Sapphire
Sapphire is an employee-owned UK contracting and accountancy firm providing umbrella employment, CIS payroll, limited company accountancy, and the Quartz Pay & Bill SaaS platform to recruitment agencies, contractors, and SMEs, with growing international payroll services across Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersBramhall, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sapphire does
Sapphire is a UK-headquartered, employee-owned contracting and accountancy firm serving recruitment agencies and the contractors they place, with additional services for SMEs and international employers. Its core offering comprises umbrella employment (PAYE payroll with a £20-per-assignment margin covering employer NIC, apprenticeship levy and holiday pay), Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) services, Limited Company accountancy, and SME business accounting, delivered through the trading brands Sapphire Contracting and Sapphire Accounting. The technology layer is anchored by the Quartz Pay & Bill platform (acquired from My Digital Timesheets in August 2024), a cloud-based timesheet, invoicing and expense approval system integrated with Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, HiBob and Smart Pensions; complemented by the Payroll Transparency Portal (launched March 2026) and SafeRec real-time HMRC RTI audit integration. Sapphire makes money through a combination of per-assignment take-rate on contractor payroll, subscription fees on Platinum services and Quartz SaaS, and recurring accountancy fees, and sells to enterprise recruitment agencies via a direct field sales team and to mid-market agencies through a self-serve Quartz channel. Following its 2021 transition to an Employee Ownership Trust (74% employee-owned), the company has expanded internationally into Denmark, Spain and Germany, achieved FCSA, SafeRec and APSCo Trusted Partner accreditations, and targets £600m of throughput on a base of 500+ agency partners and 100+ employees as of late 2025.
Sapphire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sapphire
- Legal name
- Sapphire Accounting Limited
- Website
- https://wearesapphire.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Sapphire is an employee-owned UK contracting and accountancy firm providing umbrella employment, CIS payroll, limited company accountancy, and the Quartz Pay & Bill SaaS platform to recruitment agencies, contractors, and SMEs, with growing international payroll services across Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Sapphire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bramhall
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sapphire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Umbrella Employment Services: Payroll services for contractors employed through Sapphire's umbrella company. Generates revenue through margin on assignment rates (£20 company margin mentioned), employer NIC, apprenticeship levy, and holiday pay. Services include Umbrella Platinum with additional benefits like personal accident cover and health plans.
- CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) Services: Tax return handling and payroll services for construction industry contractors under CIS scheme with insurance coverage.
- Limited Company Accounting: Accounting services for personal service companies and small businesses including tax planning and compliance.
- Quartz SaaS Platform: Volume-based pricing cloud platform for recruitment agencies handling timesheet processing, pay & bill, and expense approvals. White-label option available. Processes tens of thousands of contractor timesheets weekly.
- Employer of Record (EOR): International workforce management services including payroll, onboarding, and compliance for hiring globally without local entities.
- International Payroll Solutions: Payroll services for UK recruitment agencies managing international contractors across Denmark, Spain, Germany and beyond. Includes multi-currency payroll and local compliance expertise.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Umbrella - £20 company margin model |
| Subscription | Monthly | Umbrella Platinum and CIS Platinum |
| Subscription | Monthly | Quartz Platform - Volume-based SaaS |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Sapphire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sapphire is an employee-owned UK contracting and accountancy firm that delivers umbrella employment, CIS, PAYE, and limited company payroll services to contractors placed by recruitment agencies, alongside business accountancy services for SMEs. Its proprietary Quartz pay & bill SaaS platform, Payroll Transparency Portal, and SafeRec-certified RTI processing underpin compliance and back-office automation for 500+ UK recruitment agencies.
Product overview
Sapphire is an employee-owned umbrella company offering a portfolio of payroll, accounting, and technology solutions for contractors and recruitment agencies. The core offering includes Sapphire Contracting (umbrella employment, CIS, PAYE, Limited Company services) and Sapphire Accounting (business tax and advisory services). Technology products include Quartz, a cloud-based Pay & Bill platform acquired in August 2024 that processes timesheets for tens of thousands of contractors. Premium add-on Platinum Services provide personal accident cover and health plans. International expansion includes Employer of Record and Agent of Record solutions. The Payroll Transparency Portal provides audit trail access for agencies ahead of 2026 legislative changes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Quartz by Sapphire: Cloud-based Pay & Bill, timesheet and expense approval system designed for recruitment agencies, speeding up back-office operations by up to 80%.
Products and services
- Sapphire Contracting Full-service umbrella, CIS, PAYE and Limited Company employment offering for UK contractors placed by recruitment agencies, including HMRC RTI submission, pension auto-enrolment, holiday pay accrual and statutory employment rights.
- Sapphire Accounting Business accountancy and tax service for UK limited companies, entrepreneurs and start-ups, covering bookkeeping, year-end accounts, corporation tax, R&D tax relief and Companies House compliance.
- Quartz (Pay & Bill Platform) Cloud-based Pay & Bill, timesheet and expense approval SaaS platform for UK recruitment agencies that automates invoicing, contractor payments and supplier payments, reducing back-office operations by up to 80%, with Xero/Sage/QuickBooks/HiBob integrations.
- Umbrella Platinum & CIS Platinum Premium subscription tier of Sapphire's umbrella and CIS services adding personal accident cover, health plans and financial support (early wage advances) on top of the standard umbrella package.
- Sapphire International (International Payroll) International payroll and accountancy services for UK recruitment agencies managing contractors in Denmark, Spain, Germany and beyond, providing multi-currency payroll, local compliance expertise and employed contractor models.
- Employer of Record (EOR) Employer of Record service that lets agencies and businesses hire contractors internationally without establishing local entities, providing onboarding, payroll, local employment compliance and multi-currency payments.
