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

I’m sure the cleaners mortgage company will be ok with her paying it in Tesco vouchers!
I also don’t see how that helps with OPs problem of feeling the cleaner isn’t going to pay tax?

I think because she’s been accepting bank transfer and is switching to cash because it’s going to save her money. The OP is assuming that the only way it saves her money is if she under declares.

I would just pay her in cash tbh, this government makes it so hard for self employed. However if you’re not comfortable with that then say no you’d prefer to keep paying bank transfer and understand if she needs to drop you as a client because of it. Chances are she won’t drop you and you’ll be able to carry on with bank transfer.

Bank transfers don’t cost anything though, so unless she’s going round with a card machine then she’s not paying anything to handle the money.

her morality does not depend on your decisions. Pay her as she requested, it is easy for her to have cash in hand, so be it. Get rid of her if you think she is a cheater.

Ages ago when I could afford a cleaner, I always paid in cash. Can’t even remember why, maybe she asked me to. What would the police have said as they turned up my door, ‘We’re questioning you under suspicion of having paid with legal tender.’ Could I be under suspicion when buying groceries at the market with a ten pound note? Unless the Op is actually running the cleaning business with her cleaner, I think she can sleep easy.

There are lots of reasons that don't involve tax fraud.

Maybe she gets charged for bank transfers.
Maybe her DH takes a percentage of her earnings, and she can keep cash a secret from him.
Maybe she finds it easier to budget with cash.
Maybe she pays for something else in cash herself.

Regardless, OP has no evidence of anything untoward happening. But of course because the cleaner is foreign and wants cash, she must be some tax-dodging criminal according to MN

You sound like a 2 year old why should someone get something im not whaaaaaaa 😭😭😭

Some accounts do charge for bank transfers. If she's not from the UK, maybe she has a foreign account that costs her money?

Are you for real? That’s akin to the food stamps they have in America. How bloody patronising.

you'd what???? that's incerdibly rude.

Apart from this being an absolutely bonkers suggestion, how does it even solve the OP’s problem? It is neither more convenient than getting out cash, nor is it more likely the income will be declared. On the contrary, it sounds specifically like a way to avoid paying tax 😂

I haven’t caught up with reading all the replies yet but yes I think this is the bit that’s got me. She has told me she wants cash as she will be better off. So one way or another she is wanting to defraud the public purse and wants to make me complicit in that. If she had said cash is easier for her than that’s obviously a different story but she has TOLD ME.

so you don't mind being involved with a money launderer so long as you don't pay him in cash?

That's a good point.

Pretty sure the Big Issue article I posted didn't use the phrase "dirt poor" which was your own delightful choice.

Yes. I would have preferred to pay plumber and everyone by bank transfers. It was inconvenient when they didn't facilitate that, and it meant I had to pay extra and also spend time fetching cash. Hence people like OP's cleaner can be inconveniencing their customers.

She's told you she'll be better off because she's avoiding tax?
She's actually said that?

It’s easy and free to get a uk bank account. She lives here so her costs will be in £ and she needs money here, in the uk. It would be a ridiculous for her not to have a FREE uk bank account.

No, you're assuming it's to "defraud the public purse".

Lots of people have given you reasons why she could want cash and be better off without fiddling the tax man.

She can only get one if she has legal residency. Maybe she doesn't yet.

That's a whole different kettle of illegal fish then! OP didn't say anything to suggest she's not a legal resident. Bank accounts, including small business accounts, are free. Absent any actual reason why cash would be more profitable than bank I (like OP) would assume she's planning to tax dodge by not declaring at least some of her income. And to the person who worked out it might "only" be about £2.5k a year she would be dodging - that's something like 30 pairs of free NHS kids glasses a year. Or a week's respite care for a severely disabled child.

That must've been shady dealings.
Not something as simple as legitimately paying for a service 🙄

The cleaner's words heavily imply this.

I think any person of any nationality who wants to be paid cash in hand is fairly likely to be tax dodging. I think the same of British people.

As if.