Employing student for Afterschool care question

[burntthesprouts]

My kids are 11 and 7 I'm needing someone to pick them up from
School 3 days poss 4 and take them home (5min walk) and supervise them till I get home at 6. So potentially 9-12 hrs per week. Through an online site I've found a lovely young student who is studying at our local university - unfortunately she is heading home for the whole of Summer so won't be able to work for the last few weeks of term. I've been home with my kids full-time till this year and have NO clue as to the rules for payment, NI etc. would it be illegal to have a casual arrangement ie. cash in hand? I need someone as of next week so the thought of protracted negotiations and paperwork fills me with dread. I'm hoping to get them into Afterschool club at the start of next school year so this really is a short term arrangement. Anyone know what my options are?

If it is under £112 a week and it is their only income, then you can pay them gross and you do not need to register as an employer, or do tax/ni deductions.

If you pay £112 to £155 a week, then you need to register as an employer but there may not be any income tax or NI to deduct.

It all depends on the amount paid and the students personal circumstances.

Yes this year the magic number is £112. Pay them less than that and as long as they do not have another job then you do not need to register as an employer. You should still keep a basic record of what you pay them, just in case it is ever queried.

www.gov.uk/employing-staff
You should check they are legally allowed to work, pay at least National Minimum Wage, have insurance cover (this may be included in your home Contents insurance policy), provide a contract (also called a Written Statement).

How much of that you actually do is up to you but doing all those things would cover you legally.

If they do have another job, then you would need to register as an employer but as the pay is likely to be quite low the payroll should be quite easy. You can use HMRC Basic Tools to do it, or use software like BrightPay which is free for small users.
You could use a nanny payroll company, some will do reduced cost packages if the person will be employed for less than 3 months. PAYEforNannies

Thanks very much nannynick and cindy34 - that's really helpful!

burnt - can I ask which website you used please?