Margin with its costs attached.
Review worker pay, employer costs, client revenue and margin in the context of the payment route. A charge rate less a pay rate is not the whole commercial picture.
← Payrovia United Kingdom
Worker pay.
UK Pay/Bill & umbrella software
Worker pay.
Client billing.
One connected operation.
For recruitment agencies and umbrella operators. Bring assignments, worker pay, client billing and reconciliation together—with a clear view of who is owed what, and why.
Agency PAYE · Umbrella operations · External umbrella suppliers
ONE ASSIGNMENT
Illustrative workflow
Assignment A-0142
A week's work.
A week's work.
One shared record.
Worker
Client & site
Agreed rates
Work established
37.5 hours
WORKER PAY
Authorised
Pay decision recorded
CLIENT BILL
On hold
Client query stays visible
Two decisions. The same underlying work.
Explore a working cycle
From the assignment
to the final reconciliation.
Select a stage to see what the team reviews, what moves forward and what stays on hold. These are illustrative product concepts, using fictional records.
01 / Start with the right agreement
The worker, the client and the terms. Together.
Keep the worker, hirer, site, employment model and agreed rates on the assignment. Link the documents and checks that the run depends on, so the payroll team is reviewing the same arrangement as operations.
- Worker and employment route identified.
- Pay and charge rates kept separately.
- Contract, Key Information Document and applicable AWR context linked.
Illustrative agency PAYE assignment
Ready for review
Assignment A-0142
- Worker
- Worker 0142
- Client / site
- Example client · Bristol
- Pay route
- Agency PAYE
- Pay rate / charge rate
- Separate agreed rates
- KID & contract
- Recorded against the worker
WORKER PAY
Check pay terms
CLIENT BILL
Check billing terms
The assignment gives both teams the context they need before work reaches a run.
02 / Establish what happened
Payable work and billable work can differ.
Bring timesheet and shift evidence into the review. Payrovia can distinguish the quantity paid to the worker from the quantity charged to the client, including paid minimums and agreed cancellation treatment.
- Overnight shifts account for local midnight and clock changes.
- Paid and unpaid breaks remain explainable.
- Pay and billing quantities keep their own reason for a difference.
Illustrative paid-minimum example
Difference explained
Shift S-0218
- Established work
- 4.0 hours
- Agreed paid minimum
- 6.0 hours
- Worker pay quantity
- 6.0 hours
- Client charge quantity
- 4.0 hours
- Reason
- Assignment minimum-pay term
WORKER PAY
6.0 h to pay
CLIENT BILL
4.0 h to charge
The difference is recorded. A single timesheet total does not have to conceal it.
03 / Two decisions, clearly owned
A billing hold stays a billing hold.
Review worker pay authorisation separately from client time approval and billing authorisation. Where the work is established and pay is authorised, a client billing hold does not become the payroll decision. Other payroll, funding and release checks still apply.
- An authorised pay path and a held invoice can coexist.
- The client dispute remains visible for the team resolving it.
- Separate permissions and review steps protect each decision.
Separate pay and billing decisions
Billing held
Weekly run · example
- Work performed
- Established
- Worker pay
- Authorised
- Client time approval
- Disputed
- Client billing
- On hold
- Next action
- Resolve client query
WORKER PAY
Pay authorised
CLIENT BILL
Invoice held
Authorisation is a workflow decision. It is not confirmation that a bank payment has been made.
04 / Close the loop
Trace the invoice back to the work.
Match incoming financial documents to workers, assignments and authorised commercial records. Surface differences in hours, rates, amounts and periods, with a case for the person resolving them.
- Unmatched and partially matched items remain visible.
- Review client receivables and supplier payables separately.
- Follow the trail from the original document to the adjustment and ledger entry.
Illustrative client invoice discrepancy
Review required
Document INV-0218
- Matched assignment
- A-0142
- Expected quantity
- 37.5 hours
- Received quantity
- 40.0 hours
- Difference
- +2.5 hours
- Case owner
- Billing operations
WORKER PAY
Pay history retained
CLIENT BILL
Variance under review
Receiving an invoice is not the same as collecting cash or reconciling the account.
05 / Keep the explanation
Change the result. Keep the original.
