OrangeGenie Umbrella Solutions FAQ

An umbrella company employs and supplies professional contractors to carry out short term assignments for recruitment agencies and/or end clients.

There are many reasons why an agency/end client will choose to use a professional contractor rather than a permanent employee; an assignment may need specialist skills, or they may need cover during the absence of a permanent employee, or they may need support to cope with a seasonal spike in demand, or simply to carry out a project of limited duration. Whatever the reason, the agency/end client usually insist on the contractor working for an umbrella company to give them reassurance and a guarantee that the contractor is not in a position to claim any employment rights against them and that they will not get caught with any unforeseen costs.

An umbrella company employs the contractor who benefits from full employment rights. As an employee the contractor receives full HR support from the umbrella company which includes health and safety at work, employment insurances, the right to national minimum wage, statutory payments and rights, holiday pay, invoicing and timesheet management, payment of tax and national insurance contributions, and statutory HMRC returns and notifications.

With a good umbrella company you can access a range of affiliate offers such as financial and legal products, plus other contractor benefits.

Government and EU legislation has turned the contracting world into a complex, confusing, high risk business. OrangeGenie has built a diverse and highly professional team of people capable of understanding and interpreting these complex pieces of legislation in order to provide our contractors with a convenient, simple, stress free home which is as tax efficient and beneficial as can be. Our service is simple, safe, has no catches and no hidden charges. You get your own account manager to talk to if you have any queries or concerns.

Interestingly we are not all accountants as our business and our legal responsibilities go way beyond simply administering a payroll scheme. As your employer we have to deal with legislation as diverse as the employment rights act, the health and safety at work act, the working time directive, the right to work, statutory payments, maternity rights and disciplinary & grievance procedures, all areas outside the professional competence of even qualified accountants. So we have built a multi-disciplinary scheme with a mix of skills and qualifications. OrangeGenie provide a cost effective and responsible way for contractors to work.

It's really quite simple. You become an employee of OrangeGenie. We sign a contract for your services with the agency (or end client) for each assignment you agree to carry out. Once an assignment starts, you submit your approved timesheets and expense claims to us. We invoice the client, and the client pays us. We calculate your net pay, tax and NI contributions, approve your expenses and pay monies due to you directly into your bank account. As your employer it is our responsibility to look after all your tax and NI payments and statutory returns.

OrangeGenie employees are able to claim legitimately incurred business expenses (usually travel and subsistence) which, after being checked and verified can be reimbursed to you tax and NI free. In some cases you do not need to provide us with receipts for these expenses although you should always keep evidence of these should the taxman come calling!

We make a small margin on providing your services to our customers. Call us to find out how much.

No. There are no hidden extras. OrangeGenie make money when you work on an assignment, not when you don't.

Yes. Contact our sales team by phone (0845 603 8088) or by email (Sales@OrangeGenie.com) and request a detailed calculation based on your circumstances.

All contractors employed by OrangeGenie are paid through the PAYE scheme, IR35 regulations are therefore irrelevant so you will not be receiving any surprise assessments from HMRC.

Yes, you will be given login details once you have signed your offer letter. It allows you to enter your timesheet details and expense claims. You can track all current transactions, check historic data, request CHAPS payments and holiday pay, and set up alerts for your mobile phone.

Yes, OrangeGenie has a dispensation agreement with HMRC that allows us to streamline the administration of expense claims and dispense with the need to submit annual P11D for each employee.

Yes, as an employee you will be covered by OrangeGenie's Employers Liability, Public Liability, and Professional Indemnity Insurances.

Yes. We can provide a range of products and services designed specifically for contractors. These include Mortgages, Loans, Pensions, Car Leasing, Credit Cards, Life Assurance, Health Insurance, Death in Service Insurance, and we are constantly adding new services to our portfolio.

You are an employee of OrangeGenie.

Ultimately OrangeGenie is responsible for your health and safety at work and its directors are legally responsible under the Health & Safety at Work Act.

However your host company (end client) has a shared responsibility while you are working on assignment at their premises.

Our phone lines are open between 8.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and a voicemail service operates outside these times. Feel free to contact us whenever you want to with any questions you may have about our service. 0845 025 8457