Rate Cards · Golden Pay · IR35 · EOR & AOR · FCSA-Verified Directory

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The UK contractor toolkit. Live rate cards, golden pay optimisation, IR35 risk scoring, and FCSA-verified umbrella directory — everything in one place, free.

900+
UK umbrella companies
31
FCSA-accredited listed
IR35
Instant risk score
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Free to search
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45p/mile · HMRC mileage rate 2025–26
Average IT contractor · £450/day
Holiday pay · 12.07% of earnings
umbrellabelle
FCSA accredited · 35 umbrella bodies
Auto-enrolment · 3% employer pension minimum
Inside IR35? Umbrella company required.
umbrellabelle
Average umbrella margin · £22/week
2025–26 rates · updated April 2026
Rate cards · free · no login needed
umbrellabelle
EOR: hire in 180+ countries without a legal entity
Permanent establishment risk — one worker abroad can trigger corporate tax
AOR: manage global contractors without misclassification risk
EOR management fee · typically $500–800 per employee/month
45p/mile · HMRC mileage rate 2025–26
Average IT contractor · £450/day
Holiday pay · 12.07% of earnings
umbrellabelle
FCSA accredited · 35 umbrella bodies
Auto-enrolment · 3% employer pension minimum
Inside IR35? Umbrella company required.
umbrellabelle
Average umbrella margin · £22/week
2025–26 rates · updated April 2026
Rate cards · free · no login needed
umbrellabelle
EOR: hire in 180+ countries without a legal entity
Permanent establishment risk — one worker abroad can trigger corporate tax
AOR: manage global contractors without misclassification risk
EOR management fee · typically $500–800 per employee/month

How Belle Works

Three steps. Total clarity.

Belle handles the complexity so you can focus on the work.

🔍
Step 1

Tell Belle your situation

Your sector, rate, contract type, IR35 preference. 60 seconds. No account required.

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Step 2

Belle checks the field

FCSA status, fee structures, IR35 track record, HMRC compliance history — verified and matched to your criteria.

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Step 3

Get covered. Get on with it.

Three matched umbrellas, your IR35 risk score, and a plain-English summary. No jargon, no sales calls.

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The Rate Card

Know your worth.
Before they do.

HMRC-approved rates, sector benchmarks, and umbrella margins — updated each tax year. Bookmark this page.

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Day Rates by Sector

IT / Software Dev£400–£700
Finance / Banking£350–£650
Project Management£300–£550
Healthcare / Nursing£25–£50/hr
Construction / Civils£180–£400
Marketing / Creative£250–£450

London/SE weighted averages · 2025–26

🏛️

HMRC Approved Rates

Mileage (first 10,000)45p / mile
Mileage (after 10,000)25p / mile
Motorcycle24p / mile
Bicycle20p / mile
Holiday pay (statutory)12.07%
Auto-enrol pension (min)3% employer

HMRC · Tax year 2025–26

Umbrella Margins

Market average£20–£25 / wk
Competitive£15–£20 / wk
Expensive£25–£35 / wk
Red flag> £35 / wk
% of day rate (typical)3–5%
Annual cost (avg)~£1,100 / yr

Belle benchmark data · 2025–26

Quick Reference

Annual equivalents

Day rate × 220 days = annual equivalent before tax and umbrella costs

£300/day
≈ £66k/yr
£400/day
≈ £88k/yr
£500/day
≈ £110k/yr
£700/day
≈ £154k/yr
Your rate?
→ Golden Pay ↓

Golden Pay

What should you
actually take home?

Umbrella, LTD, inside or outside IR35 — the difference on a £400/day contract can be over £15,000 a year. Golden Pay shows the optimum structure for your rate, situation, and risk profile. No jargon. No upsell.

  • HMRC-compliant structures only — no disguised remuneration schemes
  • Compares umbrella inside IR35, LTD outside, and equivalent PAYE
  • Factors in umbrella margin, pension contribution, and holiday pay
  • Retainer and gang rate variants — coming in Belle Pro
Launching soon

Example: £400/day · IT contractor · 220 days

Umbrella — Inside IR35 Most common
~£52,400
Net annual take-home · £22/wk umbrella margin
LTD Company — Outside IR35 IR35 risk applies
~£61,800
Net annual · salary + dividends structure
PAYE — Equivalent Role Benchmark only
~£47,200
Net annual · equiv. £65k PAYE salary

Illustrative · 2025–26 tax rates · full interactive calculator coming soon

The Directory

FCSA-verified umbrellas

Every listing independently checked. Compliance data updated monthly.

FCSA ✓ Est. 2000

Parasol

One of the UK's largest — all sectors

Weekly fee £20–£25 / week
IR35 position Inside & Outside
Pay frequency Weekly
HMRC status ✓ Compliant
★★★★ (412)
FCSA ✓ Est. 1995

Brookson

Finance, engineering & professional services

Weekly fee £24–£28 / week
IR35 position Inside & Outside
Pay frequency Weekly / Monthly
HMRC status ✓ Compliant
★★★★★ (287)
FCSA ✓ Belle's Pick

PayStream

Tech & IT contractors — transparent pricing

Weekly fee £22 flat / week
IR35 position Inside & Outside
Pay frequency Weekly
HMRC status ✓ Compliant
★★★★★ (534)
FCSA ✓

Giant Group

Healthcare, education & public sector

Weekly fee £19–£22 / week
IR35 position Inside specialist
Pay frequency Weekly
HMRC status ✓ Compliant
★★★★ (198)
FCSA ✓

Workwell

Construction, rail & infrastructure

Weekly fee £20 flat / week
IR35 position Inside only
Pay frequency Weekly
HMRC status ✓ Compliant
★★★★★ (156)
FCSA ✓ Est. 1983

Danbro

Independent, family-run — all sectors

Weekly fee £18–£20 / week
IR35 position Inside & Outside
Pay frequency Weekly / Monthly
HMRC status ✓ Compliant
★★★★ (89)

IR35 Risk Check

Know your position.
Before someone else does.

