Having witnessed her clients? lives being transformed by the appointment of a professional Housekeeper, Julia Harris,
managing director of The Housekeeper Company, decided to ?walk the talk? and employ an Asian Housekeeper for her own family
home.
Here’s Julia’s own experience of the process:
I?d wanted to employ a Housekeeper from day one, and now the time was right. However, I was a bit daunted by the prospect of
sorting out National Insurance, tax coding and banking issues. I needn?t have worried. I was very pleased to learn, from
first-hand experience, that it’s really quite a simple process.
Visa
In line with all Housekeeper Company candidates, my own Housekeeper, Julie - who is now a very welcome and established member
of our household - arrived with a domestic worker’s visa in November 2005.
So, there was nothing to do on that score, as the visa had already been verified by The Housekeeper Company and was not due
for renewal.
When Visa Renewal is Required
If the visa had have been up for renewal, it would have simply meant that we would have helped Julie gain further background
information on the procedure, by logging on to www.workingintheuk.gov.uk.
If necessary, we would have also helped Julie to put the matter in the safe hands of one of the specialist immigration
solicitors whose contact details are provided by The Housekeeper Company.
National Insurance Number
So, our first task was to sort out a national insurance number for Julie. As with anything, if you’ve not done it before, it
may seem a little daunting, but I simply followed the steps outlined below:
- Call the national insurance office relevant to your area and they send you a simple form to fill in, which you then return.
- After an appointment at the local Department of Social Security offices, a National Insurance number follows for your
housekeeper about two weeks later.
Tax Coding
Julie and I needed to ensure that she had the appropriate tax coding and again the procedure was quite straightforward:
On receipt of the NI details, you then fill in an easy-to-follow form about tax coding, that is sent to you in the post.
On receipt of the completed form, the tax office sends you a tax code.
Setting Up A Bank Account for Easy Payment
Now that all of this was in motion, as Julie had her own NI number, it was time for her to open her own bank account.
I simply made an appointment for her at my own bank and went along with her for support. Your bank will outline what sort of
documentation is required for this meeting. Typically, this includes a current passport.
Our appointment took less than an hour and it meant that Julie now has control over her own money, whilst enabling me to pay
her directly into her own bank account ? which was an easy process to set up ? rather than taking cash out of the bank to pay
her every week.
On-line Passport Renewal
Naturally it’s not always the case, but as it happens, it was also time for Julie to renew her passport and we downloaded the
relevant form directly from the Philippine embassy website (www.philemb.org.uk).
The documents were sent by recorded delivery, we completed the forms and, much to our surprise, the renewed passport came
back in just three days!
It’s really convenient that you can now do this online as people often think they need to travel directly to the embassy in
London to renew a passport.
Contract of Employment ? Available via email
I also sorted out a contract of employment for Julie and can email this to anyone who needs it.
Again, this was easy to do and helped both myself and Julie to feel we had a good understanding of what was expected of each
other.
Registering as your Housekeeper’s Employer - How to get started
Don?t be put off by this next bit?.you just need to make sure that you get your act together and have the various systems in
place, so that you are officially recognised as your Housekeeper’s employer in the eyes of the law: it’s for your protection
as well as hers.
This would cover issues such as:
- Registering with the Inland Revenue as an employer
- Running a payroll for your Housekeeper, providing her with payslips etc.
Naturally, becoming an employer for the first time may be a source of concern for some. But, it’s just a matter of making
sure you keep to the Government’s requirements and introducing a system that works for you.
Inexpensive, friendly and professional help is at hand for everyone new to the system. Basically, there are three clear
routes to follow:
i) Stafftax
- Stafftax (www.stafftax.co.uk) is the UK's original and leading payroll service for employers of domestic staff. Stafftax offers a complete support
service and will not only take care of all your payroll responsibilities for you but will also guide you through any legal
issues that may arise. The Stafftax telephone number for employers' enquiries is:
0845 2262214
- For an annual subscription of £250 (including VAT), all of these P.A.Y.E scheme issues can be managed on your behalf by the
Stafftax professionals. Indeed, by claiming one of The Inland Revenue’s tax free rebates, the Stafftax service could actually
cost you nothing in the first year.
ii) Call In an Accountant
- You can also use an accountant to run your P.A.Y.E. scheme - but we would suggest that this may work out more expensive than
the Stafftax approach.
iii) Do it Yourself
- Alternatively you can do it yourself by contacting your local tax office. This is especially relevant for clients who have
experience of running a business themselves.
A Pleasant Surprise
This is my first Housekeeper and I wanted to do everything 100% correctly, both for my and Julie’s peace of mind and
security.
I know from the feedback I receive from clients and business contacts that people are sometimes a little put off by
officialdom - thinking it may be a slow and potentially troublesome process - but actually it’s not at all complicated and I
have been pleasantly surprised by the speed and simplicity of each step.
?Ask The Family
Julie has already made a huge difference to our family life. She can start early or finish late, depending upon my schedule,
and that flexibility is a real life-saver for me. She’s always thinking one step ahead, is meticulous and diligent in her
approach to household tasks?and a fantastic cook to boot! Having such high quality help around the home means I?m free after
work to spend quality time with my family ? we simply could not ask for a better Housekeeper!
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