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Umbrella Company Pension Schemes – What You Need to Know

Pension schemes help employees put money aside for retirement directly from their wage. The problem for self-employed professionals is that they need to manage this themselves,either by setting up a pension scheme or saving money from their income.

Fortunately,umbrella companies class contractors as employees,giving them all the benefits of employment. That includes a pension scheme,which now requires contribution from the umbrella company too. Let’s take a closer look at the statutory pension schemes available through umbrella companies.

Auto-enrolment pensions

In 2012,the UK Government decided that workers weren’t saving enough for their retirement. People were relying too much on the State Pension,which had not received adequate funding to match the continuing rise in life expectancy and an ageing population.

To combat this,they introduced automatic enrolment. The new system,rolled out from 2012 to 2018,requires employers to automatically enrol eligible employees onto a workplace pension scheme. Employers are also responsible for deducting contributions from their pre-tax income and making a minimum statutory contribution to the employee’s savings.

In October 2012,this minimum contribution was set to 1 percent for employees,which was matched by employers,rising in 2018:

• October 2012 to 5th April 2018: employers 1%,employees 1%
• 6th April 2018 to 5th April 2019: employers 2%,employees 3%
• 6th April 2019 onwards: employers 3%,employees 5%

However for anyone that doesn’t want to contribute to a pension once you’re enrolled you can still opt out.

Umbrella company pension scheme

Working through an umbrella company,contractors are classed as an employee. That means,yes,you are automatically enrolled onto the umbrella company’s pension scheme as long as you meet the following criteria:

• Your work is primarily UK-based
• You earn more than £10,000 per year
• You’re between 22 and the state pension age.

Until 5th April 2019,3% of your pre-tax salary will go directly into a pension fund,with the umbrella company contributing a further 2%. From 6th April 2019,5% of your pre-tax salary will go into the same pension fund,with your umbrella company contributing a further 3%.

The benefits of an umbrella company pension

Some contractors may worry that this will eat away at their wages. Don’t. Pension contributions are made before your wages are taxed. That means anything that goes from your wage into your pension fund is tax-free rather than being taxed at 20% or even 40%. So,instead of receiving 60% of your income,you receive 100% via a pension fund.

Let’s say you earn over £46,351 per year,which puts you in the higher rate band of income tax. Anything you earn beyond that £46,351 per year (roughly £3,863 per month) is taxed at a rate of 40%. You get just £60 for every £100 of income. Why not put the full £100 straight into the pension fund instead?

That’s why many people,especially those in the higher rate band of income tax,choose to put more than the minimum into their pension fund. And this is entirely possible. Contractors can contribute up to £40,000 to their pension scheme per year,comprising tax-free income and employer contributions. Currently,there is a lifetime allowance of £1,030,000 which can be contributed before incurring any tax.

Using your funds

With the increased earnings of contracting,it’s common for contractors to retire early. Alternatively,you might simply want to get some of the money out for a holiday,new car or home improvement. The good news is: you don’t have to wait until the state pension age to access the pension funds you’ve built up through your umbrella company pension.

Once you’re 55 or over,you can access up to 25% of your pension pot as a tax-free lump sum. Anything beyond the 25% will be taxed as an addition to the rest of your income that tax year – either 20% over £11,850,40% over £46,351 or £45% over £150,000,as things currently stand. That’s why most people choose to take their pension as regular income once they have retired,to minimise the amount of tax paid.

What about limited companies?

Contractors who operate as a limited company can still benefit from the tax relief of a pension scheme. However,as with most things relating to limited companies,this requires a lot more effort on their part. Firstly,they have to get the right balance between salary and dividend payments to increase the limit on their pension contributions.

Because employer contributions,such as pensions,count as a business expense,they are subject to tax relief. So,when you contribute to your pension scheme,as a director,the company could save money in corporation tax.

However,this has added complications because it needs to be fully compliant as an allowable expense. Any other employees,for example,should be given comparable packages to prove to HMRC that it is a genuine business expense.

On top of all that,using a limited company pension scheme means setting up and paying into the pension fund yourself. Along with all the other administrative work for limited company owners,it’s definitely worth seeking advice and assistant from a trusted accountant.

Get the right assistance

Whether you’re looking to compare umbrella companies or find the right accountant,you can make the right choice with -. Our online comparison tool lets you assess multiple companies in a matter of minutes. It couldn’t be easier to take the hassle out of contracting. Contact us today for more information.

The right marketing strategy will allow you to boost your services,products and reviews to local and global audiences very effectively,communicating the right message to the right people. Every local and national brand with a great story to tell deserves an attentive audience to say it to. However,even as you & your company have done no wrong,there will always be the inevitable naysayer who will spout their feelings all over your social media,whether it be out of a feeling that it’s just not “enough,” or out of jealousy for success. These could turn off the potential audience you want to target,no matter how attentive they are. Here’s how to combat unfair negative reputation and build a strong wall of defense to solidify your brand online. In particular,in the way-has become famous for teaching his students how to do so.

