There are hundreds of umbrella companies on the market, each them of claiming to be offering a service that is better than their competitors. The problem for newbie contractors is deciding which one to use as they have to work their way through a minefield of gloss and clever marketing. So, how do you compare umbrella companies? Well, the good news is that they all pretty much all do the same thing, with the only difference from one umbrella company to the next is the price they charge and their standard of customer service. Most umbrella companies charge around $50 per week to process a timesheet. This varies from company to company but $50 is what you should be looking to pay. If you pay much less then the umbrella company will probably be cutting corners somewhere, which is not something that you want to risk them doing. Stick to fixed fee umbrella companies, steering well clear of any umbrella charging on a % of invoice basis. Also, be very careful to check that the admin fee quoted is a gross figure. Comparing the level of service offered to customers can be more difficult that sorting out the fee structure. Expect every company to tout their customer service as the best around. It will take some outside analysis to truly decipher which company actually offers the best service. Navigate their website for valuable customer tools like an online timesheet application, check out how long the company has been in business, and find out whether they offer same day compensation. There are websites which furnish business evaluations and you may be able to find one with reviews of your company. Check to see if the website doing the review functions on an independent basis, otherwise they may have been paid a fee by the umbrella company which can make their objectivity questionable. Consumer forums are generally privately run and monitored and so are more likely to have more reliable information. One advantage of a consumer forum is that you are much more likely to get a quick answer to your questions as members often post responses faster than it would take the company to get back to you. When you have narrowed your list down to a remaining few potential companies, make a few phone calls to see for yourself how they respond to questions. Make note of how friendly they were, if they seem at all knowledgeable about their field, and if they seem willing to go the "extra mile" in order to help you. They may be willing to refer you to one or two of their current clients so you can ask them about their experiences with this company and how satisfied they are with the service.