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.

My cleaner likes bank transfers. If we haven't paid within an hour of her finishing the job she texts to remind us. I doubt she'd come back if we hadn't paid by the time of her next visit. DH was a bit out out at first. He is used to corporate finance where you have months to settle up but he has got used to it. The guy that cuts the grass is the same.

Why can’t people transfer the cash while he’s cleaning? It takes the same amount of time to transfer money with banking apps as it does waiting for someone to dig out cash

People are usually working, or out, when he’s cleaning. He says it’s a pain in the arse chasing people.

He has a set rule - money in a pre-planned place when he arrives and then he cleans. If it’s not there he’ll call (or ask if you’re home). If it’s not there three times in a short period he drops the client.

Good cleaners are a rarity round here so he can afford to set things up for him.
He’s been doing it 10 years since joining his Mum and is full so it must work well.

It would be a deal breaker for me, I never have cash. Like others, I wfh, use home delivery for my shopping. I use these services and a cleaner to safe time for me and to make the most of any free time, making special trips to the cash point or banks defeats to object of using a service for convenience. Even our school no longer take cash.

Because some people are selfish wankers @TractorAndHeadphones, they only think about themselves

Whilst I take on board that tax avoidance is a problem for society as a whole and therefor everybody's business I can't get too worked up about people doing low paid cash in hand work and not declaring it while companies like Amazon can make hundreds of millions of pounds and legally avoid paying tax.

I live a relatively normal life, but I have to actually make an effort to get to a cashpoint.

I go to the supermarket, but it's Aldi, no cashpoint. No cashpoint at the mini-market where I wait during DS's piano lesson, or the industrial unit where he does sport. No cash point on the way to or from school - even if I take the main road route. The petrol station I use doesn't have a cashpoint (and if it did, it'd be one of those ones that charges you extra I expect)

So if I need cash it takes a special trip - now it's probably only 20-30 mins (assuming I want to go somewhere with parking close), but it's 30 mins I have to remember to fit into my normal schedule, so it is a pain. I have heard that some places do cashback, but I keep forgetting to ask at Aldi - it's not advertised that they do.

So yes, for some people, cash really is a pain. I keep a stash of fivers (actually from DS's birthday, I transferred the money into his savings account and kept the cash) so that I can put fivers into his classmates birthday cards for instance.

I have decided having a cleaner is more hassle than it’s worth so I am going to go back to doing my own!

👍 I don’t think your cleaner will be too disappointed. 😂

There’s a cash machine at the bottom of my road, so this isn’t for me. I also use a cleaning company (a good one that employs its staff, not one of those “take a cut forever for nothing” ones)

On most threads on MN you hear nothing but “we’re rural” or “very rural”

I’m astounded to see all the city dwellers out on this thread!

It's drive me crazy having to pay my cleaner in cash, but I do it because that what she prefers and I want to use her.

ps I have no useful input here

Lol at op now deciding to clean her own house because having a cleaner is too much hassle!
And if it's a pain for others on here to go to a cash point then it's probably a pain for the cleaner also! Or is middle class pain so much more, you know, painful?

And I have a number of cash machines nearby, but I still find it a faff. Factoring the exact change etc. I can obviously handle it and do though.

You don't know her family circumstances. It may be that her partner controls the bank account and cash is her way of having money in her pocket without her having to ask the partner for it. All sorts of scenarios. Which is why in the olden days child benefit was paid to the mother - the thinking was that the mother would use it to feed children, whereas some dads might spend it in the pub.

@Starryskiesinthesky

I have decided having a cleaner is more hassle than it’s worth so I am going to go back to doing my own!

You didn’t have a decent cleaner then

Becuae my cleaner is worth the “effort” of taking out cash

Kotatsu

Yes, Aldi do cash back. Easily solved. 😉

I don't know why people are so weirdly defensive about it! There are many factors different people consider and weigh differently to each other. For me, cash would be too much of an inconvenience to do on a regular basis. I'm not being 'hard work', I just don't want to do it so I wouldn't employ someone where that's the only option. No drama about it - they just wouldn't be right for me. Just like someone might decide not to employ someone else because they can't do set days or because they can only offer two hours a week and I need three.

I am SE and accept various methods of payment because I want clients to be able to pay me easily and not think it's a hassle. I totally understand why someone might want cash only, but no one is duty bound to employ anyone if they think it will be inconvenient for them. If I only offered payment by cash then I would accept some people prefer not to pay that way so won't use my services.

thing is i have a business i do and prefer cash although accept all but cash for me is easier to file because i put the cash with receipts for my records and then cash it into the bank all in the same day once per month and then i know that amount is what ive earnt and so for taxes it actually makes it easiier for me as i can then just look back at the same day every month and see the deposit to know what ive earnt and then i just keep a note of any bank transfers

I think it's better to pay by BT because then you have proof you paid her. And it's much easier

@Starryskiesinthesky

I have decided having a cleaner is more hassle than it’s worth so I am going to go back to doing my own!

I'm the same. Very rarely have cash. Going to the cashpoint is a special journey that I can't be arsed with.

There's plenty of people who will accept card or bank transfer.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Her declaring it or not is none of your business- if it’s a faff don’t use her- for a good cleaner I’d prob just make sure I have the cash.

^ not true

Some while ago a family member was caught out paying someone in cash and the tax people said that what he'd paid them was net pay. He ended up being sent a demand to pay the tax and NI which would have been deducted to get to that net pay figure.

The person they were "employing" did not have to pay anything extra !

On that basis, I'd do some sums and let the cleaner know that the cash amount will be lower but you'll pay £15 if it's by bank transfer. You'd still possibly be at risk though.

I also laugh when people make the joke that i must be tax evading... i dont earn enough after expenses to even pay tax.

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

How about a cheque (remember them?) That way you don't have to go to the bank (but they do) and they've got a piece of paper to waft about and can pretend it's a £20 note.

Hell no. Cheques are a nightmare. I pay a lot of bills and expenses for my elderly mum who refuses to consider online banking. She then reimburses me by cheque and they are an absolute PITA necessitating either a bus ride to the nearest town that still has a bank open (but only on certain days of the week) or driving to said town and incurring ridiculous parking fees.

I only have one bank account that still offers a cheque book and the last 9 cheques I have written are all to the same person. £25 twice a year as Christmas and Birthday gifts for my nephew. Cheques are so last century!

I always paid cash. Good cleaners are hard to find.
Whether she declares it or not is none of your concern.

I prefer cash. I use it for DC pocket money

Quite a few banks allow you to pay in cheques digitally now by just taking a photo. I get the occasional elderly client who prefers to pay via cheque, and my Halifax account lets me just take a photo of the front and back.