Compare the original calculation with the revised one, then review the difference in worker gross, employer cost, client net, VAT and margin. Corrections keep their connection to the source work and earlier result.
- Original and revised calculations remain available.
- Review pay, invoice and supplier adjustments for the selected route.
- Record the reason for credits, reversals and commission clawbacks.
Illustrative quantity correction
Ready for review
Revision 02 · A-0142
- Original approved work
- 37.5 hours
- Revised approved work
- 38.0 hours
- Quantity change
- +0.5 hours
- Financial review
- Pay · cost · invoice · margin
- Original record
- Retained
WORKER PAY
Review pay adjustment
CLIENT BILL
Review billing adjustment
The new result is linked to its history; the original calculation is not silently overwritten.
Choose your operating model
Different responsibilities.
A clear place for each.
An agency payroll, an umbrella payroll and an external umbrella supplier need different records and controls. Explore how the work is divided.
You employ. You bill.
For an agency paying its own temporary workers through PAYE. Keep the employment record and payroll review connected to the assignment and client charge.
- Worker payroll, employer costs and payslip workflow.
- Separate client billing and receivables.
- Assignment-level pay, charge and margin review.
Illustrative responsibility map
- AgencyEmployer & payroll↓
- WorkerEmployment & pay↓
- ClientWork & client invoice
Your agency is the employer.
Confirm the employing company, PAYE scheme, bank process and client billing terms before the first live cycle.
Run the payroll and explain the pay.
For a configured umbrella employment operation using Payrovia for full Pay/Bill. Keep the legal employer, PAYE entity, worker contract and billing responsibilities explicit.
- Assignment value, employer costs, holiday treatment and margin.
- Worker gross-to-net breakdown and payroll records.
- Client billing alongside the same assignment context.
Illustrative responsibility map
- Umbrella entityEmployer & PAYE↓
- WorkerGross pay → net pay↓
- Client / agencyInvoice & collection
The configured umbrella entity is the employer.
Payrovia supplies the software. This page does not appoint Payrovia as the legal employer. This route is scoped to full Pay/Bill; other service combinations require separate agreement.
Manage the supplier and the client.
For an agency working with a separate umbrella provider. Connect supplier approval, payable and remittance records with the client bill, while keeping the provider's worker-payroll responsibility clear.
- Approved supplier, evidence pack and payment beneficiary checks.
- Supplier payable and client receivable as separate records.
- Distinct supplier input VAT and client output VAT treatment, where applicable.
Illustrative responsibility map
- External umbrellaSupplier & employer↓
- Your agencyPayable + receivable↓
- ClientInvoice & collection
The external umbrella runs the worker's payroll.
This route does not create a duplicate worker payroll, payslip or worker RTI submission in Payrovia. The supported route is full Pay/Bill; live settlement and tax treatment are confirmed for the arrangement.
Make umbrella pay understandable
Show where
the assignment value goes.
Use a clear breakdown for payroll review and worker queries. The figures below are a fixed teaching example, not statutory rates, a quotation or a take-home-pay calculator.
Start with the assignment value.
The amount funding the assignment has to cover the agreed employer costs and commercial terms as well as the worker's pay. Keep each component visible, with holiday treatment explained.
Employer costs are shown before worker gross pay. They are not presented as employee deductions from gross pay.
Read HMRC's explanation of umbrella pay ↗Illustrative amounts · GBP · accrued holiday example
Assignment value · excluding VAT
£1,000
Employer costs
NI, pension and levy, where applicable
−£150
Holiday pay provision
Accrued in this example
−£100
Umbrella margin / fees
Retained under the agreed terms
−£50
Worker gross pay
£700
£1,000 = £700 gross pay + £150 employer costs + £100 holiday provision + £50 margin / fees.
Then explain the worker's deductions.
Once gross pay is established, show employee deductions separately. That gives the worker and payroll team a clearer explanation of the difference between the assignment value, gross pay and take-home pay.
Actual deductions depend on the worker, tax period, tax code and applicable rules. These fixed amounts do not estimate anyone's pay.
