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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want to pay cleaner in cash?

444 replies

brokenteddychair · 02/05/2026 13:56

We have had a cleaner for about the last six months. She generally does a solid job and is reliable. I like her very much, she works hard and is trustworthy. She is currently the sole earner in her household as her husband doesn’t work (manual job). This is allegedly due to an injury but he is currently in his home country helping a family member with a renovation project so I’m a bit skeptical.

She has asked if we can start paying in cash “because the costs are burdening me and I need to ask clients to start paying in cash.”. This indicates to me that she is planning to under declare her income and therefore either not pay tax, claim benefits she isn’t actually entitled to, or both.

This is really conflicting me. I feel strongly that everyone should be paying their fair share of tax. I also don’t want the inconvenience of having to remember to get cash out every week. I have enough to do, that’s why I need to outsource help!

Would you suck it up or let her go?
YABU = cleaners are worth their weight in gold, just pay tax
YANBU = don’t be complicit in her fraud, find someone who will take bank transfer

OP posts:
Notasbigasithink · 02/05/2026 15:16

brokenteddychair · 02/05/2026 13:56

We have had a cleaner for about the last six months. She generally does a solid job and is reliable. I like her very much, she works hard and is trustworthy. She is currently the sole earner in her household as her husband doesn’t work (manual job). This is allegedly due to an injury but he is currently in his home country helping a family member with a renovation project so I’m a bit skeptical.

She has asked if we can start paying in cash “because the costs are burdening me and I need to ask clients to start paying in cash.”. This indicates to me that she is planning to under declare her income and therefore either not pay tax, claim benefits she isn’t actually entitled to, or both.

This is really conflicting me. I feel strongly that everyone should be paying their fair share of tax. I also don’t want the inconvenience of having to remember to get cash out every week. I have enough to do, that’s why I need to outsource help!

Would you suck it up or let her go?
YABU = cleaners are worth their weight in gold, just pay tax
YANBU = don’t be complicit in her fraud, find someone who will take bank transfer

Oh good lord not another 'I don't want to pay cash' bloody post 🙄🙄
You've clearly never been SE and had to absorb the ever rising costs of handling money! For your convenience (or mistrust) your cleaner will have to pay added banking charges just because you think he/she might be avoiding tax.
Maybe you should be more concerned with multi billion organisations such as Amazon etc who avoid paying it rather than (speculative) your lovely cleaner.
Get someone else of you're that bothered and pay the higher price that comes with bank transfers etc

Confuserr · 02/05/2026 15:14

Thechaseison71 · 02/05/2026 15:10

But if you live in a dirt poor deprived area then you are unlikely to be needing to pay a cleaner each week surely

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The response was to those on the thread who seem to have no idea how ATMs work.

But anyway you're wrong. People in poor areas can be inconvenienced by having to pay in cash, whether that's for a cleaner or any other service. It was a pain for me when I lived in what you so charmingly call a "dirt poor" area and I had to pay eg a plumber.

And now I live in a posh as fuck small village and there is still no free ATM, nor a post office.

Whaleandsnail6 · 02/05/2026 15:13

Thechaseison71 · 02/05/2026 15:03

But how did they learn how money works in the first place if they've never handled cash?

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Obviously they have both seen and used cash during their lives!

But we are now at a stage where they are old enough to have bank accounts that I transfer to , therefore I don't need to give them cash or really have it around the house.

The cleaner is a paid employee, she isn't doing me a favour. So I can decide if a new request from her is worth it to me, and if it isn't, she can choose to stick to doing things how we have always done (ie paying bank transfer) or choose not to work for me anymore. Thats fine. Neither of us would be unreasonable in our decision

user1492757084 · 02/05/2026 15:11

I'd pay your cleaner in cash.

If you wish to buy Tesco vouchures, give her some for a Christmas gift.

Dimpledaisies · 02/05/2026 15:10

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ.

sunflowersandsunsets · 02/05/2026 15:10

Mulledjuice · 02/05/2026 15:09

I don't disagree with your second sentence - previous posters seem to think OP is obligated to turn a blind eye

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OP has no evidence that the cleaner isn't paying her taxes so what would she be turning a blind eye to, exactly? Confused

Thechaseison71 · 02/05/2026 15:10

Confuserr · 02/05/2026 15:08

It's the ATM which charges, not the bank.
Honestly surprised so many people have no idea about the massive swathes of the UK where there are no free ATMs. I know MN skews middle class, but still.

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But if you live in a dirt poor deprived area then you are unlikely to be needing to pay a cleaner each week surely

topcat2014 · 02/05/2026 15:10

ChipsyKing · 02/05/2026 15:03

I don’t have strong feelings about it, but she’d be able to keep the VAT which would probably add up to far more than the income tax.

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Huge corporations will all be paying the tax calculated according to the laws that the global finance system has agreed - there is no "dodging" going on.

Vote new governments in that might change the laws if you don't like them.

sunflowersandsunsets · 02/05/2026 15:10

TheFarmatLittletown · 02/05/2026 15:08

It is bollocks I agree, and also, you don't have to be paid in cash to be 'on the fiddle'.

Folk fiddle by attributing payments to places they shouldn't be allocated. Accountants fiddle for folk all the time.

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Exactly. This weird idea that paying by bank transfer eliminates the chance of someone fiddling the tax man is just laughable.

