Hi all,
So I went for my first agency interview today and to sign on with them. The woman suggested I sign up with NOVA as I will get £1 an hour more by doing this. I have never heard of such a thing and just wondered if it’s sound or some sort of scam company that’s basically gonna rip me off or get me into trouble with the taxman.
Thanks for any replies in advance.
A virtual barge pole is reqd
peirre:
A virtual barge pole is reqd
Oh really ? Can you explain why please ?
Thanks
Used NOVA a few years ago, never had a problem with them, and didn’t hear anything from the tax man for using them either.
weeto:
Used NOVA a few years ago, never had a problem with them, and didn’t hear anything from the tax man for using them either.
Ok thanks, it worked out you got paid more yeah ?
Hi pal I’m with nova.
Obviously you’re not going to be paye, no holiday pay and sick pay. But if you got children and get working tax, child tax credit and child benefit then it may be worth it for you. Then again with no sick pay it might not be, depends on your circumstances.
They’re a very tight accounting firm, charge 3% of your wage above 150. Below 150 it’s free. Pm me or write on here what specific information you want.
Sounds super.
Goldilox:
Sounds super.
Aaahaha nice one. ^^
Don’t know i’de invest my future in old vauxhals mind.
If you’re set up as director of your own company and your wages are paid through that company then you’ll be having to pay Nova to do your company accounts and tax submissions. The extra £1 per hour will go towards that as it isn’t cheap.
I used nova a few years again during my time doing agency work.
A year or so later, after getting a full time job, the taxman said I owned around 2k in tax for the 2 years i was using nova 
Spoke to nova who sent a letter to the taxman, who reduced it down to £300 outstanding.
Personally I would insist on doing paye if I was to return to agency work.
if you use nova for over 40 weeks a year they do your accounts for £45, no you don’t get holiday pay/sick pay etc, but you can in some circumstances be far better off on it, don’t just settle for the £1 extra you can negotiate with them depending on the work etc.
the amount of times over the years I have worked for 2 or 3 different agencies and not taken my holidays which were then ‘lost’ is amazing, and yes my own fault.
if you look into it you could also go ltd direct yourself.
Frankeh:
Hi all,So I went for my first agency interview today and to sign on with them. The woman suggested I sign up with NOVA as I will get £1 an hour more by doing this. I have never heard of such a thing and just wondered if it’s sound or some sort of scam company that’s basically gonna rip me off or get me into trouble with the taxman.
Thanks for any replies in advance.
Oh yeah its sound alright, sound for the agency. For an extra quid an hour you get to lose all your holiday pay, all your employment rights and pay NOVA to process your wages whether you do a day and earn £80 or do a week and earn £500.
war1974:
if you use nova for over 40 weeks a year they do your accounts for £45, no you don’t get holiday pay/sick pay etc, but you can in some circumstances be far better off on it,
What are those magical circumstances given pretty much everything NOVA put through as expenses can be put through on PAYE?
conor I have several driver who are on it, the reason is they went on it by their own choice, they looked into it and decided it suited them better. whether that’s due to tax credits or whatever I don’t care. I also have despite your repeated posts about ltd and the likes, a lot who are ltd in their own rights.
I know your thoughts on it and you know mine think rather than dribble on for pages we leave it there, the best thing the OP can do is be a big boy and make his own decision.
also given most agencies work your holiday pay out over x amount of weeks and you often take them in ‘quieter times’ I personally would rather the cash up front.
When I turned up at Lee Nova’s place - the first question I was asked was “Did you remember to bring your own Vaseline?” 
I think the “pound extra” turns up as a shiny pound coin stuck to the floor with superglue - that you somehow don’t notice until Mr Nova happens to be standing right behind you…
Seconds later - your entire body will weigh approx a pound extra too… 
HeavyOwl:
Hi pal I’m with nova.
Obviously you’re not going to be paye, no holiday pay and sick pay. But if you got children and get working tax, child tax credit and child benefit then it may be worth it for you. Then again with no sick pay it might not be, depends on your circumstances.
They’re a very tight accounting firm, charge 3% of your wage above 150. Below 150 it’s free. Pm me or write on here what specific information you want.
Tax credits have been slashed, and paying someone else for your work is now totally obsolete - as the system that umbrella took advantage of, has had it’s main planks removed already.
Insist upon PAYE. If you’re told there isn’t that option - then working via there isn’t an option either, because these people have already admitted they don’t want to be employing you. 
When using umbrella companies or Ltd companies be very careful. A lot of them rely on putting through so called “expenses” to reduce your tax liability. The trouble is a lot of them bend, or rather should I say break, the rules and claim amounts that aren’t legal. This will then come back to cause you problems later on from the taxman. For example I have seen notional sums put through for travelling and for food, these have to be actual expenses not notional and with a receipt to back them up! Even if they are allowable, which they may not be.
Receipts for food must be provided for each and every meal.
Claiming for mileage only works if you spend less than 40% of your working shifts at each yard. That means you need to work at at least three seperate venues to make it pay over the course of a year.
Umbrella companies will give you a tax offset for meals & mileage - without receipts being provided at all by you. They feel they HAVE to give you these tax offsets - because how on earth could they justify charging you a per payslip fee of £27-£35 typically otherwise?
IF you were getting a monster self-employed hourly rate - THEN Umbrella would have been a nice little earner for you over the past parliament in particular. BBC staff had no problems in this aspect, but of course even they will now have problems when the taxman writes to them and demands ALL RECEIPTS for the periods beign claimed for… Unless you’ve kept every receipt going back 6 years (or the entire time with the umbrella company) then you are going to be paying some back taxes.
I got a bill from HMRC for a small amount because I’d done some odd shifts at agency 2 & 3 on my 9 I’d originally had signed up for. (The other six never gave me any work at all.)
I also hear that putting people on minimum wage £6.50ph on “umbrella” is also illegal, but as yet I have not had it explained to me as to why that is…? 
I can’t imagine that those on minimum wage need to sweat at this time… But the accountants at the umbrella firm might!
peirre:
A virtual barge pole is reqd
