Asking nanny to repay a loan

[binkie]

Stress monster strikes again.

Our nanny moved in with her boyfriend. We lent them chunk of money for their deposit. As far as I remember, when we lent them it we did not make any stated demands as to when/how it was to be repaid - we haven't, for instance, been deducting bits from wages (and certainly have never expected them to pay interest).

She will be leaving us (completely consensual, planned from the start of her time with us - so before she moved in with bf, and on - aside what I fear this might turn into - very cordial terms) in September, but they're staying on in their flat, so won't be getting anything back from landlord.

I can see every argument for asking for it back, & ways of doing that - setting it off against her last month's wages, etc. etc. - but actually what I want is the view of anyone who thinks it would NOT be fair to ask for it back until such time as she decides to move.

Oh, and ideas about how to raise the issue in the least possible confrontational way. I'm very non-confrontational, & so is she, but it means we both get massively stressed if there's even a hint of disagreement.

Presumably you will be having a discussion about her final wages, etc. and perhaps then you could simply raise the issue of how she proposes to repay the money you loaned her. Place the onus on her to come up with a repayment plan and then you only really need to get assertive if she avoids the issue or comes up with something totally unreasonable. I'm sure she wouldn't expect to leave you without sorting this issue out.

Binkie, Don't worry so much! She is probably writhing around worrying about it too! NO-ONE would expect you not to reclaim the loan by the end of her employment - and it isn't at all confrontational of you to bring it up.

Practise a few approaches: 'lets talk about this with plenty of time to spare so that we can all plan for it...would you PREFER to repay it on a monthly basis between now and then...or (if she is owed holiday, and it suits you) would it help you if you took it as holiday pay instead of holiday'
or 'we'd like to make sure that it doesn't put pressure on you, so had you thought how it would best suit you to re-pay it?'

It was really generous of you to help her out like this - asking for it back doesn't undermine that sense of generosity!

or 'obviously as your employer we would be more than happy to give you aa refernce for a bank loan'

A loan given interest free by an employer to an employee is actually classed by the inland revenue as a perk and she should be taxed on it!

I have the booklet somewhere from the IR that states this.

Oh Julie I pay her taxes. Nannies get paid net. Oh god.

Binkie, did you ever sort this one out? xx