- Payroll Transparency Portal Secure read-only portal for recruitment agencies and MSPs providing independent reporting and a downloadable audit trail of what has been reported to HMRC versus what has been paid, including P32 liabilities, RTI confirmations, HMRC payment proofs and payslips by tax month.
- Agent of Record International contractor payment service ensuring timely, accurate cross-border payments in the contractor's preferred currency, including professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Back-office operations reduced by up to 80% for agencies using Quartz
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Sapphire
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sapphire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Sapphire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.
- XerocoreAccounting software integration with Quartz platform eliminating manual and duplicate data entry for recruitment agencies using Xero for their accounting.
- SagecoreAccounting software integration with Quartz platform for recruitment agency back-office operations.
- QuickBookscoreAccounting software integration with Quartz platform for accounting and payroll synchronization.
- HiBobsupportingHR platform integration with Quartz for recruitment agency workforce management.
- Microsoft ClaritysupportingWebsite analytics partnership capturing behavioral metrics, heatmaps, and session replays to understand user interactions and improve customer experience.
- Smart PensionscoreWorkplace pension provider for automatic enrolment compliance. Sends welcome emails and manages pension portal for Sapphire contractors.
- ZellarsupportingSustainability platform partner helping measure current sustainability performance and create net zero action plan by 2030.
- HMRCcoreReal-Time Information (RTI) submissions, PAYE and NIC compliance, pension auto-enrolment reporting. Open and honest working relationship maintained.
- AllegosupportingTechnology platform used for promoting service quality culture with consistent scoring mechanism to rank calls and customer interactions.
- ZOHOsupportingCRM system development for delivering bespoke and value-based customer journeys with improved processes.
- BrabnerssupportingLaw firm that advised on Employee Ownership Trust transaction, providing specialist EOT team support.
- Beever & StrutherssupportingAccountancy firm that advised on EOT transaction, completing seventh EOT transaction with specialist team including corporate finance and tax partners.
- MindminorMental health charity supported through Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge fundraising, raising £1,350.
- Macmillan Cancer SupportminorNational cancer charity supported as part of corporate social responsibility program.
- Together TrustminorLocal charity supported through corporate social responsibility initiatives.
- CoppaFeelminorBreast cancer awareness charity partnered with Sapphire for social responsibility.
- CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)minorMental health charity supported through corporate social responsibility.
- Booth CentreminorHomelessness support charity donated £25,000 to support its mission assisting people impacted by homelessness.
- Mottram Cricket ClubminorPrincipal sponsor with ground renamed 'Sapphire Gardens'. Sponsorship concentrated in junior section supporting local youth cricket.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sapphire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Deel: Global EOR and international payroll platform rapidly expanding contractor management services. Comparable to Sapphire International as an emerging cross-border payroll competitor with a technology-led, scalable model.
- Remote: International Employer of Record and contractor payment platform operating across dozens of countries. Comparable to Sapphire's EOR and Agent of Record offerings for cross-border contractor placement by UK agencies.
Direct peers
- JSA Services: UK umbrella and contractor payroll services provider targeting recruitment agencies. Directly comparable in the agency preferred-supplier model and compliance-led positioning.
- ClearSky Umbrella: UK umbrella company focused on contractor PAYE payroll and CIS services for recruitment agencies. Directly competes with Sapphire in the same agency-supplier panel dynamic and regulatory environment.
- Nixon Williams: UK-based online accountancy firm specialising in personal service companies and contractor tax. Comparable to Sapphire Accounting in serving limited company contractors and SMEs with subscription-based tax compliance services.
- Workwell (Parasol + Giant Pay): UK umbrella and contractor payroll provider formed from the merger of Parasol and Giant Pay. Directly comparable to Sapphire as a top-tier UK umbrella company serving recruitment agencies and contractors with PAYE, CIS, and limited company services.
- Brookson Group: UK-based provider of umbrella, limited company accountancy, and contractor financial services. Closely comparable to Sapphire in serving recruitment agencies and individual contractors with similar compliance-led, FCSA-style positioning.
- Orange Genie: UK umbrella and limited company accountancy provider serving contractors and recruitment agencies. Overlaps directly with Sapphire's Contracting and Limited Company accounting offerings.
Broad incumbents
- SD Worx: European HR and payroll services provider offering multi-country payroll and Employer of Record. Comparable to Sapphire International in cross-border payroll and EOR capability for UK agencies placing contractors in Europe.
- IRIS Software Group: Major UK accountancy and payroll software vendor serving accountancy practices, employers, and umbrella companies. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose payroll and HMRC RTI technology competes with and supports similar contractor-payroll workflows.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sapphire social profiles
Digital presenceSapphire compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Sapphire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sapphire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Sapphire subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Sapphire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sapphire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sapphire
What does Sapphire do?
Sapphire is an employee-owned UK contracting and accountancy firm that delivers umbrella employment, CIS, PAYE, and limited company payroll services to contractors placed by recruitment agencies, alongside business accountancy services for SMEs. Its proprietary Quartz pay & bill SaaS platform, Payroll Transparency Portal, and SafeRec-certified RTI processing underpin compliance and back-office automation for 500+ UK recruitment agencies.
Is Sapphire a public or private company?
Sapphire is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Sapphire founded?
Sapphire was founded in 2012. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Sapphire based?
Sapphire is headquartered in Bramhall, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Sapphire make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Umbrella Employment Services are the primary driver. The others are CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) Services, limited Company Accounting, quartz SaaS Platform, employer of Record (EOR) and international Payroll Solutions.
Who are Sapphire's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Deel and Remote. Direct peers are JSA Services, ClearSky Umbrella, Nixon Williams, Workwell (Parasol + Giant Pay), Brookson Group and Orange Genie. Broad incumbents are SD Worx and IRIS Software Group.
Does Sapphire have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sapphire.