THE KOVA WAY
Direct engagement, made operational.
The Kova Way gives recruitment agencies a practical operating structure for direct engagement. Your agency keeps the worker relationship, contracts, data and commercial control. Kova supports the onboarding, payroll workflow, compliance evidence and reporting behind the scenes.
ONBOARDING
24 in progress
PAYROLL
£186,420 this week
COMPLIANCE
All clear
REPORTING
12 reports ready
WORKER STATUS
412 active
HOW IT WORKS
Onboard → Engage → Pay → Report.
01
Digital onboarding
Capture worker details, right-to-work evidence, bank details, contracts and documents through a structured onboarding process.
02
Engagement workflow
Support PAYE, CIS and IR35 workflows with clear evidence and approval steps.
03
Payroll process
Process pay through a controlled route with visible deductions, worker records and reporting outputs.
04
Reporting and audit trail
Give agencies better visibility over payroll status, worker data, compliance evidence and management reporting.
PORTALS IN ACTION
Built for the agency, the worker and the operation behind both.
One approach, three connected portals, so every part of the workforce operation runs in the same place.
Click any portal to learn more. Illustrative mockups shown for context. Final UI may vary.
CAPABILITIES
Built for how agencies actually run.
The Kova platform removes the operational drag that sits around contractor engagement, so your team can spend time on placements, not admin.
Live operational visibility
One dashboard across onboarding status, payroll runs, exceptions and worker activity, so your team sees what's happening without chasing spreadsheets or inboxes.
Worker self-service
Workers complete onboarding, upload documents, view payslips and update details directly, removing the admin load from consultants and back-office.
Structured document capture
Right-to-work, contracts, IDs and engagement evidence captured against the worker record, time-stamped and retrievable on demand, not buried in shared drives.
Named operational support
A dedicated team that knows your account, your workers and your processes. Direct contacts for onboarding, payroll and compliance queries, not a generic support queue.
COMPLIANCE
Compliance built in. Not bolted on.
Direct engagement gives your agency equal control over three things that have to be done properly: the tax liabilities sitting on the workforce, the employment status route each worker is engaged through, and the rights and protections owed to workers. Kova's specialist team, led by Kye Burchmore, our Legal & Compliance Director, runs and evidences all three so nothing depends on a third party to prove their own compliance.
Employment status & engagement routes
PAYE, CIS, self-employment and IR35 / off-payroll routes structured around current case law and legislation, so each worker is engaged through the route that fits their circumstances. Each engagement is assessed, with the rationale, supporting evidence and approvals captured against the worker record so the decision can be stood behind. Led by Kye Burchmore, our Legal & Compliance Director, a specialist in employment status, off-payroll working and HMRC engagement.
Worker rights & protections by design
Transparent deductions, clear contracts, holiday pay, AWR and a controlled payroll route, designed to uphold worker rights at every step and keep the agency protected alongside them.
HMRC liability control
As the direct engager, your agency controls the HMRC relationship end to end. RTI submissions, CIS returns, PAYE settlements and correspondence all run through one managed channel your agency owns. When HMRC queries or compliance checks arise, the evidence, the narrative and the response are in your hands, not a third party's.
Audit-ready evidence
Every onboarding, engagement and payroll decision is captured with the supporting documents and approvals an audit needs.
Continuous oversight
Exception tracking, reporting and a clear audit trail give agencies confidence that the operation is working as intended.
WHY AGENCIES ARE REVIEWING THEIR SETUP NOW
April 2026 changes the exposure.
From 6 April 2026, joint and several liability rules increase the exposure agencies carry for payroll taxes across their supply chain. The rules apply to payments made on or after that date.
Kova gives agencies a cleaner route: direct engagement supported by managed onboarding, payroll, evidence and reporting, with the agency as the legal engager and the audit trail in one place.
Source: HMRC / GOV.UK guidance on umbrella company reform.
WHO RUNS YOUR COMPLIANCE
Named specialists. Not a support ticket.
Dale Simkiss
Founder & Managing Director
Dale brings 15+ years founding and leading businesses across payroll, tax and direct engagement at group director level. He drives Kova's proposition, agency relationships and commercial direction, and oversees how the operational and compliance approach is delivered to agencies in practice.
Key areas, Payroll operations · Back-office workflow · Technology-enabled delivery · Commercial strategy · Agency relationships
Kye Burchmore
Legal & Compliance Director
Kye leads Kova's approach to employment status, IR35 and off-payroll working rules. He oversees the status determination framework, HMRC correspondence process and ongoing monitoring of the regulatory landscape. When the rules change, Kye assesses the impact on the Kova operation and the agencies we support.
Key areas, Employment status · IR35 · Off-payroll working · HMRC engagement · Status determination frameworks
Sarah Carstens
Operations Director
Sarah leads Kova's worker engagement and operational delivery, covering employed and self-employed routes across PAYE, CIS and IR35. She oversees onboarding workflow design, payroll process flows, worker administration and data protection controls. Every compliance touchpoint in the Kova workflow is designed around how the temporary labour market actually operates.
Key areas, Worker engagement design · PAYE & CIS operations · Onboarding compliance · AWR · Data protection controls
WHAT KOVA HELPS EVIDENCE
A complete audit trail, by design.
Every engagement produces the supporting evidence an HMRC review, a client audit or an internal compliance check expects to see.
- Right to work checks
- Worker engagement route
- PAYE / CIS / IR35 decision trail
- Contract and onboarding documents
- Payroll records and payslip transparency
- HMRC reporting outputs
- Audit trail and exception management
- Status determination evidence pack
Kova supports agencies with structured workflows, evidence and operational controls. Final engagement decisions remain subject to the agency's legal, tax and commercial review.