Blog

Today (Wednesday 27th October 2021), Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his third budget in parliament, along with the Spending Review. As the country looks to bounce back from the catastrophic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, experts predicted several tax hikes and strategies to recuperate billions of pounds for the UK economy. This blog article summarises the key announcements in the Autumn Budget 2021 and Spending Review, and includes feedback from the Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA).

A new type of fraud has swept across the umbrella company sector, and it’s targetting compliant umbrella companies, recruitment agencies and tens of thousands of honest, hard-working contractors and freelancers. Please keep reading as we explain what umbrella cloning is, what has happened so far, which companies have been targeted, and how to identify fake communication from criminals pretending to represent legitimate umbrella companies.

On Wednesday 27th October 2021, Rishi Sunak will deliver the Autumn Budget 2021 – his third Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is expected to announce a series of measures to help the UK's economy recover from the devasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Keep reading for predictions and rumours of what may arise in the Autumn Budget 2021.

Churchill Knight Umbrella is committed to compliance within our sector. However, we're equally dedicated to customer service and ensuring our umbrella company employees have the best possible payroll experience using our umbrella company. As a result, we're delighted to provide all our employees with access to My Digital – state-of-the-art cloud-based software specially designed exclusively for umbrella companies. My Digital makes getting paid with an umbrella company more effortless than ever before. Most importantly, the software is secure and protected with cyber security that is second to none. Keep reading, and we'll explain My Digital's approach to cyber security.

In a statement released on the 23rd of September (2021), the government has confirmed Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax self-assessment (ITSA) will be delayed by a year. In an attempt “to help those impacted by the changes” and “ for their representatives to develop their own support and guidance”, MTD for ITSA will be now be rolling out from April 2024. Keep reading, and we’ll summarise the latest announcement from the government and how it’ll impact landlords and self-employed professionals in the UK.

Whether you’re a one-person band with a single buy-to-let property, or you are the director of a limited company with a bustling portfolio of properties, hiring a specialist landlord accountant could help you considerably. In this article, we summarise the benefits of appointing a landlord accountant to help you manage your collection of properties.

The Churchill Knight Umbrella team has recently received several queries from contractors who have moved to the UK but are unsure whether they can use an umbrella company for assignments (both inside and outside the UK). This article will answer some of the questions we have been asked about different types of visas and their restrictions concerning umbrella companies. We hope you find it helpful.

To help the country bounce back from the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a 1.25% rise in National Insurance to help fund health and social care. Estimated to raise up to £12 billion a year, the National Insurance rise has gone against the Conservative Party's manifesto pledge and has been greeted with mixed feedback. However, it's not the only pledge that will impact the country. Limited companies will also be subjected to increased share dividend tax. This article will summarise the government's health and social care plan and how it'll impact workers in the UK.

Umbrella company employees have access to holiday pay, but it can be an area of confusion. This article will explain how holiday pay works through an umbrella company, including how it’s calculated and how it will be paid to employees.

In a recent report in the Guardian, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called upon the government to ban all umbrella companies. The Freelancer and Contractor Services Association (FCSA) has described the request as a "knee jerk reaction" and has jumped to the defence of compliance-driven umbrella companies. Keep reading to discover why the FCSA believe that banning umbrella companies would leave outsourced workers “more vulnerable”.