faqs

Q. How quickly will I be paid?
If you are with the majority of banks that support faster payments then you will be paid same day for FREE. Otherwise BACS takes 2-3 days, which is also FREE. You can elect to receive CHAPS guaranteed same day payments, but the cost of this service, £25, will be passed on to you.

Q. How do I tell you my hours?
You will submit them quickly and easily in our online Tracker system, which can also give you 24*7 *365 access to all your Payslips, Expenses, Transactional History and many useful Reports.

Q. Will I be paid monthly or weekly?
This will depend on the payment terms agreed to within your original contract with the client/agency. Put simply, whenever they pay us, we will pay you immediately.

Q. I have more than one contract, can I be paid more than once each week/month?
We pay you immediately, as soon as we receive your money, regardless of the number of contracts. Therefore, if we receive multiple payments for you from the client/agents, then as we run a payroll every day, you will get multiple payments.

Q. How long will the agency take to pay?
This depends upon the specific payment terms of your agency, but we recommend that you get us your signed weekly timesheet by close of business Friday and monthly timesheets on the last day of the month, so that we can immediately invoice for your work. But rest assured, if the agent is not paying according to the terms of the contract, we will chase them on your behalf.

Q. As a contractor, am I entitled to holiday pay?
Contractors joining UOU become employees of UOU and so are entitled to employment rights and benefits, including holiday pay. UOU handle holiday pay in a straightforward way - every time we pay you, we will make an on account payment to you in respect of the holiday that you have accrued. So, we will pay you in advance for your holidays.

Q. Am I insured as a UOU employee?
Yes, as an employee of UOU, you will benefit from the following inclusive insurance:
£2m Professional Indemnity insurance
£5m Public Liability insurance
£10m Employers Liability insurance

Q. Do I need to submit receipts for expenses?
Yes, you will need to send us receipts for expenses claimed. This is free and straightforward and is explained in our Expenses Guide.

Q. What ID you I need to provide?
If you're a UK citizen we'll just need to take a copy of your passport, if you're not then we'll also need some other proof of your right to work in the UK. This is straightforward and is explained in our sign-up process.

Q. Do I get taxed on your fee?
No our fee is deducted before tax and therefore the actual cost to you is less.

Q, Why do you deduct employers National Insurance from the amount you pay me?
UOU pays the employers NI from the gross sum received from the agent, as required by law.

Q. Am I taxed on expenses?
No there is no tax or National Insurance deducted from legitimate business expenses.

Q. Do I get a payslip?
Yes. This will be posted on our Tracker system, so that you can view or print it when required.

Q. I have already started a contract and haven't got an umbrella company - Is that a problem?
No, joining UOU is simple and free, and we can have all the details required by your agency to issue a contract immediately. We will also ensure that HM Revenue & Customs are aware of your working arrangements and your agency pays you accurately and quickly.

Q. I currently have my own limited company, but my agency insist I use an umbrella company. Can I use your umbrella company just for one contract?
Yes, no problem. You can simply join UOU and use our services for a single contract and you can still contract through your existing limited company if you have other contracts at the same time.

Q. Am I tied in to your umbrella company?
Absolutely not, you can join and leave at any time, absolutely free.
There are no joining or leaving fees and our weekly fees are only charged whilst you're actually working for UOU.

Q. Can I receive dividends from your umbrella company?
No. The income you receive from UOU will be in the form of salary and allowable expenses. Employees of UOU cannot own shares and therefore cannot receive dividends.

Q. What is an expense dispensation?
If an employer regularly reimburses employees for allowable expenses such as work related travel, the employer can apply to HMRC for a dispensation. If granted the employer will no longer have to report the reimbursements covered by the dispensation on a P11d, thus potentially saving an administration overhead cost.

However, a dispensation is not a license to give away tax-free money to employees, it is purely a means of reducing the administration burden. As a matter of course, you must always keep records of all expenses claimed and reimbursed to you.