Dog walker wants cash in hand

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Started using a new dog walker in January, as old one moved away. Today he messaged and asked if I can start paying cash. Ive been paying by bank transfer and always on time. AIBU to think no, you can be paid through the correct channels like everyone else. For the record he charges towards the higher rate for the area, so it's not like I'm getting a bargain.

Or tell him you will in exchange for a receipt, if it's child maintenance related.

You don't pay for bank transfers to a business account

This. After years of accepting payment by bank transfer my DS’s music teacher asked for cash at the start of this academic year precisely for this reason.

Well it can be, yes. In theory. The simple truth is that is mostly isn't. At least not in 'cash only' establishments. We all know that. It's disengenuous to pretend otherwise. There is generally only one reason that anyone insists on, or prefers cash only payments in their business and it almost always involves something illegal. Either tax evasion, money laundering or benefit fraud. Bank transfers cost nothing on either side. Card transfers do cost usually around 1 or 1.5% to the seller. Cash is free to accept and to spend but not free to handle and manage, not in terms of the time it costs a business that takes a lot of it. And if you are regularly paying large amounts of cash into a personal account rather than a business account, you will be asked questions. Even as a business we regularly get phone calls from our bank where we have to justify why we take so much cash.

We take cash in our business because our customers like to use it, but it only accounts for around 20% of our takings. I am a strong believer that cash should always exist, but I also understand all the challenges it presents to banks, the police and HMRC in terms of it being used to prop up illegal activity.

It's actually a pain in the neck for us to manage the cash and what it takes us in time and faff to count it and bank it and constantly keep the till full of change isn't really worth the saving we make on card charges. It also leaves margins for error on our tills as well as the risk of passing counterfeit notes, or theft, either from the till or when we are taking the cash to the bank.

Any business will know that only accepting one method of payment, be that cash or card, is going to lose you a certain amount of custom when people realise they can't pay or don't want to pay via your preferred method. That's something that, as a business, you have to take a wider view on. Weigh up what it might cost you in lost sales versus the benefits. I've just outlined the benefits of being card only. What are the completely legal and above board benefits of cash only? Someone do enlighten me, because as a legitimate business owner I can't see any.

Given that virtually everybody these days does have a bank account, a phone and a bank card, it's very rare to find someone who simply cannot pay you by card or by instant bank transfer. Whereas with cash, it's extremely common for people to have no cash and no easy or immediate access to any. We have people pay for stuff on their phone or apple watch, they don't even bother carrying a card around anymore. They don't even have the option to quickly find an ATM.

Being asked for cash when you were not expecting it is a massive inconvenience for most people and many will shrug apologetically and walk away rather than buy something. Why do you think even Big Issue sellers are ready and waiting with their mobile card machines these days? They know it's the difference between a sale and no sale.

Businesses with a cash only polic know this. If they choose to do it anyway it means there is an ulterior motive that probably isn't entirely above board. I challenge anyone to persuade me otherwise.

Receiving cash does not mean that the money is not declared in a tax return.

If this is a regular small amount it is not an unreasonable ask.

I am a freelancer and dealing with people who delay paying their invoices, or try to avoid payment, is a nightmare. This is getting more of an issue with the cost of living crisis.

I would not blame a dog walker who might have had issues with some clients being slow in paying after the service has been delivered deciding to ask all their clients to pay in cash up front at the end of the walk.

I would not pay cash for larger amounts/tradespeople for example but would be happy to pay a cleaner, gardener, cat sitter or dog walker in cash.

Well it’s up to you. He’s providing a service and asking to pay in a certain way. If you don’t want to, then don’t use his services. Simple really.

I repeat my point. For music teachers etc there is a big problem of parents forgetting to pay by transfer.

Our driving tutor does take payment by bank transfer but it has to be sent 24 hours before the session and if it isn’t he doesn’t turn up. Perhaps other tutors who are less in demand don’t feel they can demand that.

@HeadDeskHeadDesk

Well said. I dont think paying in cash is "normal" at all, purely for reasons of convenience. In our high street, we used to have three different banks. They have now all gone, they went a few years ago.