Brands need a powerful and economic platform to take action with their consumers. As new ways of communicating,pulling,and reaching customers leads develop,so do strategies that are equally modern.No matter what business you are in,you require a website,and it must convince visitors that YOU are the go-to person in your industry. Writing profiles of your perfect customer allows you to identify services and products that are best fit for them and market them to them more effectively — and it is especially vital to constantly seek their feedback on their experience with you and how you’ve served them.

You may not know how to utilize it to actually increase sales and income,once you have a customer profile.No worries: one easy way to do that is to feature their feedback prominently on most-viewed areas of your website.Promotional campaigns can gain from a public relations professional such as-who knows how to mold your reputation and image in an excellent way.

Consider,also,what people see when they Google you. Install Google Search Console on your website and let it collect data for a while. This will give you a great overview of what key phrases people are using to search for you organically on Google,so you can see what the search results look like on these phrases,and see if there is any prominent negative result that needs to be combatted with an SEO reputation management campaign.Great reviews will attract new consumers and help your business stand out among your competitors,so be sure to feature them in external SEO marketing materials just as prominently as you want to do your website. It is well worth the time it takes to set up.

Positive reputation will create even more happy customers who are eager to support your establishment for years to come.When you see the value of customer attention to an organization then you can start to apply the proper resources to your customer service section.

Too lots of marketing firms make huge promises,but are not able to move through after you start with them. Naturally,you want to veto a marketing agency by public customer feedback and reviews of their services. This is a great chance for you to compare companies who have a solid reputation marketing strategy,vs. those that don’t. The companies with the biggest-earning marketing strategy will most likely be excellent at showcasing their customers speaking of great experiences. This is the kind of reputation strategy you want to model YOUR own brand after,and that’s the kind that-has taken to very well as a personal brand & successful entrepreneur.

Among the most common issues that most site owners face is WordPress not sending emails error. Most WordPress users complain of their contact form plugin failing to send emails,or not getting WordPress alerts.

However,it’s possible to fix this problem and send emails. The issue is often due to incompatibility or incorrect email setup.

In this guide,we’ll show you how to fix WordPress not sending emails with ease.

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Why are you not receiving email notifications from your WP site?

Failure to receive emails from your WP site shows that the configuration of your server does include the use of PHP mail () function.

However,even if the server authorizes this function,most email providers use different tools to minimize email spam. In most cases,these tools try to determine the origin of an email,as stated,a test that most WordPress sites fail.

In such instances,any email sent from your WP website does not make it to the spam folder of your email destination. Therefore,it is advisable to avoid sending your email newsletter using WordPress.

Instead,you should use SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol),which is the set standard to send emails. As opposed to the PHP mail function,SMTP applies effective authentication that enhances email deliverability.

Although there exist many distinct SMTP services,this article covers just two.

How to fix WordPress not sending emails error

Here are the best SMTP providers to use in fixing this issue:

1) Use Gmail SMTP servers to send WordPress emails

Gmail SMTP servers are one of the best options for sending your WordPress emails. This option allows you to utilize any normal Gmail account in sending out emails. Furthermore,you will enjoy the benefit of enhanced deliverability and avoid the spam folder. Nonetheless,the free version has a limit of 3,000 emails/month. Therefore,to increase the limits,you need to pay for G Suite.

Here is how to configure Gmail SMTP in WordPress:

Step 1

To start,you need to download,install,and activate a free plugin known as Post SMTP. Apart from active maintenance,this plugin is 5-star rated and has more than 30,000 active installations. Also,this plugin works exemplary with Easy Digital and WooCommerce downloads.

In this article,our SMTP server for sending emails for WordPress is Gmail. Thus,we will use the OAuth 2.0 protocol to validate Gmail API access. A secure login system that will not require users to enter their password or username.

Moreover,this plugin supports other providers like MailGun,SendGrid,and Mandrill. This makes it a great plugin to use alongside your chosen third-party SMTP.

Step 2

Go to your Post SMTP dashboard>> Setup>> and click on the “Start the Wizard” button.

Step 3

Here,type the email address you would like to use in sending mail,as well as your name. It is worth noting that most email services only allow sending emails from your validated one.
Once you are done to input your name and address,click on the “Next” button

Step 4

On your next screen,enter the hostname of your outgoing mail server. For example,smtp.gmail.com,in this case. Next,click on the “Next” button.

Remember,some WordPress hosts require you to utilize their mail servers and accounts. They do not allow you to use others. In such a case,you should request the outgoing address from your host.

Step 5

In this step,configure how to establish a connection to your mail server. In this case,we shall use the Gmail API,as some hosts block the default ports.

Thus,select Gmail API and then click on the “Next” button.

Step 6

As a result,you should open a new tab and then use Google to make a new project. You need to visit console.developers.google.com. Use Gmail to send emails to log in. After that,create a new project.

