Plus Pay | ✔ | ✕ |
| Churchill Knight Umbrella | ✕ | ✔ |
| Quad Management | ✔ | ✕ |
| Focused | ✕ | ✔ |
| Quickstep Contracting Services | ✔ | ✕ |
| Liquid Friday | ✕ | ✔ |
| Ricson Services | ✔ | ✕ |
| Granite BPO | ✕ | ✔ |
| Rise Contracting Services Ltd | ✔ | ✕ |
| Reddingtons Payroll | ✕ | ✔ |
| Same Day Pay Umbrella | ✔ | ✕ |
| Azebra Group Ltd | ✕ | ✔ |
| Sandbeck | ✔ | ✕ |
| Sapphire Contracting | ✕ | ✔ |
| Social Work Employment Services | ✔ | ✕ |
| Payments Pro | ✕ | ✔ |
| Solucionis | ✔ | ✕ |
| Trafalgar | ✕ | ✔ |
| Swann Accountants Umbrella Services | ✔ | ✕ |
| Paystream | ✕ | ✔ |
| TGI Payday | ✔ | ✕ |
| Swift Employment | ✕ | ✔ |
| TJW Contract Solutions | ✔ | ✕ |
| Quest Pay Solutions NE Ltd | ✕ | ✔ |
| Trusted Employment Solutions | ✔ | ✕ |
| Generate | ✕ | ✔ |
| TUS Umbrella | ✔ | ✕ |
| No Worries Umbrella | ✕ | ✔ |
| UC Contractors | ✔ | ✕ |
| NWM Umbrella | ✕ | ✔ |
| Ultra Payroll | ✔ | ✕ |
| ICS Accounting | ✕ | ✔ |
| Umbrella Zone | ✔ | ✕ |
| Fair Pay Services | ✕ | ✔ |
| Unicorn Development Solutions | ✔ | ✕ |
| Crest Plus | ✕ | ✔ |
| Universal Umbrella | ✔ | ✕ |
| JMK Group UK | ✕ | ✔ |
| Virtue Payroll Services | ✔ | ✕ |
| Champion Contractors | ✕ | ✔ |
| Vision Payroll | ✔ | ✕ |
| Well Pay | ✔ | ✕ |
| Westlakes Fusion | ✔ | ✕ |
If there's any discrepancy in our list or for any changes/feedback, please write to us at [email protected] and our team will review it.