Will my first employer know if I take on a second job?

[Lycrasock]

Hi, I’m in a bit of a pickle financially and am looking to do a second job for a while to get on top of things.

I already do 40 hours and my contract states I need to let them know if I take on another job but I don’t want to tell them for several reasons. (I’m not gonna work for a competitor so no conflict of interest - but theyve given me good hours so I can spend more time with my DCs so I don’t want to tell them I’m now working in the evenings.)

Does anyone know if HMRC will notify my current employer with new tax code or similar? Is there any other way my employer would find out?

I’ve been offered an evening/weekend cleaning job but they want to employ me rather than me going self employed.

I’m currently a higher rate tax payer, I’m not sure if this changes anything?

You might get a new tax code but your employer wouldn't know why or how it was calculated, they literally just get a code.

However if you are a higher rate tax payer, bear in mind that you'll only take home approx 50% of your wages from your cleaning job.

Thanks stinkbomb, that’s reassuring.

I know that I won’t bring home loads more but every little helps at the moment.

I would have assumed they'd know at the end of the year- my assumption is when compiling your p60 they'll need info from your other job to be sure they're calculating the tax right.

That's not correct. Your P60 is calculated for that job only.

Any other job you have calculates it's own P60 only for that job itself.

I've been doing this for the past 18 months.

No one knows.

If you're already working 40 hrs a week in hr tax bracket (so one assumes in a position of considerable responsibility) think about the implications of taking on even more work. If you burnout through exhaustion/stress, and jeopardise your main job then you'll be in even more of a pickle.

Believe me, been there, done that, and the most important thing always is your health.

Although you are not working for a competitor your contract does say you need to inform them. So if they do find out it could result in a disciplinary, you would be better to be honest you are in a pickle this is a short term measure to resolve that.

Why don't you want to tell them?

No they won’t find out, I have done this a few times (delivering Yellow Pages, bar work etc).

I knew someone who did this, he was delivering parcels for a courier. He got found out when delivering a parcel to a colleague's wife. His performance in his main job had suffered, he was coming in late, taking a lot of sick leave etc and ended up in disciplinary action and leaving the first job. So be careful.

As an employer I'd want you to come to me to discuss ways I could help first. Ie a loan from the company, an advance on salary. I'd also want to know if you were in a pickle. If taking on the second job was the only way out I'd want to know timescales etc. I think if you got a halfway decent employer you should consider telling them.