We have a few ATMs but two of them are always out of order and the third one charges a fee for people to withdraw cash. So, not only have you got the inconvenience of driving around searching for a working ATM, you are then charged for the privilege of drawing out your own money! I am not paying extra just to pay a business in cash.

I dont know anyone who carries around fistfuls of cash because of security risks. Most people use their phones to make payments now. Cash is rare.

With businesses that provide weekly services requiring immediate payment you you simply text after 48 hours reminding them of your terms of business and explain that the next scheduled violin lesson/dog walk/house clean is on hold until the account is paid up in full. It can't be that hard.

As stated in opening post I always pay on time. Paying by cash would be inconvenient and I'd be much more likely to be a late payer.
why would you be a late payer? are you incapable of withdrawing cash?

Shops don't insist that you pay cash though.

Having to pay for something like this in cash would be massively inconvenient for me as I rarely carry much cash around with me.

Loyd of people are. I drop my child off, I go to work, I pick my child up on the way home. It’s a faff to find an ATM. I’m not going out info my way to facilitate my dog walkers tax evasion.

@Hamalam
Key points regarding Amazon's tax practices:

• Tax Avoidance Criticism: Ethical Consumer reports that Amazon's tax avoidance in the UK could have cost over £575 million in lost taxes in 2024

They are well known to avoid paying full tax as are many of the brands you no doubt use.

https://taxjustice.uk/blog/a-third-of-global-tax-dodging-is-enabled-by-the-uk-and-british-overseas-territories/

@Hamalam cash points in every supermarket and petrol station, hardly a faff, you just can’t be bothered.

You are very naive. As a freelancer I can tell you that people will regularly pay their invoices late or try to not pay them at all...

It absolutely is not. 60% of the total tax gap is small business, 12% is large business. That’s £28bn from small business alone and a further £2bn from individuals who don’t meet the “wealthy” threshold. Another £4bn if we include mid size businesses.

Only £5bn of the tax gap is from large business, and another £2bn from wealthy individuals. Those are not the people avoiding tax to the great detriment of the economy - it’s small cash in hand businesses by quite some margin.

That’s avoidance not evasion. It’s totally legal. I suggest you look at slight more reputable sources than tax justice uk!

Only the big ones. The metros near my home and my work don't offer cashback

This. In spades! It isn’t Amazon that’s your enemy, it’s the builders paid in cash, the takeaways paid in cash, the barber paid in cash.

Why is cash not a “correct channel”? However, I agree, she’s probably tax dodging and if it concerns you, just say no.

@hamalamsaid that Amazon don’t evade tax, which you’ve just shown.

I’d bet that Amazon pay millions to make sure their operations are tax compliant and that they pay all taxes due.

I do think there should be a law that lets small businesses and freelancers double their invoice if it is paid late.

We have people who pull out wads of cash to pay for transactions that might be £200 or £300 quid sometimes. It amazes me! I do occasionally suspect that some of our cash paying customers are either obtaining that cash via something dodgy or that they are being paid cash in hand to either avoid paying tax, or continue claiming benefits. But I can't police all my customers. It's not my job to give them the Spanish Inquisition and I am not going to do HMRC's or the DWP's job for them by turning down legal tender that people want to spend with me. I'm only responsible for how I account for that cash once it's mine.

Like many others on this thread, she may live in a town with no banks. I live in one. There are just two ATMs in my town centre outside supermarkets (population is 50,000). No banks and a post office in TJ jones where you can queue for 20 mins to pay in cash. I NEVER have any cash in my wallet/purse unless some has been sent by the PiLs to the kids and the kids have then rolled their eyes and asked me to take it and transfer the money to their accounts. Other than Camden Market on a recent day out I’ve not ‘needed’ cash since before covid.

I strongly believe people should be able to use cash, but cash payments should be trackable/evidenced by receipts and businesses need to understand that many of us really do not have easy access to cash anymore.

@CautiousLurker2
My town has 16,000 population and we have 6 cash machines, I just can’t abide ppl moaning at a wee one person business asking for cash but justify tax avoidance by huge companies.
So petty.