Do I have to pay a freelancer for their lunch hour?

[BecauseImWorthIt]

We employ a PA on an hourly basis, and she works a flexible number of hours (to suit us), mainly from her own home.

We require one full day to be worked at a different site. This would be 9.30 - 5.30 or 9 - 5 or 10 - 6 (up to her to choose).

I have assumed that this 8 hour day is 7 hours of work with a lunch hour.

Even if I only wanted her to work for 7 hours, rather than the 8, it's unreasonable to expect her to work through without a lunch hour - so what happens about the time that she (quite legitimately) takes for lunch?

TIA

teachers arent paid for lunch
didnt think many people were

If you're a salaried employee then you're not, but this is why I wondered if it was different with freelancers. I am, after all, buying her time.

I want to be absolutely clear what we're buying/being expected to pay for, so that there is no doubt on either side.

Is she self-employed and invoices for the hours she does? If she is, I think no, you don't pay her for her lunch hour. I'm self employed, again mainly from home, and I don't get paid for my lunchtime.

When I worked freelance I filled in a weekly timesheet for the client detailing the hours I'd worked each day and at the end of the month I invoiced them for the total amount.

Certainly no companies I ever worked for expected to pay for my lunch hour and I never did either. I hope this helps.

So even if we expect her to work away from home, we still don't pay her for any time she takes for lunch?

Just to make sure I've got it right!

Correct!

Brilliant - thanks for your help. Want to make sure that we do things properly and fairly.