If you’d booked a babysitter

[FanofLeaves]

And they’d completed a 7 hour shift for you, entertaining and then putting your small children to bed, and then staying up until you get in at 1am, how soon would you be paying them?

I’m a nanny but I do a bit of babysitting work on the odd weekend for extra cash. Desperately in need of the extra cash at the moment and my bank account is looking pretty bare so am currently getting pissed off looking at my bank account and willing a payment of over £100 (including the uber home I had to get due to public transport having stopped, I don’t drive) to appear.

I sent a text with the amount owed and my bank details, attaching the taxi receipt, at 9:30am yesterday morning.

I think I’m going to either have to ask for some payment to be made in advance, or charging a late fee but this sounds a bit arsey snd I’m worried it might put people off. Then again, if you are say in a restaurant or have had your haircut you pay promptly after receiving that service, you don’t pay it at some point over the next few days!

i’ll send a nudge later this morning but it annoys me that I have to do it.

So I guess my question is, say you’d booked a babysitter, how promptly do you pay them? And would you expect to be charged a late fee for taking 24+ to pay? I get it, we have busy lives, I’m a mum myself, but it just feels like a piss take. I think I’ve had one babysitting gig this year where the money has hit my account before I’m even home, all the others take up to 3 days to make payment.

I would expect cash on the night or bank transfer in front of me before I leave .
I would not return if I had to wait days for payment .

I agree with you that this is REALLY annoying, but I think charging a late payment fee will come across as arsey. Sorry.

I pay immediately in cash or via bank transfer as they're leaving. Never occurred to me to wait at all - back in the day babysitting was always cash so in my mind you just pay at the end of the night.

I have to pay my babysitter there and then, before she leaves, otherwise I forget and she has to chase me.

I’m not a terrible inconsiderate person, it just doesn’t work unless it’s done while she’s watching me! Something about the late night/rush to get back maybe?

I’d pay then and there. I think it’s reasonable for you to ask for payment when they return. Send bank details pre the evening and ask that they set this up

Babysitting I would expect cash on the night/immediate payment by bank transfer unless it was an employer I worked regularly for and there was an agreement to add it onto wages

Cash or revolut before you leave the house.

No one seems to offer cash these days, and I found when I did get paid in cash it was often short as say they’d agreed to be back at 12, they’d get back at 12:30 but only had the cash for the hours they’d planned to be out. Then I’d still have to chase them if I got an uber (which I always state I will expect if I finish after 11)

You're right I should just ask to be paid there and then, it just feels so awkward, I hate hanging around at the end of the night when I just want to go (I find it excruciating hanging back for the Uber while one of them makes polite chit chat and is obviously a bit worse for wear 🤣) but that’s when I should be getting paid. I think I’m just always a bit embarrassed to say, that’s going to be £110 please, including the taxi.

Not sure why though, it’s not like they’re not able to add up what they need to pay in their own heads.

For anything I'm invoiced I usually pay within 24hrs but three days is reasonable.

If you want to be paid at the end of your babysitting then by all means produce a card payment machine like hairdressers or restaurants do.

I don't do banking via a phone app so I need to log onto a PC for a bank transfer. And if you're a new payee then I'll need two-factor authentication.

Definitely within 24 hours; maybe next time put “please pay on receipt of message” etc

Just me but I find you asking for them to pay for your taxi incredibly cheeky.

Have you got Revolut bank? I can send a payment request from Revolut. This creates a link and the person can then input their bank details immediately. And I'd do it there and then that evening

I would be paying you on my way home from a night out.

I would expect payment as soon as they got back from their night out - it takes seconds to send it via online banking.

I think you need to charge expected costs upfront (so if booked 9-1 they pay you those hours) with extras (overtime and taxis etc) to be paid within 48 hours of invoice.

We just pay cash at the end of the night - bank transfer has never occurred to me. If our babysitter needed a taxi home, I’d probably just ask how much it was going to be and also give her the cash for that. But then I live in a town where cash is still used a lot - it might be different if you live in a place where everything is automatically card/bank transfer has never.

Yep, that's just you. It's completely standard to pay for a babysitters taxi home.

Can I ask why?

At 3 in the afternoon maybe but if they have been out after public transport ends I see no problem.

you want to be paid at the end of your babysitting then by all means produce a card payment machine like hairdressers or restaurants do

I actually think this is a brilliant idea (but I think the suggestion was actually meant to be sarcastic 😆)
You don't even need a card machine, there are apps for phones which do the same job. Our window cleaner has it so if people don't want to do a bank transfer the can use contactless/Apple pay/google pay

Monzo also do the links like Revolut, I paid for a birthday cake that way, it's easier than logging into a banking app and setting up a new payee

I think taking 3 days to pay for something is really cheeky personAlly.

I'm also a nanny who babysits and also find a few days is the standard time for payment. I just factor that in and don't let it bother me tbh. As far as I know that's what's all the nannies in this area do. I think you'll shoot yourself in the foot with a late payment fee.

I hadn’t heard of this so I’ll check it out, thanks!

We always give cash on the night or a revolut on the night. Sometimes we re so tired (drunk 🤣) that we do it the next morning. I have never paid later than 24hrs after the babysitting.

we order the uber on our account always - unless she specifically says no - so that she doesnt have to use any of her money.

I think the card payment is a great idea. I have a self employed beauty therapist friend who uses an app on her phone, she doesn't even need a separate device. The customer taps their card on the screen of her phone.

I usually do that night or the next day but it has occasionally slipped my mind and I've done it 48 hours later. I think within 48 hours is reasonable. I usually order a taxi from my own app so that's paid for upfront. Most jobs don't pay immediately and it's not their problem you don't have cash flow.