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!

Just give her £20 ffs.

If you can afford a cleaner OP, then you can afford to give her £20.

Quibbling over a paltry £2 is unconscionable, IMO

Just pay her the £20. I can't believe you are quibbling over £1 an hour for her hard work in your house

Some quite a lot of you are fecking WEIRD!

If a business stipulates cash only, they need to carry a float. How many of you would walk into poundland, buy 4 things and be fine with them saying "thanks for the fiver, we don't keep any change so ta ra!" And be happy with it?

Tbh though I wouldn't do business with somebody who insisted on cash. Too likely to be dodging tax.

@gennycrabby

"If a business stipulates cash only, they need to carry a float."

NO THEY DON'T.

They have no responsibility to give change.

£9 an hour is very cheap!

If you aren't willing to top up to £10 then the onus is on you to have correct change.

If you leave £20 out she may assume that you are tipping her the extra £2, especially if there is no discussion.

Fwiw I do round up what I pay my cleaner to the nearest £10, both because it's easier, and also because I think it's the right thing to do. I pay a lot more than £9 an hour as well!

This thread is depressing.

Yanbu. If she wants cash she needs to carry change. Why can't she just give you her bank details?

Give her £20 or organise yourself so as you do have £18 in change. For £9.00 ph I’d be bloody grateful to have a replacement, not be nitpicking over what amounts to a handful of 20p’s

If bank transfer is an actual issue - when I started cleaning myself just having the personal account made it harder to keep track of the incoming and business expenses - could go for a prepaid card you can top up. I did that for a little while before changing from sole trader to llc and opening a business account.

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

She'd have to be working 26-27 hours a week, every week, to be earning enough to pay tax, so not necessarily avoiding tax. Especially if she's self-employed and able to offset expenses, mileage etc.

I mean, sure go ahead and caps lock shout it, but it doesn't actually change anything @VeniVidiWeeWee

"If you can afford a cleaner OP, then you can afford to give her £20."

Having a cleaner at £18 per week isn't a massive expense is it?! Other people will spend the same or more on eating/drinking out, smoking, gym memberships, hobbies, having their hair done, beauty treatments, buying new clothes etc etc.

If you got your hair done and the price listed was £18, would you expect to pay £18 or £20? You might be happy to give them a £20 note and say "don't worry about the change", but you would probably be a bit pissed off if they just didn't offer you any change at all.

The OP isn't automatically loaded just cos she chooses to spend some of her disposable income on a 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!

So your cleaner should pre-empt you not having right money just sometimes and bring change when you find it hard enough to find coins yourself? If you leave £20, I expect she thinks you’re paying £20. Very unreasonable sorry. You have a week to remember you need right money, either pay it or sacrifice £2 IMO

@gennycrabby

Well, it does actually. You know, being the law and all that.

@GennyCrabby

Some quite a lot of you are fecking WEIRD!

If a business stipulates cash only, they need to carry a float. How many of you would walk into poundland, buy 4 things and be fine with them saying "thanks for the fiver, we don't keep any change so ta ra!" And be happy with it?

Tbh though I wouldn't do business with somebody who insisted on cash. Too likely to be dodging tax.

Poundland analogy is bollox. You don’t know what you might buy in Poundland. You have an agreed rate for the cleaner, week in week out.

My old cleaner was never paid on time and had to chase people with bank transfer. If it’s cash on day you know - they know. They don’t go short. Doesn’t mean they are tax dodging. And even if they were, a measly few quid a year tax at near full time?! Jesus wake up. Go order off the proper tax dodgers like eBay, amazon and grab a coffee from
The ultimate Starbucks.

OP should leave £20 and expect no change or prepare the correct money.

@AlrightTreacle

"If you can afford a cleaner OP, then you can afford to give her £20."

Having a cleaner at £18 per week isn't a massive expense is it?! Other people will spend the same or more on eating/drinking out, smoking, gym memberships, hobbies, having their hair done, beauty treatments, buying new clothes etc etc.

If you got your hair done and the price listed was £18, would you expect to pay £18 or £20? You might be happy to give them a £20 note and say "don't worry about the change", but you would probably be a bit pissed off if they just didn't offer you any change at all.

The OP isn't automatically loaded just cos she chooses to spend some of her disposable income on a cleaner .

I doubt the OP is on the bones of her arse if she has a cleaner.

Quite! @anon5000

It's £2! If you can afford a cleaner you can afford to give an extra 2 quid a week.

Well not on the bones but she doesn't have to be minted! I have a cleaner and it costs me £32pm. Definitely not minted, earn less than 25k a year

@anon5000

Doesn't make a difference if the OP is on the bones of her arse or wiping her arse with £50 notes, it's her money and her choice whether she wants to pay over the agreed amount.

Cleaners aren't charity cases, they're doing a job for a set amount of money per hour.

No a cleaner does not need to provide change. It is your responsibility to have the exact amount.

Some of the comments about her being a “piss taker” and “tax dodger” are totally gross, sort yourselves out. You sound like daily mail readers.

Some seriously mean minded individuals on here begrudging a low paid cleaner an extra £2.

And no, it's not a fucking multi million business like Poundland or Tesco.

But go ahead, demand your £2 if it makes you feel better.

[quote AlrightTreacle]@anon5000

Doesn't make a difference if the OP is on the bones of her arse or wiping her arse with £50 notes, it's her money and her choice whether she wants to pay over the agreed amount.

Cleaners aren't charity cases, they're doing a job for a set amount of money per hour.[/quote]
Then she should leave correct money then. Imagine cleaner has stipulated cash as no one ever pays on time via bank transfer and she has bills to pay/ children to feed - and then she has to find pound coins for every single job to give change. Tip and round up or find correct money. Easy. Go to bank once, and get 3 months worth of correct money. Not hard!