An umbrella company works by employing contractors who are working on temporary or contract assignments, usually through recruitment agencies. Once you’ve registered, your agency submits your hours or days worked, the umbrella company invoices the agency or end client, processes your PAYE payroll, deducts the required taxes and National Insurance, and pays your salary. As an umbrella company employee, you’ll also receive statutory employment rights, including holiday pay, Statutory Sick Pay (where eligible), pension contributions and family leave, while avoiding the administrative burden of running your own limited company.
Choosing an award-winning umbrella company like Focused gives contractors a simple, compliant and hassle-free way to work on inside IR35 contracts. As your employer, we manage your PAYE payroll, tax deductions, National Insurance, pension contributions and employment administration, so you don’t have to. You’ll benefit from statutory employment rights, continuous employment between assignments where applicable, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing your payroll is handled correctly. Whether you’re new to contracting or moving from a limited company, working through Focused’s umbrella company lets you focus on your assignments while we take care of the paperwork.
If your contract falls inside IR35, joining an umbrella company is one of the simplest and most compliant ways to work as a contractor. Here’s how joining an umbrella company works:
Once you’ve chosen to join an umbrella company like Focused, you’ll become our employee. We’ll complete your registration, liaise with your recruitment agency, and set up your PAYE payroll so you’re ready to start your assignment.
After you’ve worked your assignment, Focused invoices your recruitment agency or end client for the work you’ve completed. They then pay the agreed contract amount directly to us.
Focused processes your payroll, deducting the required PAYE Income Tax, National Insurance and other statutory employment costs before paying your salary directly into your bank account. You’ll also receive a payslip detailing your earnings and deductions.
Joining Focused's umbrella company is quick and straightforward. You can register online or call our team on 0161 923 0210 to complete your registration over the phone in less than 10 minutes. Once you're registered, we'll liaise with your recruitment agency, set up your PAYE payroll, and make sure everything is in place so you can start getting paid through our umbrella company as quickly as possible.
Yes. As an employee of Focused's umbrella company, you may qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). You should notify us as soon as possible if you're unable to work. You can self-certify for the first seven days of illness, after which you'll need to provide a fit note from your GP. If you meet the eligibility criteria, we'll process your SSP through payroll.
Yes. If you're employed by Focused's umbrella company, you may be eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) or Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP), provided you meet the qualifying conditions. Contact our team with the relevant documentation and we'll guide you through the process.
Yes. As an employee of Focused, you're covered by comprehensive insurance, including Employers' Liability, Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance, with cover of up to £10 million. This gives you and your agency peace of mind while you're working on assignment.
Most umbrella company employees are paid weekly or monthly, depending on your recruitment agency's payment schedule. Once Focused receives payment for your timesheet, we'll process your salary through PAYE and pay you as quickly as possible.
Every time you're paid, we'll send you a text message confirmation and provide a detailed payslip explaining your earnings and deductions. You can also access and download your payslips through our online portal after 6pm on your payday.
When you work through Focused, you're employed by our umbrella company rather than being self-employed. You'll have a contract of employment, continuous employment between assignments where applicable, and access to statutory employee rights and benefits, while we manage your PAYE tax, National Insurance and payroll administration.
Focused is your legal employer. Although the recruitment agency arranges your contract assignment, your employment contract is with Focused. We handle your payroll, employment rights, tax and National Insurance, while the agency manages your placement.
Wondering how much you could earn working through an umbrella company? Use our umbrella company take home pay calculator to estimate your net pay after tax and National Insurance. It’s a quick and easy way to see what you could take home when working through an award-winning umbrella company like Focused.
As an FCSA-accredited umbrella company, Focused is independently audited to ensure we meet the highest standards of compliance, transparency and reliability. Contractors and recruitment agencies can be confident they’re working with a fully compliant umbrella company that follows industry best practices. Our commitment to exceptional service was also recognised at The Contracting Awards 2024, where we were named Best Umbrella Company (500–1,000 Clients).