Btw,if this is getting too techy for you,contact us on Social Media for quick support.

Step 7

Assign your new project a name of your choice. Next,click on the “Create” button.

Step 8

Go to the dashboard of your project and then click on the “Enable APIs and Services.”

Step 9

Navigate to G Suite APIs and then click on the “Gmail API.”

Step 10

Next,click on the “Enable” button.

Step 11

Now,go to the left-hand side of that screen and click on the “Credentials” window. After that,go to create credentials and select “OAuth client ID.”

Step 12

Click the “Configure consent screen” on the screen that opens after selecting the OAuth client ID.

Step 13

At this point,you need to input a privacy policy URL,a product name (anything),and your email address. It is advisable you fill out everything and then click on the “Save” button. A privacy policy is crucial to ensure everything is working.

Step 14

You will see a screen prompt of the kind of application. Select web application,and then enter any name that you want. Next,go to the Postman wizard screen and paste both the “Authorized redirect URIs” and “Authorized JavaScript origins.” Click on the “Save” button.

Step 15

Because of clicking the save button,you will receive a screen with client ID.

Step 16

Copy and paste the above in their respective fields in the setup wizard screen. Once you have done,click on “Next” followed by the “Finish” button.

Step 17

Go back to Google Developer Console and add your domain for verification.

Step 18

Finally,click on “Grant permission with Google” to authorize access for your Gmail account.

Nowadays,Google has improved its risk test for new apps,which request user data. Depending on this risk test,some apps need a manual review prior to users authorizing data permissions. Otherwise,unverified apps show an “invalid_scope” error message on the permissions consent page. You need to complete the review for the error to disappear.

Although you can proceed by clicking on the “Advanced” button,you need to fill out the developer app for long-term approval. In turn,you will see an “Access Granted Successfully” message. Likewise,the status of your SMTP will display as Connected. To determine if all is well,send an email.

2) Use Mailgun to WordPress emails

One of the most famous email providers is Mailgun. It enables site owners to send numerous emails that have high deliverability.

Also,Mailgun is a dedicated service provider that does everything to ensure your email gets to its final destination. Nonetheless,it is a paid service that provides the first 10,000 emails free of charge each month.

Here is how to configure Mailgun on your WordPress:

First,go to the Mailgun website and signup. Once done,click the “Add your domain” button.

In turn,an add domain page will appear. Add a subdomain of your WP domain name. For instance,mail1.yourdomain.com. If you don’t have a subdomain,create one on your domain.

Here is how to do so:

1. Go to your hosting account cPanel dashboard>> domains>> subdomains icon>>enter your subdomain>>. Choose root domain in the drop-down menu>> create button.
2. After clicking on the create button,a success message saying your subdomain is created appears. Now,go to the Mailgun add domain page and add your subdomain. After adding the domain,the Mailgun shows you some DNS records.
3. Return to your cPanel dashboard,and click on the “Advanced DNS Zone Editor” icon.
4. This asks you to choose the domain you would like to change the DNS records. After choosing your root domain name,options for adding new DNS records will appear.
5. Here,your subdomain is the first TXT. In the name field,enter your subdomain,and then choose TXT as your record type. Next,go to the TTL field and add 14400. The verification settings page shows a value,copy that value in the TXT Data field.
6. For the addition of other TXT records,repeat the above process.
7. After doing so,go back to the cPanel dashboard >> MX entry icon and click on it.
8. This action requests you to choose your root domain. To enter a new MX entry,move down to the bottom of the page. Ensure you have entered the destination and priority values,and then click on the “Create a new record” button.
9. At this point,you have managed to add your domain to Mailgun. However,Mailgun needs to confirm if the DNS records of your domain are proper. This process may take time as DNS records update slowly.
10. To see the status of your domain verification,go to your Mailgun account>> Domains page. If Mailgun has verified your DNS changes,you will see “Active” status close to your domain name.
11. If the domain is active,configure your WP website to start sending emails using Mailgun. Start by downloading,installing,and activating the WP Mail SMTP plugin.
12. After the plugin is installed,open Settings>> WP Mail SMTP for configuration of the plugin settings. Here,enter the name you would like to use as the sender,as well as your email address.
13. After that,choose your mailer as Mailgun,and then check the return path box to ensure it matches from the email address.
14. Finally,enter your Mailgun sub-domain and private API key. This information is mentioned in your Mailgun account,and you all have to click on the links which appear below in every field.
15. Click on the “Save Settings” button to keep your changes.
16. You have now successfully configured your WordPress website to send emails through Mailgun. To check if everything is functioning well,go to Plugin settings page>> click the “Email Test” tab.

Conclusion

Although there exist many SMTP service providers,the above methods are enough to fix this issue. If this fails,contact your hosting provider to request solutions.

If you have any comments,suggestions,or questions on fixing the WordPress not sending an email issue,reach out to us at this link: -