To want to pay cleaner by bank transfer not cash.

[Starryskiesinthesky]

Cleaner wants paid in cash but I never have cash so would prefer to pay by bank transfer. Fact she wants cash makes me think she’s not declaring it. What do others do and do you care if they are not declaring it? £15 per hour if it makes a difference. Thanks.

Bloody hell, that is one of the most self righteous middle class posts I've read op

@KikoLemons

sst1234 not everyone has your moral code. Just because you can't see why people would pay tax if they can avoid it doesn't mean everyone else thinks the same.

Defensive, much? Wonder why.

@Fomofo

Bloody hell, that is one of the most self righteous middle class posts I've read op

How so? Because she's committed the unforgivable Mumsnet sin of having a cleaner? Or suggesting it's a bit of a faff having to remember to get exact change every week?

@Fomofo actually, I take that back sorry. The assumption the cleaner wasn't paying tax was pretty awful in the OP.

We pay ours cash. I'd prefer to do it by bank transfer too but she's lovely and it's not a big deal. I go once a month and get the money out for each week.

I pay mine cash too. And the window cleaner. And the people at the hand car wash. And the mobile hairdresser.

Our cleaner has been with us about 7 years and she is fabulous. I have an hour in the house when she's cleaning before I have to leave for a regular commitment, so we always have a wee chat. She wants cash not because she's a scummy tax avoider, but because she goes shopping on her way home from my house for herself and her elderly father, and she'd rather have notes and coins than risk a payment not going through or something. That is her choice and as her client, I respect that. I have offered to pay transfer and she's said she'd prefer to stick to the cash. I value her, so am pleased to accommodate her wishes.

People do talk an awful lot of bollocks about tax and self-employment.

Try being a cleaner op

I think the important thing is that cleaner is paid

Other PPs are correct in that cash in hand is often used to avoid declaring a certain amount of income. and it is reasonable to say I'll pay be bank transfer as long as you pay regularly and on time

I'd be worried about a cleaner who says she can only take cash even after you've explained it's not easy for you.

I too wouldn't be able to pay cash as rarely can get to cash machine. And it'd be easier to see I've paid and when by cash transfer records. Although keeping a wodge of cash day say £60 for 4 weeks is an option if you have somewhere safe to store it

@happinesscherries

1) you can get cashback in most supermarkets, so don't bullshit 2) she doesn't even need to declare it if it's under £1k.

You're not her accountant. Stop being judgey.

1. most supermarkets don't offer cash back anymore since Covid started
2. 52x£15 is in excess of £1000 and also presumably she has other clients - so this point is irrelevant

Not sure PPs being correct when they state cash on hand can be used to avoid paying tax = other PPs being judgy. It's simply a statement of fact.

Whoops... my maths 😀 meant 52x£15 per hour so if she does 2 hours a week =2x that and presumably she has other clients = likely in excess of £1000

For a good (or, tbh, even a satisfactory!) cleaner, I'd make the effort.

I like the idea of getting cash once a month. Maybe you can have a separate tin for the cleaning money, if you already use the tin system!

and it is reasonable to say I'll pay be bank transfer as long as you pay regularly and on time

It's also reasonable in that scenario for the cleaner to say cash or nothing and refuse to work for you.

She sets her own terms and conditions. A condition of using her service is that you pay cash. You're not prepared to stick to those conditions, she chooses to work for someone else.

Why is this concept so hard for some people to get their heads around?

@malificent7

Why begrudge a cleaner not declaring it when so many rich MPs also dont declare expenses etc?

I don't like anyone avoiding paying taxes. Think if you avoid paying taxes and are caught, you take a year out of getting any benefit that you get from paying taxes, like NHS, police, fire service, bin collection etc. If you need help, you get it, but you pay for it. Taxes fund everything we use, not paying into it and yet still being happy to use said services paid for by others is highly selfish and hypocritical. If you don't like paying towards them, then don't use them. Funny though, they won't do that. Happy to take but not give.

Don't care if that's the local shop keeper, a cleaner, an mp or a big corporation. You should be paying your taxes and it is everyone's concern when people don't pay it.

But yet again, you have no idea why she wants cash. And since when has a bank transfer been a cast-iron guarantee of paying taxes?

I've been self-employed for about 15 years. I complete an annual tax return and declare my earnings - all of which come digitally through Paypal or direct transfer into my personal bank account. HMRC have never questioned my return. Never asked to see a bank statement. I could be declaring half my earnings and they wouldn't know.

I would try to avoid paying in cash too! And whether she pays her taxes is actually a matter for me because I work for HMRC! I have a duty to report any suspected tax avoidance or evasion

I don't mind paying cash at all, but I pay a month in advance by bank transfer and my cleaner is fine with this.

How she handles her own finances is non of my business. I also think that accusing people of tax fraud based on no evidence is shitty.

Bejaysus767 - but requiring payment in cash is not grounds for reasonable suspicion and you should know that.

Wait, what? you actually think this is a sackable offence? Christ on a bike. So you would sack someone for asking to be paid in cash.

I'd jave to leave if I insisted on being paid cash. Lots of people have been in exactly that position over the years as payroll transferred from little paypackets to direct to bank accounts.

Ultimately, this isn't an employee, it's a contractor. If OP wants to use one who she can pay direct she's entitled to do so, just as cleaner will have to accept she may lose business if she doesn't accept direct payment.

@RecentYears

Wait, what? you actually think this is a sackable offence? Christ on a bike. So you would sack someone for asking to be paid in cash.

I'd jave to leave if I insisted on being paid cash. Lots of people have been in exactly that position over the years as payroll transferred from little paypackets to direct to bank accounts.

Ultimately, this isn't an employee, it's a contractor. If OP wants to use one who she can pay direct she's entitled to do so, just as cleaner will have to accept she may lose business if she doesn't accept direct payment.

That's not because of the tax issue but because it's easier and less risky for the employer/OP

@Bejaysus767

I would try to avoid paying in cash too! And whether she pays her taxes is actually a matter for me because I work for HMRC! I have a duty to report any suspected tax avoidance or evasion

But again why is your assumption that someone lower end is fiddling tax rather than dealing with the very commonplace problem of employers not paying on time?

When my cleaner started she took (preferred) cheques from all her clients and was happy to be a bit flexible about specific days/hours if needed.

She now requires cash for the first six months of any new client and contracts a number of hours and notice periods if the service is not required in any one week. This is nothing to do with tax and everything to do with lousy payers and people messing her about which costs her money. Other cleaners she knows now do the same as the problem has become so much worse over the last ten years.

Its interesting that its never the older or less well off clients who do this, its always middle class clients who are just so terribly busy that little things like paying the staff slip their self centred minds.

The reason why your private consultant doesn’t accept cash is because presumably he’s charging hundreds of pounds

My cleaner? £14 an hour for 2 hours a week

So your analogy is daft to say the least

@C8H10N4O2

* Its interesting that its never the older or less well off clients who do this, its always middle class clients who are just so terribly busy that little things like paying the staff slip their self centred minds.*

Surely the definition of middle class is having a cleaner!

@Bejaysus767

I would try to avoid paying in cash too! And whether she pays her taxes is actually a matter for me because I work for HMRC! I have a duty to report any suspected tax avoidance or evasion

When did tax avoidance become illegal?

I'd prefer to pay via bank as I don't visit cash points.

BUTTTT I also think she should be able to not declare a clean here and there.

Well if she isn't declaring it , is she insured ?
Is she DBS checked?

If I had proof of that wouldn't mind paying cash