PayStream Reviews 4,681

This was my first time using an umbrella company as a contractor and I was a little reluctant, as I had heard stories out there. However, PayStream was brilliant, always kept me up to date on things via email or text, their customer service is 10/10. Can’t recommend them enough!

Honestly, Paystream has been amazing. I spoke with Emma today for my first annual accounts review and it was incredibly thorough. She could tell where I needed a bit more clarity and followed up with a detailed email breaking everything down in a way that actually made sense.

A lot of people go hunting for the cheapest accountant, but with Paystream you’re getting way more than that. Their system for approvals and expenses is super easy to use — you just log in, record what you need, and they handle the rest. It takes a lot of the stress out of everything.

I signed up to what was marketed as a “premium” accounting service (approx. £200/month covering VAT, payroll and ongoing support). In reality, this has been an extremely frustrating experience — particularly when trying to stop trading and move my company to dormant.

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1. Paying monthly but receiving nothing if you stop mid-year

I am partway through my financial year and no longer contracting outside IR35, so I contacted them to:
• Finalise my accounts to date
• Make the company dormant

Despite paying ~£160/month throughout the year, I was told:
• They will not complete my accounts for the period already paid for
• My payments so far are effectively just a contribution toward a full year-end service
• If I stop now, I must either:
• Continue paying monthly until year-end, or
• Pay an additional ~£500+VAT for a separate closure service

There is no option to simply finalise accounts to date and go dormant, even though the company will no longer be trading. This means you can pay significant monthly fees and still receive no usable output if your situation changes.

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2. Forced into closing my company due to lack of support

As a result of this, I am now in the position where:
• I paid to set up a limited company
• I have paid ongoing monthly accounting fees
• Yet I cannot simply make the company dormant without additional cost and resistance

Instead, I am effectively being forced into a situation where:

👉 It is cheaper for me to close the company entirely and start again in the future
👉 Than it is to either move to another accountant or get proper support to go dormant

That is an incredibly unreasonable position to put a client in.

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3. Serious accounting error only identified because I flagged it

During a review, I challenged the figures I had been given regarding available funds.

They later admitted to a £3,000 miscalculation, with my balance overstated by around four times.

This was:
• Not identified by them
• Not flagged proactively
• Only corrected because I questioned it

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4. “Premium” service in name only

The premium package appears to amount to:
• Occasional emails
• A generic “are you happy with the service?” message

There is no meaningful proactive support or oversight.

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5. Constantly chasing incomplete answers

Communication has been consistently poor:
• Questions are often only partially answered
• Key concerns (e.g. discrepancies in balances) are dismissed
• I have had to explicitly ask them to respond fully instead of selectively

This is not acceptable for a paid professional service.

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6. Paying for a service but doing the work myself

Despite the monthly cost:
• I was told I am effectively paying for software access
• I am expected to manage and categorise transactions myself
• Even basic recurring items require manual input

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7. No support when trying to leave

When I asked how to:
• Transition to another accountant
• Manage VAT handover

I received no clear guidance — just instructions to fill in a form.

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Overall

This service is structured in a way where:
• You pay high monthly fees
• Errors are not proactively identified
• Communication is inconsistent
• And if your situation changes mid-year, you are left with:
• No completed work
• Additional fees to exit
• No meaningful support

Most concerningly, I am now in a position where I may have to close a company I paid to set up, simply because it is the cheapest way out of this arrangement.

Before signing up, make sure you fully understand:
• What happens if you stop trading mid-year
• Whether your monthly payments result in deliverables to date
• How difficult and costly it is to leave or make your company dormant

A service that leaves clients better off closing their company than working with them is not a premium service.

I have no complaints at all. I was only employed for to months on the contract so only received 2 payments. I rang just prior to bothto check the agency had submitted everything. Paystream staff were friendly and efficient when dealing with my enquiry.

Josh was extremely professional and loved the way he approached my queries. 5 star!

As a new starter with Paystream I’m introduced to all different new systems.
I have just spoken with Shaz from Paystream who explained everything I need to know about company policies terms and conditions etc. Shaz was absolutely First class. Thanks Shaz.

Paystream is reliable, efficient and staff are always at hand to help resolve queries

On the whole a reliable experience. I did have to chase one payment but this was around Xmas period so not unusual.

Jordan was a Great help. Answered all questions promptly and eased all concerns.

I’ve been extremely pleased with the professionalism and reliability of the services provided by Paystream. There is very clear communication and attention to the detail makes managing my accounts stress-free.
A special thanks to Andrew for the timely support and expert advice whenever needed.
Thank you

A very efficient service. Can't recall any issues over the past 5 years. Provided everything I needed quietly in the background without fuss or unnecessary communications..

The staff at PayStream were very friendly and dealt with any queries at first contact and met my business needs perfectly.

Efficient service with good support

Paystream have done and provided everything asked of them from producing end of year tax returns and always paying promptly. Extremely reliable and always on the end of the phone top offer advice.

Very easy to deal with. Found they took a little bit more which meant I got a Brucie Bonus back from the tax office, which was a nice surprise. Better than a bill. Staff who contacted me very pleasant. And they got in touch with me to prompt me to do things, when really I should have contacted them. Always get a text message before being paid. You know how much and when. Fabulous. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

The most efficient organisation I've dealt with in years. Consistent, responsive and pleasant personal