Not declaring a nanny and taking a "non qualified" nanny - thoughts ?

Well nannies will register with agencies, but also look independently.

I don't know whether it's worth your while if you're going to look around on your own anyway!

monaco without being judgmental...in addition to all the other disadvantages of paying cash in hand (being fined thousands if you are caught not paying ta, nanny not getting a mortgage, nanny dropping you in it with IR if you fall out with her, nanny having something to blackmail you with cos she knows you are doing sthing illegal) your employer's liability insurance will not be valid if you dont register her for tax.
this is the insurance (probably included as standard on your household policy, but check) that covers you if she sues you for accident/injury sustained in your house (eg she falls down your stairs, breaks her leg, cant work for six months and sues you for zillions for having slippery carpet or whatever).
so nevermind the morals, financially it ain't worth it. and having just interviewed scores of nannies myself to find ours, good nannies dont like not being legal and you may find some will turn you down if they know you wont pay their taxes.
as you are not looking for many days have you thought about nanny sharing? it would cut the cost without being dodgy. good luck - we found simplychildcare (a listings mag if you are in london) was great for finding nannies and it's only about £40 for an ad to run for five issues. look at simplychildcare.com

You were suggesting paying cash in hand so yes I judged and I judged harshly.

This is because I am a taxpayer, like many/most on this forum. All the dodgy cash in hand deals that happen mean that someone (other taxpayers) have to pay more tax.

monaco, sorry you feel that you have been treated unfairly on here.
My post was a generalised statement and not an attack on you personally.
I completely understand what you were trying to achieve by posting your op.
I do think the role and sense of responsibilty a good Nanny upholds can be greatly underestimated.
Paying correct taxes (where applicable) forms a good relationship for all concerned and removes the risk of the Nanny feeling undervalued.
I hope I havent offended you and apologise if I have.

As a parent and a nanny I can safely say that if you expect someone to be honest, trustworthy, thorough, kind ,considerate, fair etc etc whilst looking after the most precious and treasured things you possess..........(gasp for air, that was a long sentance)
then you really must afford any potential Nanny the same conduct from yourselves.

It surely cannot be acceptable to sweep your responsibilities under the carpet and expect the highest standards of honesty from others

I was surprised too but maybe I'm just naive!

I doubt we will get anyone joining the thread to say that's what they do

maybe

But if i was a mum there is no way i wouold want to miss my kids for 2 years while in jail for employing an illegal person. It shocks me actually that anyone takes that risk.

And IMO if you really are of the mind-set to deliberatley employ and illegal person, cause it saves you just a few £s. then you ought to go to jail.

Also wouldnt consider them a 'nanny'....

nannyL - I doubt many Polish or Bulgarian nannies would be bothered to phone IR themselves

maybe the nannies are happy for their employer to underdeclare their income if they end up with more in their pocket at the end of the week

theblone.... well inland rev find out when they see that nanny isnt getting any benefits OR money and alarm bells start ringing...

OR nanny could just call inland rev herself.... knowing that tax / NI owed from her will be billed to ehr bosses regardless...

and as for the absurd idea of hiring someone not legally allowed to work here....

do you really want to go to jail? If found out?

Apart from that these are people looking after your children and to suggest you get an illegal person to do that just to SAVE A FEW £s is beyong shocking.

Oh and by the way if I knew / found out that people were delibertly not delaring there nanny I would not hesititate to calling inland rev MYSELF and telling them... thats another way they could find out

so you better hope your nanny illegal immigrant, didnt actually ever mention it to anyone

I really do feel like starting a "breaking and entering" thread.

The OP would go something like this:

I am a leetle bit short of money this month, due to my daily salon habit. I have decided to make up the differential with some private enterprise. I plan to break into some of the larger houses a few streets down. They'll never miss the odd painting, some jewellery maybe.

Then I can finish the OP off with Monaco's choice question:

"Is anyone aware of people doing that and what are the risks/legal liability?"

and see what sort of response I get.

OP to answer one of your questions my friend works in richmond as a nanny and is paid £10 an hour. she works really long hours though 4 days a week. when she speaks to her employers they alway speak about the amount thats actually goes into her bank and they worry about the rest of it. (well nannytax does).

i can understand after reading this thread the nanny does not benefit at all of being paid cash in hand. and imo would be stupid in doing so.

"The solution would be to use her only one day then !Or, declare one day but not the other."

Since when has defrauding HM Revenue & Customs (which, let me remind you, collects tax revenues on all our behalfs) been a solution?

I really object to dishonesty. Do you not have any shame about stealing?

hmmm seems that quite a few people round here are happy to do it that way though... explains why everyone has a nanny despite the papers saying the average London live out salary is over £33K

x posted others beat me to it! Blonde I'm really not sure I'd be happy to leave my lo with someone I was paying under the table who had no right to work in country just seems too 'wrong' for someone I'd be leaving my lo with

Having a nanny who isn't permitted to work in the UK however, could end you up with a fine or 2 years at an HMP.

How your child's nanny could land you in prison - TimesOnline

Blonde nanny reports you when she leaves!

Many nannies don't have formal qualifications, some have first aid certificates etc. Paying a nanny in the legal way is nothing to do with being qualified.

I would first of all look at what you actually need in a childcarer for your 8mth old rather than trying to work out how to get out of paying taxes. It is never a good idea for you or the employee to do things underhand.

It may turn out that you only need someone who would be perhaps be classed as a babysitter. Fair enough but they have to have enough experience to cope with an 8mth old though, if you will be there for most of the time then this may be easier. You may well get a Uni student that has ennough experience and hours will fit in with the ones you need.

If the carer will have sole charge for any length of time , you really need to get someone with experience enough to be able to deal with any eventuality.

presumably this isn't such an issue if you also employ someone who perhaps may not have a legal right to work in the UK

PellMell's pointed out one way, or IR can randomly investigate someone who has no declared income and isn't on benefits (this happened to one of my student friends who point them in the direction of the student loans company and her parental allowance!).

OR nanny can accidentally drop you in it with an agency who may want to see a P45 from his/her last job and s/he (quite innocently) say "I don't have one, they paid cash in hand)

The IR will find out if the nanny has a fall out with the employer.
Nothing to stop someone hell bent on revenge

Rather shockingly, when told I was looking for a nanny, an employment (yes that's right) lawyer friend said 'oh you'll just pay cash in hand won't you?'

Er, no, for all the reasons nannyL said.