Comparator

With over 20 years of experience, Parasol has grown from providing umbrella payroll services to offering comprehensive employment and payroll solutions. During this time, we’ve supported more than 250,000 professionals and partnered with over 3,000 recruitment agencies and end clients.

We understand the critical priorities for your candidates, clients, and agency: exceptional support, on-time payments, and full compliance with HMRC regulations. These are at the heart of everything we do and are reflected in the loyalty of professionals who choose us year after year, as well as our long-standing partnerships with some of the most recognised names in recruitment. As a founding member of the FCSA and a company created by a contractor for contractors, Parasol makes getting paid simple for the agile workforce. Since our launch in 2000, our goal has been to empower contractors to maximise their careers by offering complete peace of mind through accurate, compliant, and reliable payroll services.

Speedy Onboarding

Getting started is simple. Agencies provide basic details and terms; contractors complete a quick Right to Work check via Trust ID (just three minutes). We handle all paperwork and contracts for a smooth process.

Compliance-First

As an FCSA founding member, we set the gold standard in UK tax, employment, and regulatory compliance—giving agencies and contractors complete peace of mind.

Security & Stability

We safeguard your data with Cyber Essentials Plus certification and maintain strong financial stability to ensure uninterrupted payroll services.

Trusted Guidance

Our expert teams offer tailored support, onboarding assistance, and training workshops—the largest agency and employee support network in the sector.

A no-nonsense approach to helping Contractors and Recruiters

QPS Group are one of the only umbrella companies to offer full salary contracts, giving contractors stronger financial security and peace of mind. Unlike the usual minimum wage plus commission model, your full pay is guaranteed - meaning maternity, paternity and sick pay are based on your real earnings, not minimum wage. This also boosts your chances with mortgages, loans and insurance policies that rely on proof of stable income. Alongside this, QPS provide full FCSA and SafeRec compliance, plus access to perks and rewards - making sure you’re protected, supported and set up for the future.

Sapphire prides itself on providing unrivalled customer service and employee support to workers and recruitment agencies in the temporary labour market. With our specifically tailored range of Employed and Self-Employed solutions, we are here to reduce the burden of working on and between temporary assignments and provide a level of security, benefits and reassurances whilst getting on with everyday life.

Why Sapphire?

Care – We understand that money and finances keep our world ticking. So paying our employees and subcontractors on time and accurately is our number one priority and something we have built our reputation around. Providing timely information to our clients and consistently exceeding expectations has seen us organically grow our reputation.

Compliance – Our team of experts are all aware of the challenges facing temporary workers and the need to remain compliant with current legislation is key. We view every change as an opportunity to pro-actively keep our customers, employees and clients up to date with changes which may impact them and their businesses.

Partnership – We are more than just an Accountancy, Payroll and Employment services provider. We view ourselves as an extension to the people and businesses we engage with, providing all of the support required in a two-way relationship.

Support – Everyone is different, and we completely understand this! We are flexible in our approach and can adapt and tailor our support to suit every circumstance. We pride ourselves on removing the burden from customers, employees and clients so they can concentrate on what is important to them.

With over 20 years’ experience, our focus on compliance is second to none. We’re renowned for delivering exceptional support and customer service with excellent reviews across Trustpilot and Google. We’re a leading umbrella company and provider of accountancy, tax, candidate screening and international payroll services.

Voted the UK’s Best Umbrella Company in The Contracting Awards multiple times, our award-winning umbrella company supports salary sacrifice contributions into a personal pension plan whilst passing back 100% of the employer NI saving to our contractors.

SmartWork has over a decade of knowledge and experience within the contracting sector. We provide a fully compliant solution to safeguard the interests of its umbrella employees, recruitment business and clients alike. SmartWork is a trusted, reliable, payroll provider which offers umbrella & PAYE solutions, always ensuring excellent customer service at competitive rates. We work with recruitment businesses covering all sectors and tailor our packages to meet your specific requirements.

The FCSA Accredited Member status gives our clients reassurances that they are working with a fully compliant, high-quality professional service company.  Our service has been shaped with our valuable, flexible workforce in mind, and we guarantee that each of our valued employees received complete security, full employee benefits, and unrivalled customer care throughout their employment with us.

Some of the advantages choosing us:

We are honest, reliable and dedicated – Our highly trained team have years of experience in every professional field. Low weekly and monthly margin. Dedicated Support – Each client has access to an experienced account managers who pro-actively provides on-going support and excellent customer service on a one-to-one basis. Full contract of employment with the associated benefits which this brings. Set up within 24 hours. Extended Office Hours – We are the only umbrella company in the market that offers our employees a helpline which is open from 8am-8pm, seven days a week. Trusted Partner – We already features on over 100 active PSLs or ASLs in the UK and encourages all agencies to implement a selected list of compliant FCSA Accredited Members. Advance payment facility – Payment on remit is available for preferred partners.

We are A J Rayson the umbrella company of the people . Easy and stress-free umbrella payroll services for contractors, agencies and businesses.

You, the worker, are at the heart of everything we do!

Brookson One are specialist contractor accountants who have been helping contractors across the UK since 1995. Providing an all-inclusive, market-leading service, Brookson One will ensure you’re maximising your earnings whilst working compliantly in the ever-changing contractor landscape.

Whether choosing to run a Limited Company or work via an umbrella employment solution, Brookson One provides customers with an extensive range of services, backed by real experience, and all at the very best inclusive price.

Created by contractors for contractors, our specialist knowledge and experience means we pride ourselves in leading next-generation accountancy services combined with first class customer service.

Brookson One Limited Company Service:

• Set up in as little as 24 hours with no minimum tie in period or exit fees
• Unlimited IR35 reviews by in-house employment law solicitors
• 24/7 access to your business via smart online portal, Connect
• All bookkeeping, tax, VAT and year-end returns completed for you
• Access to financial and legal support within the Brookson Group
• Dedicated account manager
• Weekly payroll
• Exclusive offers
• Free mortgage/financial advice

If you’re new to contracting and would like advice on how to get started or if you’ve been contracting for as long as you can remember and feel you’d benefit from that extra support, get in touch with Brookson One who will provide you with a complete take-home pay illustration and working options consultation.

I4 have been in operation since 2005 and have partnered with over 10,000 businesses and paid over 35,000 contractors. Our services offer temporary workers and freelancers an opportunity to retain the correct amount of their hard-earned cash, without any of the overheads or risks of running their own companies or falling foul of IR35 legislation. i4 will look after the calculation, deduction and payment of all statutory payments for you. Get organised on the go with innovative and convenient solutions that free up your time to focus on doing what you do best. We have recently partnered up with ANDREW NOLAN MORTGAGES LTD to help contractors secure mortgages as it can prove difficult.

Your trusted partner, experts in Legislation, Contracts, Insurances and Payroll. Honesty and transparency are at the heart of our operations and with over 25 years experience in contractor engagement, we get it. We offer a tailored and consultative approach to our workers, agencies and end clients and we'll be your first point of contact for any advice or guidance you need.