Agencies and payroll

[chilliepot]

Ive worked through a few different agencies and I am beginning to pick up on the way it works. I see that there are different arrangements with different agencies.

Some agencies will pay on a CIS basis. (My preference). Others will not. They say its not legal.
What the truth is I don't know. Personally I think that the agency needs to be registered CIS for this to happen. Does anyone have a ruling on this?

The other thing that perplexes me is the payroll companies.
They seem to be contracted to the agency. So each time I get work through a different agency, I get a new payroll company to register with and each time supply all my personal details to a new set of strangers in some distant office.

I think it would be a better idea for each tradesman to be contracted to a payroll company of choice. Then stay with that payroll company as long as they do a good job.
What do you think?

Not that Im going to change the way it works, but it does seem like a more sensible arrangement.


I have been advised by some guys to register as a Ltd company and . . . . well I'm still considering following this up.

 

[CockneyReject]

As of April 6th this year agency workers can't be paid CIS unless they go ltd company and work through an agency that way, agencies are now supposed to pay you as a PAYE employee but instead they put you through an umbrella company and charge you for your wages while also usually taking the employers NI deductions and an amount for "holiday pay" out of your pay along with your own tax and NI deductions

The best way of doing it is looking for a cards in job or subbying direct to firms instead of helping these thiefs make money off you

 

[chilliepot]

Thanks for the feedback and your opinion.
Do you mean subbing to a contractor under a CIS arrangement or as a Ltd company?

As for payroll companies; Wouldn't it be better if we could phone an agency and say "This is my payroll company. Work through them" ?

 

[CockneyReject]

No problem mate

you can subby to firms using either way, the difference is as a ltd company you are classed as an employee of your company or as a sole trader, both have their ups and downs and the best advice I can give you is to find a good accountant and get them to advise you on which would work best for you

as for payroll and agencies the best thing that could happen is they all go bust along with umbrella companies they are helping to kill this trade, the more lads that tell them where to stick it the better

 

[chilliepot]

I like that.

OK but I get your point.
The thing is they need to be manipulated to fit in with our side of the story. The payroll company should work for me. Not the agency.

 

[flex_m]

Having worked for several agencies, each with a diffrent payroll company, my assumption is their must be some type of a referral fee paid to the agency.

Once I had a month between jobs for the same agency, they made me sign up to a different payroll, refusing to allow me to use the previous one.

 

[Adam W]

I've been told it's to do with the question of whether you need to be supervised in your work - the idea is if you're working through an agency you'll be told what to do by the client and have your work checked, which is a form of supervision. My argument is that any company has to do that - even if you get your customers yourself, they'll still tell you what they want, when they want it, and check it to see if it's what they wanted. You can't just turn up somewhere whenever you feel like it, install what you want and expect someone to pay you for it.

It seems to depend on the agency. On my last agency job (which finished last week) they had wanted me to be paid via the umbrella scam, through their preferred company, but I asked to be paid CIS via my preferred payment company.
They agreed to it but I had to wait an extra week for my first week's pay, which I was happy to do for the sake of being paid through a company I trust.
Back in June I did a job for another agency who automatically put me on their preferred payment company (on CIS) but I had no end of problems with them - they didn't get in touch with me to register me, they overcharged me, they were rude, they lied and then accused the director of the agency of lying, and they withheld my money without telling me why. In the end they took about 8 weeks to pay me for 1 days work. To add insult to injury they've sent me flyers and emails asking me to choose to use them!
They call themselves 'Ship Shape'. Bloody s**t-shape more like. :-------::-------::-------::-------::-------:

 

[CockneyReject]

They are all middlemen though fella, an agency is only selling you work that you could pick up as a subby for less than what a cards in spark gets as the 14 quid an hour they advertise is about 10.50 in reality once the umbrella company is finished with you

Agencies should be there to supply short term labour to firms when they are desperate, not control the majority of the labour market and call the shots

 

[chilliepot]

flex_m, that sounds really fishy. And as for Ship shake. I will look out for that.

Bottom line is; Things will have to change. When, I don't know. There's too much inconsistency.