To expect change from my cleaner?

[TextsOnReadBallsOnBlue]

Small backstory - our current cleaner is shielding so we have someone different filling in. They charge £9/hour and we have them 2 hours/week. We paid our previous cleaner via bank transfer but the new one has stipulated that she wants cash. £18 is tricky to cobble together when we're being encouraged to go cashless at the moment.

The first few weeks we had exact money, but since then have been giving £20. First time she bought change with her but not after that. I know I need to woman up and discuss it, but wanted to check first whether IABU!

Why is it her problem that you don't have change? You should sort it not her.

I would be so embarrassed to ask for £2 change, jesus

Well fuck me - if a shop short changed me, I would me embarrassed for them. Of corse she should be pocketing and extra 10%+

Deduct it from next weeks and have the right change going forward

YANBU! She is very cheeky, especially as it sounds as though she is not going to declare the money she earns from you. I have dogwalkers and sometimes I don't have the exact money - they ALWAYS leave me the change or we take it off the next week's money. They would not dream of pocketing the extra (in fact, they would be mortified if I suggested it). I would definitely keep a tally of how much change you are owed and deduct it from the next payment you make to her. I also fail to see why, if someone has agreed to work for you for a certain wage, anyone should think you are being stingy in not letting them keep the change. It is a business arrangement, not a charity act.

"She is a piss taker and you need to nip this on the bud."

Yeah she's a real piss taker charging a miserable £9 an hour. She be ROLLING in all those 2 pounds.

This is one of the stingiest things I've ever read on here. Assuming you're not paying sick pay, holiday or any of the other benefits employees get, you're not even paying her the NMW.
Isn't NMW £8.72 per hour for over 25 year-olds?

@katscamel

Maybe I'm just mean but I'd just deduct the amount owing from previous session... so instead of £18 leave £16. Of course I'd also add a note to confirm this.

That's exactly what I would do - not sure why everyone is piling on the OP

I would just give her a £20 note, or two tenners, she might do a bit extra for you then, like hang the washing out for you, or some other small job.! kindness all around as such.

OP please don't listen to those that say her rate is low and to round it up to £10 per hour. The rate us already agreed and having a cleaner doesn't mean you are loaded.

Do what has been suggested, deduct the money she owes from next pay and then set it up via online banking.

And consider her character carefully as she sounds like a piss taker and tax avoider.

[quote Ohtherewearethen]@MsVestibule - she's paying £9 per hour cash in hand. That is above minimum wage[/quote]
But it's not that straightforward.

If you're employed and earn minimum wage, your employer is also paying for the following:

Six weeks annual leave.
Sick pay and sick leave.
Things like bereavement or compassionate leave.
National Insurance.
Pension Contributions.
Uniforms (where necessary).
Equipment.

Of course, it's up to the cleaner to be charging the correct rate to the start with, but OP isn't all wonderful because she pays out slightly more than the minimum wage per hour. Once all the above costs are deducted, the cleaner probably brings home much less.

And there's nothing wrong with being paid in cash. I get paid cash and I pay tax and declare all my earnings. Preferring cash doesn't make you some dodgy tax-evader.

OP has said it's through an agency - so why is everyone assuming it's cash in hand - I receive cash as a self employed person and I pay my NI and tax like everyone else

@TextsOnReadBallsOnBlue the only part where you're unreasonable is that you have let this go on instead of sorting it out the first week - I think I would probably have left a note to say "sorry no change, please carry over to next week" but hindsight is a wonderful thing

Why should she have a spare £2? She'd then have to be the one to break into a not to give you change!

There are times I've overpaid my DCs tutor and then paid less the following week (although I do tend to think if someone's asking for cash it's just easier to charge £10 or £30ph rather than £9 or £28)

It's for you to sort out paying her and I certainly wouldn't be asking for change. She's not a shop.

I would cheerfully give her the £20 to be honest. £9 an hour is a very low rate. I pay my cleaner £15 an hour.

@TextsOnReadBallsOnBlue
I know what the NMW is. However, on top of that, even a lot of people on zero hours contracts get holiday pay of 12% (not sure if this is the law or not) which brings their hourly rate up to close to £10ph.

When I wrote my post, the OP didn't say she was going through an agency - as the agency will employ the cleaner, they'll be the one paying her her sick pay, holiday etc, so the OP isn't quite as tight as I'd assumed.

OP, I realise we sometimes need input from other people to find an obvious solution, but I would have thought that you leaving the correct change didn't really warrant an internet discussion.

@AhNowTed

"She is a piss taker and you need to nip this on the bud."

Yeah she's a real piss taker charging a miserable £9 an hour. She be ROLLING in all those 2 pounds.

That's my view and I stand by it.

Try going to Tesco and giving them 2 pounds less. See how that would go down.

The cleaner has accepted the rate and the OP is still paying above nmw.

If anything the cleaner's stance says she is a chancer. If the OP wanted to tip her she would have. She isn't happy with this though.

Sorry, I tagged the wrong person in my reply! Anyway, glad it's sorted.

Where did you find an agency cleaner at £9 an hour! asking for a friend

OP has explained that the money to the cleaner is on top of the monthly fee to the agency - so there may well be a separate cleaner-agency payment.

I'd deduct the outstanding amount from a payment, leaving a note, as above - and then pay the exact amount (via change from the bank) on future occasions.

[quote Ohtherewearethen]@MsVestibule - she's paying £9 per hour cash in hand. That is above minimum wage[/quote]

Being paid in cash is not the same as cash in hand. I am paid in cash, I'm self employed and everything goes through the books and I pay my talkie anyone else. Cash in hand is a dodgy side move where you don't declare it. Don't assume anyone to be dodgy simply because they are paid in cash.

She's very very cheap. Give her the £20 ffs

Mine just assumes it's a tip, which it usually is

I don’t see why you should pay her more than the agreed price. Not everyone who has a cleaner is rolling in it and if £10 was the going rate per hour, she would be charging that already. Pay the agreed price.

I think it’s cheeky that she’s asking for cash at the moment instead of a bank transfer, everyone knows we should avoid handling cash. And of course it’s a massive faff making sure you have exactly £18 in change available each time she comes-having a cleaner is meant to make life easier, not add yet another thing to the to do list! I would tell her your strong preference is to pay by bank transfer but if she insists on cash then you will need her to make sure she brings £2 change each time because it’s too much hassle sorting £18 exactly in cash. If she’s not ok with that then I’d find another cleaner who is happy to be paid by a convenient and safer method. I can see no reason to ask for cash rather than bank transfer unless you’re trying to keep your earnings off the record and I have little sympathy for anyone doing that sort of thing. Or perhaps it’s intentional, knowing some people won’t have the right change so she knows she’s likely to get overpaid. Either way I think you’ve had a hard time on her Op and I would be really irritated by this too.

If she insists on cash, she should carry change. Sounds to me like she knows people won't bother getting change and she gets to pocket the £2 but still maintain her cheap (and therefore attractive) rate.

@Immigrantsong

This isn't Tesco though is it.

It's someone coming to your home providing a trusted personal service for which, in my opinion, she is underpaid.

But go ahead, stick the boot in and demand your £2.

Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you @GeorginaTheGiant

I have wondered whether she has asked for cash for this specific reason. The lady before was fantastic but as she requested bank transfer she got the exact money each week. Doesn't seem fair.