Read HMRC's explanation of umbrella pay ↗Illustrative amounts · GBP · accrued holiday example
Worker gross pay
£700
PAYE and employee NI
Hypothetical deduction amounts
−£120
Employee pension
Hypothetical deduction amount
−£30
Illustrative net pay
£550
£700 gross pay − £120 PAYE / employee NI − £30 employee pension = £550 net pay.
Holiday treatment stays explicit. The product distinguishes accrued and rolled-up treatment. The applicable method and worker eligibility must be confirmed; rolled-up holiday is included within gross pay and must not be counted twice.
Protect the commercial result
The run is only part
of the story.
Know what has been worked, authorised, invoiced and collected. Bring commercial exceptions back to the people who can resolve them.
Work in progress to collection.
Track work through calculation, invoicing, collection and reconciliation. Keep invoice status and cash status distinct, with commission accruals and clawbacks governed by policy.
Umbrella checks that stay current.
Maintain legal identity, PAYE/VAT details, bank ownership, contract responsibilities, sampling and other evidence. Missing or expired applicable evidence can block approval and new remittances.
A second check on bank changes.
Separate the person requesting a beneficiary change from the person approving it. Retain confirmation evidence and the required cooling-off period before payment can be released.
Source work
→
Calculation
→
Invoice / payable
→
Cash match
→
Ledger & history
The worker is part of the workflow
Fewer mysteries.
Better pay conversations.
Keep the contract, Key Information Document, starter information and payroll questions connected to the person. Review bank changes and document acknowledgements with clear ownership.
Worker access and external-system updates are restricted to the relevant information. Client charge rates, margin and other workers' records stay out of the worker's view.
Explore the wider UK HR platform ↗Illustrative operator view
- Identity & contact detailsConfirmed
- Starter information / P45For payroll review
- Contract & KIDAcknowledged
- Bank changeAwaiting second check
- Payroll questionAssigned to payroll
Plan your first live cycle
Agree the route.
Prove the whole cycle.
Start with your employment and billing arrangements, then confirm the systems, outputs and people responsible for each hand-off.
Current Pay/Bill rollout scope
Live HMRC submission for this Pay/Bill route is not yet production-ready. Bank release and the live Sello connection also require separate validation and setup. A software demonstration does not establish that these external services are live for your business.
- 01
Map the arrangement
Name the employer, PAYE entity, billing principal, supplier and payment beneficiary. Agree the supported route and responsibilities.
- 02
Agree the inputs
Review worker records, assignments, rates, timesheets, contracts, funding terms and any connected-system mappings.
- 03
Run a controlled comparison
Follow a complete cycle and an exception: compare calculations, billing, funding, corrections and reconciliation with your expected results.
- 04
Confirm external readiness
Approve HMRC, banking, pension, VAT and integration arrangements before the corresponding live workflow is enabled.
Questions from
UK operators.
Is this just a payroll calculator?
No. Payrovia connects assignment and rate context, pay and billing decisions, supplier checks, financial-document matching, commercial variances and correction history. The purpose is to connect payroll with the work and billing operation around it.
Does a client have to approve time before worker pay can proceed?
The Pay/Bill workflow has separate pay and billing authorisations. Established work with authorised worker pay can be considered for the pay route while client billing remains held. Payroll eligibility, funding and release controls still apply; the illustration does not promise an automatic payment.
What changes when we use an external umbrella?
The external umbrella is the employer and handles its worker payroll. Payrovia's external-umbrella route manages the supplier payable and the client receivable, with supplier evidence, beneficiary controls and reconciliation. It does not duplicate worker payroll or worker RTI for that route.
Can we keep our recruitment system?
Payrovia includes a dedicated Sello Pay/Bill connection for source work, decisions and permitted status updates. The live connection, field ownership and cutover need validation. Discuss any other recruitment system explicitly; a pre-built connector is not implied.
Can the same platform support our employees and overseas subsidiaries?
Yes. This specialist UK workflow sits alongside Payrovia's broader HR, timekeeping, employee experience and global payroll proposition. Agree the applicable employment models, country scope and responsibilities for each company in your group.
A walkthrough for your operation
Bring us a working week.
Tell us how your agency or umbrella operation works. We will walk through the relevant assignment, pay, billing and reconciliation steps with you.
- Start with your employment and billing model.
- Work through a normal week and a difficult exception.
- Agree the route, outputs and rollout scope.