Paying the cleaner

[lboogy]

Obviously the cleaner can't come and clean. Oh how I miss her so. Anyway, I've paid her for each week she couldn't come. Do I just pay her for 3 months in advance or keep paying each week?

I would ask her but I think she's a little shy to ask directly

@Rumboogie you don't need to justify yourself or your needs on here. Do what you need to get through, if you need a cleaner to help, it isn't selfish nor stupid.

One of these days people will stop being so judgemental picking holes in every last thing someone says. It's becoming a hobby.

Our cleaner is a godsend but of course we’ll be seen as selfish, but like another poster here we’re disabled hugs @rumboogie.

Our dog walker is shielding but we are still earning (wfh) so are continuing to pay her weekly

@MoaningMinniee
Thanks! I was thinking along those lines - put dog in car crate 5 mins before she is due to arrive. Ive paid for walks that didn't happen up to now, but would be better for the dog to have the walk.

I am a cleaner

Only one of my many clients has offered to pay me, and they are the one that I think can probably least afford it. I was so moved and grateful but I declined politely.

Luckily dh is still getting paid so we're ok for money but clients won't know this. So Reading this thread is making me think it's a bit shite that my other clients haven't at least offered

I don’t understand why window cleaners and gardeners aren’t working unless they are vulnerable? They could use their own equipment and wash hands after touching anything and get paid by bacs transfers?

My window cleaner came last weekz

Have you worked out whether you can make the govt claim Dianne?

We've offered to pay and waiting to hear back. She's the best cleaner we've ever had and I don't want to lose her!

@Tess83 I've got no idea ...I've been told I'll hear from hmrc by letter if I'm eligible so just going to have to wait and hope I get one 😞

That's tricky Dianne, at least if you know you are eligible you know that you won't lose out in the end. Do you think you could approach clients and ask for a fee to keep slots open or a 'voucher' scheme or similar? I guess it's difficult if they've not said anything. For most businesses (e.g. children's classes etc) it seems to be the business that is setting the terms but it sounds as if many cleaners are leaving it up to the client.

@Tess83

Nah to be honest I'll just be happy if they have me back

I think I need to maybe send a "keeping in touch" message out.
Just to let them know I will still be working once this is over / improved. but I don't know what to say. as I've no intention of returning in the foreseeable yet Cos I'd rather not risk myself or them x

I genuinely do miss work and all my clients 😔

Thanks @Tess83 - that's what I wasn't aware of

However, I still maintain that domestic cleaners will overwhelmingly not earn above the personal allowance, so aren't tax dodging.

If my cleaner gets money from the government then she can consider it a bonus.

I suspect (but don’t know) that my cleaner doesn’t declare her earnings. I can’t get worked up about it. She travels 30-40 across town by bus to clean for me. I’m pretty certain she’s not raking it in.

I suspect (but don’t know) that my cleaner doesn’t declare her earnings.

The issue of course is that while we can probably all agree that clearers should declare their income, by the time they'd paid NI and tax it would go down substantially. And to compensate, their employers are unlikely to be willing to pay more.

Eg we had to pay our nanny significantly more per hour when we put her on a pay role (which we were told we needed to do as she was acting as an employee by coming a set number of hours per week) as obviously, she didn't want to lose out. Her main employer who had always had her on payroll paid her £14 per hour so that her take home pay was roughly £10-11 per hour. As an ad hoc babysitter, we'd just paid her £10 per hour cash in hand.

And yes, I'm fully aware that everyone will come on here saying that it's not their problem blah blah and I get that. But these are long-standing institutional issues that I suspect everyone from government, HMRC, to employers and low-earning freelancers are going to have to re-examine in this new post-covid world.

@HeresToTheCrazyOnes

You asked why self-employed cleaners are expecting to be paid.

I’m a self-employed cleaner and whilst I’m not expecting it, I have one client who earns 7 figures a year, takes 4 long haul trips, funds 3 children through private schooling, has his own chef and chauffeur and suggested to me I stayed away from them because they had been with people showing symptoms.

They themselves were and still are symptom-free, working in their home self-isolating. He hasn’t offered a retainer, he hasn’t offered 50%, I’ve not been offered a penny.

Why should I be financially penalised because of that? I didn’t ask for this situation. The Government have told me I can go in and earn because I can’t do this job in my own home.

If he doesn’t trust me with a retainer or for me to make up some hours if he pays me now, he shouldn’t have kept me on for 5 years as a keyholder with his alarm company.

Every single penny I earn is declared to HMRC.

@Classiccar

The financial circumstances of the person you deliver a service to is irrelevant. You have chosen to be self employed. You employ yourself, therefore you are responsible for your financial position. Do you expect sick pay and AL?

It is a difficult situation, both dh and I are self employed but it didn't occur to either of us that our clients would continue to pay us, as we are not currently delivering our services.

As a self employed person, you set the fee. You need to be charging enough to cover all eventualities if you are suddenly unable to work. You can also stop the arrangement without notice.

You declare your income, so you will receive 80% in June. You are no worse off than most other people in the country at the moment.

PP, this thread is above cleaners and as such, I am answering as one.

About.

Ignore my phone thinking it’s telling me whatI want to say!

@Classiccar

Yes, I know it's about cleaners, but you are still self employed. There aren't special, separate rules for you.

No I’m not but it’s very clear on this thread and the others regarding cleaners that those not being paid by their clients are in the minority, which I think speaks volumes regarding double standards of trust and respect with being keyholders to your home and its contents.

I think this has bought out either the best or worst in people.

That's not true though Truely or at least, it's not so simplistic.

Cleaners can only charge what the 'going rate' is for their work.

I have the skills to clean my house. I choose not to, because I think paying £20 once a week is worth it, to have someone else do a job I don't enjoy and she is FAR more efficient than me, and it makes me have a good tidy up every week.
I don't have the skills to mend my car or fix my boiler or install a bathroom or re-wire my house, or cut my own hair. So all of those self employed people can set a higher rate - if cleaners charged £40 an hour, then most of us wouldn't be able to afford that - or would choose not to pay that. If I've got water flooding into my home through some broken pipe, then I will have to get someone in who knows shat to do, whatever their hourly rate is.

Equally, the income of the employer is relevant. My cleaner being down £20 a week could make a really big difference to her food budget. I suspect someone paying a higher rate of tax could lose a £20 note and it wouldn't even register.

I'd be interested to know if those who think cleaners should continue to be paid think that their cleaner (or they if they are a cleaner) would continue to clean for them for free for a while if the "employer" lost their job and could no longer pay for a few months until they could find a new job.

@MrsFogi I don’t imagine for a minute that my cleaner would clean for me if I couldn’t afford to pay her.

But I can live without having my house cleaned. I’m not sure how easily she can live without money to buy essentials. Or pay her rent.

I think the unspoken truth is that many of us have a somewhat paternalistic relationship with our cleaners. Certainly the salary divide between me and my cleaner is significant and I suspect she has few people she could rely on for financial support.