Working together to promote fair and ethical umbrella companies

We’re working hard to highlight umbrella companies who believe in “even better if” when it comes to setting standards and service for their workers. By the same token, we also help workers avoid umbrella companies who act unlawfully, unethically or simply unfairly.

If you're fair and ethical, let's work together

If you’re doing right by your workers, and perhaps you feel frustrated by the antics of others in the sector, let’s work together to make sure you get your day in the sun. We’re creating a platform to let the good people shine. By becoming an OffPayroll.org.uk engaged umbrella, we’ll help you to promote your good work.

The benefits of becoming an engaged umbrella

• We'll complete your FairScore assessment
• You can post a public response to any FairScore sections you don't pass
• You'll be given the ability to reply publicly to reviews (for the avoidance of doubt, you will *not* be given the contact or personal details of the reviewer, or any means to contact them directly)

It's free

We don’t charge to become an engaged umbrella.

Who shouldn't apply

It’s fair to say that we’re pretty opinionated on what’s fair and ethical, and what isn’t. And our approach might not be for everyone - and that’s OK. In particular, for umbrellas with unsustainable commercial relationships with agencies, it will be a challenge to pass our FairScore assessment. That’s because, in our experience, those who are paying significant amounts to agents are left with little choice but to engage in unethical practices with workers.

How does FairScore work?

Each umbrella is given a score between 0 and 100, based on the answers to a series of questions. Some questions are mandatory - if you fail these, your FairScore will be very limited. Mandatory questions have a green star next to them.

For the remaining questions, you’ll get either a pass or warning, or in some cases you can elect not to answer the question. You’ll get top marks for a pass, less for a warning, and no points for not answering the question.

It’s important to note that FairScore isn’t binary. You don’t have to pass every question to get a score. You have to pass the mandatory questions, and the more remaining questions you pass, the higher your score.

How is FairScore assessed?

We assess the background questions, based on public records - such as company registers, court documents, etc. For the remaining questions, we’ll ask you to provide your answers.

We also reach out to the community, including other umbrella companies, and ask them to tell us if they disagree with any of your answers. We take a considered approach to the final outcome - we neither want good companies to be penalised for fake insights, nor do we want rogues to prosper by lying to us!

I’m going to get penalised for a question, and there’s important context I’d like to share

That’s fine. The scoring itself is as objective as possible, meaning we can’t put you down for a pass if it’s not true. However, we appreciate that there are often two sides to each story, therefore for any questions that you fail or get a warning for, you can post a public comment alongside it explaining any relevant background information.

Get started by claiming your umbrella's page

The process is simple. You’ll need to first sign in via LinkedIn, then claim your umbrella company using the form that will appear below. We’ll then be in touch shortly.