MaryBeardsShoes · 02/05/2026 15:09

StormInaDcup99 · 02/05/2026 14:02

I'd possibly consider offering to pay her in say tesco vouchers and keep them somewhere safe in the house so they are there for when you need to pay her

WHAT 🤣🤣🤣

Mulledjuice · 02/05/2026 15:09

sunflowersandsunsets · 02/05/2026 14:23

Whether she declares her income or not is nothing to do with OP.

So she can either pay cash or find a new cleaner.

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I don't disagree with your second sentence - previous posters seem to think OP is obligated to turn a blind eye

sunflowersandsunsets · 02/05/2026 15:08

ChipsyKing · 02/05/2026 15:07

Ahhh thank you, I didn’t realise that.

So it’s actually cheaper to deal with small businesses?

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It is indeed.

Slightyamusedandsilly · 02/05/2026 15:08

If she's a really good cleaner and you refuse, she'll replace you as a client within seconds. Whereas finding a good new cleaner won't be as easy.

But you do you.

Confuserr · 02/05/2026 15:08

busyd4y · 02/05/2026 15:07

You need to get a new bank account , who pays for cash withdrawals?

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It's the ATM which charges, not the bank.
Honestly surprised so many people have no idea about the massive swathes of the UK where there are no free ATMs. I know MN skews middle class, but still.

TheFarmatLittletown · 02/05/2026 15:08

sunflowersandsunsets · 02/05/2026 14:15

Your "moral code" is just bollocks.

Lots of people get paid in cash and declare every penny. All my cash (several hundred pounds a week) goes into my business account each Friday. No fraud here, thank you.

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It is bollocks I agree, and also, you don't have to be paid in cash to be 'on the fiddle'.

Folk fiddle by attributing payments to places they shouldn't be allocated. Accountants fiddle for folk all the time.

AnnikaA · 02/05/2026 15:08

Op how much do you pay her per hour?

Let’s assume she manages to get work for 6 hours a day, 50 weeks of the year, @ £15 per hour. She probably can’t do even this much in reality, due to the time travel time between customers (which you don’t pay for).

So that means:

Annual income: £22,500
Income Tax: ~£1,986 (20% on profit above £12,570)
National Insurance (Class 4): ~£595 (6% on profit above £12,570)

I couldn’t feel worked up over this; it’s such a low salary to start with

Thechaseison71 · 02/05/2026 15:07

Drivingmissrangey · 02/05/2026 15:04

LOL that people genuinely think those paid cash in hand declare all their income.

If it’s to help with budgeting, the cleaner can just take cash out herself. No need to make that the OPs problem.

And if the husband was abusive and she doesn't have access to the bank account? Or it's swallowed upon bank charges etc and needs the cash to eat and buy fuel?

ChipsyKing · 02/05/2026 15:07

Confuserr · 02/05/2026 15:05

VAT registration is only mandatory in UK if your taxable turnover exceeds £90,000. So who knows if she is or not. I would be surprised if my cleaner was although I don't know (or care)

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Ahhh thank you, I didn’t realise that.

So it’s actually cheaper to deal with small businesses?

busyd4y · 02/05/2026 15:07

ChipsyKing · 02/05/2026 14:54

I can’t speak for others but there are so few of them around where I live (city centre) these days.
Plus I get charged for cash withdrawals.

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You need to get a new bank account , who pays for cash withdrawals?

Confuserr · 02/05/2026 15:07

Thechaseison71 · 02/05/2026 15:03

But how did they learn how money works in the first place if they've never handled cash?

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Children don't need a physical representation of value to understand simple addition and subtraction. Presume they got past that stage when they outgrew the abacus

sunflowersandsunsets · 02/05/2026 15:06

Drivingmissrangey · 02/05/2026 15:04

LOL that people genuinely think those paid cash in hand declare all their income.

If it’s to help with budgeting, the cleaner can just take cash out herself. No need to make that the OPs problem.

I'm paid cash in hand about 70% of the time and declare every penny of my income, thank you very much Hmm

Confuserr · 02/05/2026 15:05

ChipsyKing · 02/05/2026 15:03

I don’t have strong feelings about it, but she’d be able to keep the VAT which would probably add up to far more than the income tax.

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VAT registration is only mandatory in UK if your taxable turnover exceeds £90,000. So who knows if she is or not. I would be surprised if my cleaner was although I don't know (or care)

chipsandpeas · 02/05/2026 15:04

StormInaDcup99 · 02/05/2026 14:02

I'd possibly consider offering to pay her in say tesco vouchers and keep them somewhere safe in the house so they are there for when you need to pay her

what the utter fuck???

what would you do if your employer pulled that on you?

Drivingmissrangey · 02/05/2026 15:04

LOL that people genuinely think those paid cash in hand declare all their income.

If it’s to help with budgeting, the cleaner can just take cash out herself. No need to make that the OPs problem.

ChipsyKing · 02/05/2026 15:03

GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · 02/05/2026 15:01

Honestly she’s probably not earning much and the tax she may or may not be dodging is a pretty small amount. It’s a personal choice and if you feel strongly about it then that’s you but for me I don’t care about someone dodging a couple of thousand in income tax when there’s huge corporations dodging billions. I see both sides but that’s how I feel.

Edited

I don’t have strong feelings about it, but she’d be able to keep the VAT which would probably add up to far more than the income tax.