A couple of months ago we talked about umbrella company accreditations and the changing landscape around supply chain compliance. Now it’s time to add some meat to the bones around real time payslip auditing and tell you how Kanopi are embracing change.
In April 2026 there will be some major changes in the way umbrella companies operate in the UK. We’re not yet sure of the details – they should come along in the summer – but we know that there will be massively increased scrutiny of umbrella companies and also the recruitment agencies that use them.
It’s certain that the responsibility for ensuring that PAYE is accounted for correctly, will rest with the recruitment agency, in full or jointly with the umbrella, and this will lead to a big change in how recruiters engage with their umbrella partners.
Clearly, it will be absolutely essential that recruitment companies can be confident that the providers on the PSL are doing things right. No longer will a badge of compliance based on a one-off review of documents and processes be sufficient, even if it’s done every year.
Yep, aeroplanes. What have they got to do with umbrella compliance we hear you ask. Well, it’s a way to provide an easy analogy:
You’re looking for a flight to New York. You see that you have a couple of airlines that fly the route you want – there’s English Airways and Bob’s Big Planes. Bob’s Big Planes carry out a comprehensive airworthiness check of all of their aircraft, once every year whether they need it or not. English Airways carry out a full inspection of all of the aircraft EVEY TIME THEY FLY. Which would you rather fly with? It’s a no brainer.
If we apply the same principle to umbrella payroll, which umbrella provider will fill you with confidence, the one that is inspected every year or the one who is inspected every time it runs payroll. Again it’s a no brainer.
There is definitely a place for a comprehensive review of an umbrella company’s documentation and processes and that’s why we are RISC certified, but that alone won’t cut it in the “new era” coming along in under 12 months. That why we’ve also chosen to be verified by veriPAYE.
Every time we run payroll for our umbrella contractors, details of the payments and deductions are forensically analysed and checked against the our RTI reports. This happens without any input from Kanopi so it is truly independent.
A comprehensive report is produced for our agencies that want it (and more and more are starting to request these reports) and this is sent directly to them by veriPAYE.
We believe that partnering with veriPAYE for real time auditing, together with our existing accreditation from Chartergates RISC is the perfect combination. Add in our registration with Diligence Hub and you can rest assured that Kanopi Contract Services is your perfect partner for umbrella payroll.
To find out more about our accreditations, please visit:
https://chartergatesaudit.com/risc-assessment/
© 2025 Kanopi Contract Services Ltd
