AGENCY USER GUIDES

What to do, if a contractor is PAYE, but would like to become an employee of Sterling Solutions? 
Simply ask them to call our Customer Service Team, on 0870 754 1111. We will then explain the benefits of becoming a Sterling Solutions employee and the support they will receive once they do. They will also receive an illustration of their potential "take-home" pay/income based on the gross (Rate x Hours) that we will receive.
We will then send them an application brochure and form, or they can download one from our website. If they are happy for us to call them directly, simply ring our Sales Team 0870 754 1111 and give us a contact name / number.

What to do, if they are already an employee of another service provider?
Simply ask them to call the Sterling Solutions Sales Team on 0870 754 1111. We will then explain the benefits of becoming an employee of a Sterling Solutions and the support they receive once they do.

 
We will explain any differences between Sterling Solutions and their current employer (e.g. we operate a sliding-scale mark up and they may be paying a flat mark up) and give them an illustration of their potential "take-home" pay / income, based on the gross (Rate x Hours) that we will receive.

 
We will then send them an Application Brochure and form, or they can download one from our website. If they are happy for us to call them directly, simply ring the Sterling Solutions Sales team on 0870 754 1111 and give us a contact name / number.

 
What if the temp wishes to be paid on a self-employed basis?

For construction workers;

Some temps will wish to work on their CIS status, which most / all agencies are unable to facilitate. Sterling CIS is available, as an alternative to our umbrella route and will offer the option of maintaining their self-employed status. By calling the Sterling CIS Sales team, on 0870 754 1111, we will explain the full implications of remaining self-employed, along with the advantages and disadvantages of this status, as compared to becoming an employee of Sterling Solutions.

We will then send them a CIS Sub-Contractor Registration Brochure, or they can download one from our web-site.  If they are happy for us to call them directly, simply ring our Sterling CIS Sales team, on 0870 754 1111 and give us a contact name / number.

For non-construction workers;

Some temps wish to work self-employed, most agencies are unable to facilitate this. Sterling Techserv can accommodate this. By calling the Sterling Techserv self-employed team on 0870 754 1111, we will explain the full implications of remaining self-employed, along with all the advantages and disadvantages of this status. We will send the contractor a Techserv brochure, or they can download one from our website  If they are happy for us to call them directly, simply ring our Sterling Techserv team on 0870 754 1111.

 
What is the difference between, becoming an employee of Sterling Solutions and registering as a sub-contractor to Sterling CIS/Techserv? (Or, what is the difference between Umbrella and CIS?)

Umbrella; - The temporary worker becomes an employee of Sterling Solutions. As such, they receive a PAYE wage plus Holiday Pay and have Tax / NI deducted at source, off-set their expenses, which they receive on a weekly basis,  the remainder is received as a bonus. This ensures that they work in the most tax-efficient manner possible and that they will never receive a "hidden" Tax Bill, at the end of the year for a fuller explanation, please click here

Sterling CIS; - The contractor registers as a sub-contractor to Sterling CIS and maintains their self-employed status i.e. they are not classed as an employee, but as a business on their own account. A Sterling CIS sub-contractor can only claim their expenses through their own business accounts at the end of the Tax Year. Sterling CIS make the relevant tax deductions and pay this money over to the HMRC on a monthly basis. We then issue a remittance to the sub-contractor, to show they have paid this money "on account." At the end of the tax year the contractor must produce business accounts to complete a self assessment.

Income Tax and National Insurance are only calculated from the business net profit. The CIS tax deductions taken over the year are treated as payments on account. Therefore, only extra tax owed or refunds due, are dealt with through the PAYE system.

 
Sterling Techserv; - Non-construction - The contractor registers as a sub-contractor to Sterling Techserv and maintains their self-employed status i.e. they are not classed as an employee, but as a business on their own account. As such, they can only claim their expenses through their own business accounts, at the end of the Tax Year. At this time, the contractor must produce business accounts for self assessment.

Income Tax and National Insurance are only calculated from the business not profit. All tax deductions are taken after the self assessments have been submitted.

What to do if you are still receiving queries at branch-level?
Once a temporary worker becomes an employee of Sterling Solutions, or a contractor registers as a sub-contractor to Sterling CIS or Sterling Techserv; we assume full responsibility for them. We have systems in place to ensure that none of this burden falls back on the agency. However, out of habit, you may find that a Temporary Worker/contractor will still call his/her agency, if they have a query. If this is the case, please encourage them to call our Customer Service Team, on 0870 754 1111, with general queries, or their dedicated Payment Clerk with any specific queries (they just need to quote their unique Reference Number e.g. S1000, C1000 or T1000)

What happens to a temporary worker once they become an employee of Sterling Solutions?
As soon as we have received an Application Form, along with the correct documentation (please see "Why do we need to confirm everyone’s "Eligibility to Work?" section) the relevant paperwork will be forwarded to your Agency ( to the branch itself, or to a central Payroll Department) according to your instructions.
The new employee will then receive a Welcome Pack, which includes; P46; Expenses Form; Health  and Safety Handbook; Information on the Stake-Holder Pension Scheme; Information on Personal Accident Insurance, a cover  included as standard. 
 
Why do we need to confirm everyone’s "Eligibility to Work?"
As you will be aware, any employer has to perform a number of checks on its employees, to ensure that they have the right to work in the UK. As of May 2004, these checks were amended, to include all employees, not just those who are deemed as ’non-UK’ residents. As such, we must receive documentation from all potential employees, before we can accept their application, even those who claim to be UK residents. It is no longer a statutory defence for an employer to claim that an employee has stated UK residency, therefore this is not classed as confirmation of the employees "Eligibility to Work” as the onus is now on the Employer to verify formal documentation. As an Employer, we must also ensure that we do not discriminate against any party / parties, by asking one person to confirm their eligibility and not another.
Whilst this sometimes requires further explanation, it is a vital part of the service we provide to our Agency clients; this safeguards your reputation, by ensuring that everyone who passes through your system has had their "Eligibility to Work" confirmed by Sterling Solutions.