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

😂

Shes been here at least 6 months so unless she’s an illegal immigrant, or has no fixed address, she can get a U.K. bank account.

It’s by far the most likely reason.

You have a massive tax bill because you earn a massive amount of money. You also have the stability that comes with that.

I pay my cleaner in cash , as previous posters have said what she does with it is her business . I also pay my dog walker in cash .
I draw out so much per month and that covers both .
I’d also pay a tradesman cash if the price was considerably
less , 20% if memory serves me correctly from my kitchen 10 years ago lol , most people would and whilst it’s great that you’re so concerned with everyone paying tax , savings thousands on a job within your home , most people would do the same in my experience 🤷‍♀️

“this government makes it so hard for self employed” - how, exactly?

You can be here legally without being a resident.

If that’s the case, she can easily open an account here that won’t charge her. Problem solved.

Lots of people have given me reasons she could want cash. Not one person has given me a valid reason as to how to would be better off financially by taking cash, which was what she SAID TO ME, other than by avoiding business account fees. It’s not that as she is paid to a personal account.

The lack of reading comprehension here is staggering 😂

Maybe so, but it's the cleaners' business, not OP's.

And unless she has full access to their taxes and bank accounts, she has no idea whether anyone she deals with is committing fraud. Paying by bank transfer doesn't mean someone is legit.

Jesus wept.... just pay the poor women in cash or get a new cleaner!!

I always find these threads weird. I’m unsure why people seem to be so resistant to the idea that some (not all) people who ask to be paid in cash do so to pay less tax. HMRC estimates there is a tax gap of around £6–10 billion attributable to the shadow economy, which includes cash-in-hand traders, undeclared labour, and businesses with informal arrangements.

I have no idea if the OP’s cleaner is contributing to this but it’s a real issue.

Well, you didn't say that in your OP 🙄

It's not that people are resistant to the idea - more that they don't think it's any of their business.

You either trust the person you're hiring or you don't.

Also, nowhere have I said my cleaner is not British. I stated that her husband is not originally from the UK.

Yes I did?! Read it again FFS

Sorry, but I think you're making a lot of (negative) assumptions about this post. I'm speaking here as a 'foreigner' myself.

Yes, she did!

This would be my take. It's not for me to police other people's declarations to HMRC.

There is nothing in your OP about her using a personal account 🙄

I did want to engage with this thread seriously but I’m struggling, I’m still like this 🤯🤣🤯🤣 over the ‘paying for things in Tesco vouchers’ comment 🤣

Ok, I used to be a solo cleaner quite some time ago and ran all my business income through my personal account, after a few years of trading when paying in some clients cheques, the bank told me I could no longer use my personal account and had to set up a business account with them which had fees, so I did! But it cost me banking fees

Yes of course. You can come on holiday etc. But I would be surprised* if you could have a legal status which allowed you to work but not to have a bank account.

*not impossible that I'm wrong

Caffè Nero aren’t going to be under-declaring their earnings because of customers paying in cash 🙄. Why are you trying to compare large companies to sole traders?

I was referring to her being paid into a personal account.

That was NOT mentioned in her OP.

Sounds like the OP trusted her fine until she asked to be paid cash to save money.

Then she can find a new cleaner if she no longer trusts her, can't she?