Seven questions. Sixty seconds. Belle scores your contract against HMRC's seven status tests and tells you exactly where you stand — in plain English, not legalese.

  • Covers all 7 HMRC status tests — substitution, control, MOO and more
  • Paste your contract for clause-level analysis (coming soon)
  • More reliable than HMRC's CEST — actually gives a clear verdict
  • Matched to the right umbrella for your risk profile
Coming soon

Informational only — not tax or legal advice. For borderline determinations, consult a qualified IR35 specialist.

Sample result

Contract: Tech Lead

6-month engagement, financial services

Inside
Amber
Outside
Substitution ✓ Pass
Control ⚠ Review
Mutuality of Obligation ⚠ Review
Financial Risk ✓ Pass

Amber: Negotiate two clauses

Control and MOO clauses need review. Belle recommends 2 umbrellas with strong IR35-inside track records for this sector.

Global Workforce Compliance

Hire anyone. Anywhere.
Without the landmines.

IR35 is the domestic compliance problem. EOR and AOR services handle the global ones — permanent establishment risk, worker misclassification, and country-specific payroll obligations.

EOR
Employer of Record

Your worker. Their legal employer.

The EOR becomes the legal employer of your worker in their country. They handle local payroll, employment taxes, statutory benefits, and labour law compliance. You retain day-to-day management. No legal entity required.

Hiring a full-time employee in Germany, Spain, or Singapore without opening a subsidiary
Converting an overseas contractor to employee status compliantly
Removing permanent establishment (PE) tax risk from day one
AOR
Agent of Record

Your contractors. Managed compliantly.

The AOR sits between your business and your independent contractors globally. They handle contractor agreements, cross-border payments, insurance, and worker classification compliance. The contractor stays self-employed — but the risk is managed.

Engaging freelancers across the US, EU, or APAC without misclassification exposure
Consolidating contractor payments across multiple currencies from one invoice
Ensuring contractor agreements satisfy local legal requirements

EOR & AOR Provider Directory

Platforms compared

Coverage, pricing, and compliance credentials — independently reviewed.

EOR + AOR Belle's Pick

Deel

150+ countries · EOR, AOR & global payroll

Countries150+
EOR fee$599/mo per employee
Time to hire2–5 days
GDPR✓ Compliant
Largest global platform
EOR + AOR

Remote

180+ countries · IP protection focus

Countries180+
EOR fee$599/mo per employee
Time to hire3–7 days
GDPR✓ Compliant
Strong IP protection clause
EOR UK-based

Omnipresent

160+ countries · UK-headquartered

Countries160+
EOR fee~$499–599/mo
Time to hire3–5 days
GDPR✓ Compliant
UK/EU regulatory depth
EOR Enterprise

G-P (Globalization Partners)

187 countries · enterprise-grade

Countries187
EOR fee$599–799/mo
Time to hire5–10 days
GDPR✓ Compliant
Nasdaq-listed · 35,000+ employees managed
EOR EU / UK

Boundless

EU & UK specialist · 30+ countries

Countries30+ (EU/UK)
EOR fee£399–599/mo
Time to hire2–4 days
GDPR✓ Compliant
Dublin HQ · post-Brexit specialist
EOR + AOR

Oyster HR

180+ countries · remote-first

Countries180+
EOR fee$499–699/mo
Time to hire3–5 days
GDPR✓ Compliant
B Corp certified

Compliance Landscape

Five risks EOR resolves — before they become problems

Your legal team will know these. Your hiring manager probably doesn't.

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Permanent Establishment Risk

A worker operating in another country can create an inadvertent PE — triggering corporate tax liability in that jurisdiction. EOR removes the nexus by being the legal employer, not you.

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Worker Misclassification

What you call a contractor, local law may treat as an employee — triggering backdated employment rights, tax, and fines. AOR manages classification at the contract level so the risk sits with the platform, not you.

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Local Payroll Compliance

Every country runs different payroll tax rates, social contribution rules, and reporting deadlines. EOR handles this in-country — you pay one invoice in your currency and stay out of local tax filings entirely.

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Data Protection (GDPR)

Processing employee data across borders requires lawful transfer mechanisms — SCCs, adequacy decisions, or BCRs. EU/UK-based EOR providers hold the appropriate legal instruments as part of their service.

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Posted Workers (EU)

Sending UK staff temporarily to EU countries post-Brexit triggers posting obligations — notification requirements, local minimum wage rules, and social security routing. EOR or specialist advice is required for assignments over 12 months.

Not sure which risk applies?

Belle's compliance check maps your situation to the right product — domestic umbrella, AOR, or EOR — depending on where your workers are and how they're engaged.

Read the Belle Standard →

For Recruiters

Your preferred supplier list.
Verified.

Belle tracks which umbrellas your candidates actually use — and flags the ones that could expose you to a compliance risk.

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Compliance Monitoring

Get alerted the moment an umbrella on your PSL is investigated by HMRC, loses FCSA status, or raises a Companies House flag.

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Gifting Transparency

Know which umbrellas are earning their PSL position on merit — and which are buying their way in with merchandise and hospitality.

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PSL Benchmarking

Compare your preferred suppliers against the market. Are your contractors getting the best deal — or just the most visible one?

Recruiter agency access — launching Q3 2026

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Umbrella compliance news, IR35 updates, and HMRC changes — curated weekly. No noise.

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