Why do all contractors want to be paid in cash?

[Jaggerdagger]

Yet another contractor today has asked for cash to pay for a service. They are seemingly a legitimate business with a website and plenty of good reviews on Google. I never have cash on me so frankly it's a pain to have to walk 30 minutes to the nearest cash point, when I could do a bank transfer in seconds. If it's more than a couple of hundred pounds, I have to drive miles to go into branch to take the money out. They never advertise that they are cash only when I book their services, so I get caught out unprepared. I'm self employed myself, and have absolutely no problem with people paying me in cash, but equally have nothing to hide with my accounts, so happily accept bank transfers! It's nice to remain flexible with my clients! Just curious, really.

There are various PPs referring to people who are honest and take cash for their work - that's fine, but those people won't be offering people a discount for cash will they? They'll charge the same price regardless.

The main red flag for tax evasion is when a contractor offers a discount for paying in cash.

Maybe I’m being naiive but I’d bet that many of those types of people who are very good at practical things are not so good at paperwork or understanding more difficult financial concepts. I’m just thinking about people I knew at school who were not at all academic and really struggled with even the very basics but were brilliant at practical stuff.

Exactly.

Are you sure about that? For full time work? Our window cleaner charges a minimum of £7 just for our front windows. (Average semi). They take less than 10 mins to wash. He does quite a few houses in the street and works in quite a few areas. Even if he only does 30 houses a day and just the front windows that’s £210 for a day’s work and it’s certainly not an 8 hour day. 5 days a week and that’s £1050 for the week. That’s nearly what I earn in a MONTH as school admin and I end up doing hours of overtime a week for nothing (and often come in during holidays to catch up) and have loads of stress and don’t take breaks etc. our window cleaner’s materials are minimal, just a hose and long brush and the van they use to keep the water on. They need petrol to get to work of course but so do eg carers and they don’t earn anything like that.

Don’t get me wrong, it must be physically hard on shoulders etc. and a hard job in poor and cold weather so it wouldn’t be for me. But they tell me that in summer it’s quite enjoyable and stress free. But no work politics, no senior managers causing grief, no-one to take responsibility for but yourself. There are pluses and I can see how it can work financially if you put the work in. I fail to see how someone could only make £15k. Sounds more like they’re wanting to keep it to that level for benefits reasons.

My neighbour is in his early 70s.

This is how I feel.

Slight drip feed there 😂

What is wrong with the quoting facility today?

that was to @Discovereads

Not really.

Every trades person - I've had female plumbers and a pest controller - has different personal circumstances.

Some are young and childless while others are above state pension age with everything in between. They all have their reasons for having methods of payments they accept.

Incidentally I've not paid cash for any job over £1000.

The one company I used that was ran by a crook actually took bank transfers but didn't pay the company's VAT and screwed over his workers. His workers plumbers, plasterer and a electrician did good work. (He stupidly tried to expand his company while screwing the tax man.)

It’s dodging VAT

it literally saves them tens of thousands of pounds

it means they can charge you less, and still make more money. they are undercutting the legitimate businesses

taxes fund our NHS and schools