Help - Calling all nannies/nanny employers

[Borninthe60s]

I'm a nanny. Started new job six weeks ago.

Today my best friends dad died. I've known her 28 years, we are like sisters. I rang mum from her house and asked could I take baby (under one year) to my friends house and explained circumstances. She agreed but I got the impression she wasn't too happy. (My friend lives in town 20 miles away where mums older 2 children go to school).

Spent a couple of hours with my friend and collected older children from school and took them back home.

When mum came home from work I thanked her and explained funeral likely to be early next week and I'd like to attend. I proposed that I attend and take baby along with my mum so that during the service my mum can take baby a walk in pram. (Max 30 mins). This will cause minimum disruption presuming funeral is during school hours. If it's after school I'll not attend.

Can I have people's honest opinions from both sides of the fence about this please?

I very much doubt you are legitimately self-employed. Very few nannies are. You are far more likely to be an employee of several families. Your employers should all be paying PaYE.

She said she is duckdeamon. Why do yu think you know better than she does?

working for several famillies doesnt mean you are legally se - tbh many accountants advise nannies to do this but its hmrc and a status officer who makes the decision not the accountant

nannies are diff from any other profession, cleaners/gardeners/hairdressers etc all can be legally se

if you are doing set days and hours and being told what to do and asking (ie to go to friends) then you should be employed

im a se temp/adhoc nanny and maternity nurse and i CHOSE the days and hours i work and if i needed a day off (which i did for a hospital appointment) then i inform the family im working for that i cant work that day, and there is nothing they can do - obv if i can i give them notice, but i have the right not to work

you had to ask to have day off for funeral, this means to me you are not se legally

I am vair knowledgeable about the law on employment status actually There is a lot of "false self employment" and nannying is one of the occupations known for it because nanny employers don't want to pay the tax. To be legally self employed it's likely, for example, that someone can decline work when they like and can sub-contract work and not perform it personally. This is very rare in nannying, for obvious reasons.

The only nannies tending to be s/e are as Blondes and Ducks says, ad hoc nannies or temporary ones. Oh, and jobs with a finite end such as maternity nurse.

Thanks for the se info. I do what J want when I want but afford courtesy to those I work for. I'll check the legal position tho as it would invalidate my insurance etc presumably if I'm not doing things properly.

It can be a grey area. Autumn Budget anouncement on Wed 25th may tighten up on it, though that may only involve PSCs (IR35).

Employment status is designed to protect people, give them rights, plus maximise the amount of money to Government. Nannies are best to avoid SE but very ad-hoc work like evening babysitting is probably ok being SE as it is not a regular commitment.

generally if the jobs are set days and hours then its employed work - ie if the mum asked you to work next tue could you say no - what would happen?

yes im courteous to my clients but the diff as im se if i really had to/wanted to/needed to take a day off for a funeral/hosp app etc, i could - they dont have the right to say no

Next dilemma - she's booked s holiday so I won't be working two days when she's away, agree,net was she'd pay half fees, she's now suggesting banking the two days to be used in 3/4 months time! I've said half fees payable.

As you are self employed, your business terms are your terms... she has to do as you say. So if your terms are that she pays half fee, then that is what she pays.

Bank two days - does she mean she wants to pay in full but then to use Two additional days later? No... she could pay in full and then be in credit and have that credit applied to the next invoice but I would not be offering to do 2 days at another time, as she would only have 1 day of credit (having used up 2 half days).