Anyone do their own payroll?

[Jingleballsjellyballs]

I’m looking at employing an adhoc nanny on a zero hour contract and wondered whether anyone runs their own payroll? I’m likely to only use them once or twice a month so would really like to avoid the high annual cost for nannytax producing payslips etc if possible

Yes, I do. I use BrightPay, I’d recommend them!

What will you do if the nanny is not available the days you ask her - eg has other work?
Wouldn’t an agency work better for you ?

Not in childcare, but I run my own payroll through QuickBooks. You need HMRC compatible software to do it as you need to submit the information to them, even when they haven't earned anything. The software will produce a payslip, tell you what taxes are due, if any.
Don't forget you'll still need things like employers liability insurance, and you'll have to pay holiday pay. Sick pay/pension/NI contributions will depend on how much they earn.
You may find it much easier to go through an agency rather than becoming an employer yourself.

You can do small payroll yourself for free on HMRC basic tools.