To not want to pay cleaner in cash?

[brokenteddychair]

We have had a cleaner for about the last six months. She generally does a solid job and is reliable. I like her very much, she works hard and is trustworthy. She is currently the sole earner in her household as her husband doesn’t work (manual job). This is allegedly due to an injury but he is currently in his home country helping a family member with a renovation project so I’m a bit skeptical.

She has asked if we can start paying in cash “because the costs are burdening me and I need to ask clients to start paying in cash.”. This indicates to me that she is planning to under declare her income and therefore either not pay tax, claim benefits she isn’t actually entitled to, or both.

This is really conflicting me. I feel strongly that everyone should be paying their fair share of tax. I also don’t want the inconvenience of having to remember to get cash out every week. I have enough to do, that’s why I need to outsource help!

Would you suck it up or let her go?
YABU = cleaners are worth their weight in gold, just pay tax
YANBU = don’t be complicit in her fraud, find someone who will take bank transfer

Maybe she's overdrawn at the bank and if the money goes in it's swallowed up with that. It happens.

It is but I still stand by my original comment

Why can't you go once a month? Why does it have to be every week

Why should she have to go at all when bank transfers exist?

Do you claim PIP? or UC? use NHS extensively?

Assume you know who funds this all? those sods who are in employment who can't hide their income.
Whilst this lovely cleaner will claim herself, her husband will do the same, and we're taxed like no tomorrow.

If she wants paying in cash, I'd pay her in cash. Whether she pays her tax or not doesn't need to be any of your business.

I always think there's a snobby under-tone to these kinds of threads. You don't know her circumstances, and not everyone has the security of a comfortable corporate or public sector job, where their money is predictable and arrives neatly and on-time into their back account.

She tells you what her husband is doing but you don’t quite believe her.
Who knows if he is abroad or not ? He could be earning very nicely somewhere. Someone with an injury which means they cannot work doesn’t undertake renovation projects as a labourer.
This is the premise for her asking to be paid cash. She is struggling financially. You have no idea about her personal finances. Only what she tells you.
So I wouldn’t let that amend how you are in terms of payments.

But why is she assuming her nice, trustworthy efficient cleaner is a tax dodger or criminal? There's nothing wrong with cash.

The fact she says cash will make her better off would indicate she won’t declare it. She possibly wants to pretend she’s unemployed so she can claim more benefits. Can’t blame her for trying but not so fair on the rest of us who have to actually go to work to fund it. I work more hours when I want more money. Perhaps her and her husband could do the same?

This has already been covered up thread but whilst some personal accounts put limitations on using your person’s account for sole trader activities, not all do. Also there are quite a few free business bank accounts.

Because she pretty much told her so herself.

Your post wasn't clear, you said you pay for cash withdrawals not that you use ATMs that charge, that's not the same thing

Im slightly surprised that you never visit a supermarket or petrol station or high street with a bank, it's nothing to do with being middle class 😁

sorry my mistake, I was responding to @ChristmasCwtch
"ChristmasCwtch · Today 14:44
For every hour I employ her, I have to earn £24 to pay my cleaner £16.50.
Why should she then be exempt from paying tax!
Also, getting cash out every week is a pain in the ass, so it would be a hard no from me.
I also refuse to pay my nail guy in cash. He asks every time I go and I say no every time. Pretty sure they launder money too as they’ve got another salon they had fitted out years ago and keep empty of people!! So weird 😂
Edited

@brokenteddychair I wouldn’t pay cash but would probably offer to pay her a bit more per hour.

I couldn't care less what she does. I'd pay her in cash and not ever think about it again!

Save your ire for the wealthy who tax-dodge. David Beckham did the country out of dozens and dozens of millions with his complex web of barely-legal companies, all set up to avoid paying VAST sums.

In today's world it is both annoying and inconvenient to have to get cash out every week. Our ex cleaner wanted cash too. The new one takes bank transfer. Much better for me.

Do you generally approve of tax evasion? Shocking numbers of people on this thread seem to.

She's made it perfectly clear she wants to spend it and not declare it as income.

No, she hasn’t. She says the costs are burdening her.

Which could mean tax evasion but could also mean she’s living out of her overdraft, or has a financially abusive partner, or owes money to someone and they can’t reclaim if it’s in cash etc.

You and the people making similar comments need to check the difference between tax evasion (crime) and tax avoidance (not a crime).

I save my ire in this situation for criminals and for the weak governments that haven't blocked legal tax loopholes.

In terms of tax evasion the numbers on the published list of those who have not paid and owe is staggering. And the amounts are not small. Totally antisocial.

It could, but we all know it doesn't.

Obviously it is done not to pay tax. Let us not pretend otherwise.
Obviously it is not your job to police her tax-paying behaviour. I am not saying it will turn into Blue Jasmin (showing my age), but a new cleaner may be not so good as this one.

“She has asked if we can start paying in cash “because the costs are burdening me and I need to ask clients to start paying in cash.“

The matter under discussion is whether the cleaner wants to be paid in cash because she’s planning to stop declaring some/ all of it.

That’s the bit that the OP thinks COULD indicate this and is inviting other opinions to help her make her mind up.

You don’t know anything more than the OP does, you’re just making assumptions.

Make the kind, human choice, OP. HMRC doesn’t need or deserve to have ordinary people policing this shit for them. Her income, her tax, her business.