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Nanny Tips: Dealing with Disagreements

Every nanny’s dream is finding a family to work for, long term, that they click with.  The reality is that sometimes, even when a nanny has found that family, disagreements will still occur.  This is to be expected, and is usually nothing to worry about.

In much the same way as your personal relationships, disagreements and issues within working relationships needn’t spell the end of the relationship.  Most of the time they can be dealt with easily and with the minimum of drama.

Dealing with these disagreements in the right way is vital to maintaining a healthy working relationship with the family.  Following are some tips to help you deal with them, or avoid them altogether.

 

Make sure you have a contract

An in-depth nanny contract is the most effective way to prevent disagreements and issues occurring.  Although verbal contracts are legally binding, they are open to interpretation so it is important that your agreement is put down in writing and signed by all parties.  Insist that a contract is drawn up and signed as soon as possible after starting work, preferably before you start – and definitely by a month or two after your start date.  Be sure to keep your copy safe.

 

Check your contract

If you find yourself disagreeing with the parents over something like holiday or house rules, check the contract over.  It is easy to forget small points, especially things that may not have stuck out in your mind when the contract was drawn up.  The disagreement could be down to a simple misunderstanding on their (or your) behalf.

 

Be upfront from the beginning

Before you agree to work for a family, be sure to inform them of anything that could affect your ability to work the hours they require, if you have any holidays booked, or anything else that affects your work.  If these things are dealt with early on, they shouldn’t cause a problem later on.

 

Don’t wait for resentment to build

If something has bothered you then you need to be politely honest about it before it becomes a huge issue in your mind.  The problem might be something small and easily fixed – for example, the parents unthinkingly allowing the children to wake you up on a Saturday morning when you’re off-duty – or it may just be the product of a misunderstanding.  Either way, dealing with issues in a friendly manner, if and when they arise, is far preferable than hoping the problem will go away by itself.  That very rarely happens, and you will end up feeling resentful and angry towards the family.

 

Give plenty of notice

If you need some time off that hasn’t been pre-arranged with the family, make sure you broach the subject with plenty of time to spare.  They may not be able to fulfil your request but they have much more chance of doing so if they have enough time to organise alternative childcare, and they will appreciate the effort of giving plenty of notice.

Query on P60

After nanny is issued with her P60, she may look at it and query some of the details.

One common question from both nanny and the employer is that the total gross pay is too low. The gross pay is for the previous tax year only, not the whole of the employment and may also include earnings from a previous employer if nanny started part way through that tax year.

Another query regarding the pay is that it is too high. If nanny is paid a net salary say £1000 a month, they would expect the pay to say £12,000. However, that is the net salary, the tax, employee national insurance, employee pension costs and student loans are on top of this and then added to the net to give the gross salary.

Story Time: Why is it So Important?

Did you know that 20% of UK parents spend no time at all reading with their children? Or that just 50% of parents with young children read for just 1 hour each week?

Not only does reading to your children help to improve their academic performance, but more importantly it strengthens your bond, improves their imagination, helps children learn to read, teaches them about the world around them, and provides important morals to help make your child a nicer person.

Continue reading “Story Time: Why is it So Important?”

HMRC Payment Deadlines

In order to avoid penalties and interest, it is important to make sure you pay HMRC on time for tax, employee and employer national insurance and student loan deductions.

Here is a note of each quarter’s payment and payment deadlines:

 

Quarter                       Period for                                  Payment Date

Quarter 1                     6th April to 5th July                       22nd July

Quarter 2                     6th July to 5th October                 22nd October

Quarter 3                     6th October to 5th January           22nd January

Quarter 4                     6th January to 5th April                 22nd April

 

If your PAYE exceeds over £1,500 a month, you will have to pay HMRC monthly instead of quarterly.

The best way to pay them is directly via their website, you will get a confirmation email from them stating all the transaction details in case there was ever a dispute of payments- https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/pay-online/epaye

Change to Payslips from April 2019

Some employers may not be aware that there was a crucial change to the Employment Rights Act 1996 coming into effect at this date as well.

The change affected anyone who receives a payslip. Employers are obliged to present all their workers with an itemised pay statement. This applies to not just “employees” but also “workers” who may not currently be processed through the payroll system and should provide a greater degree of transparency for the worker to establish the hours of work for which they are being paid. More information on employment status can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/employment-status.

On top of that, in the case of employees whose pay is dependent on the time worked, the number of hours worked must be shown on their payslip.

What do you need to do?

Employers must provide payslips for ALL their workers from April 2019. They must also “include the hours worked on itemised pay statements, but only if the pay varies as a consequence of the time worked”. So those staff filling out timesheets with fluctuating hours will need those hours displayed on every payslip.

The employer must either:

  • Show the combined number of hours worked for which payment is being made; or
    • Itemise the figures for different types of work worked and/or different rates of pay.

Similar to National Minimum Wage (NMW) implementation, the new amendment will not apply to wages, or salary paid in respect of a period of work, which commences before the date the order comes into force on 1st April 2019

The reason for these changes is that by introducing these changes the Government hopes to reduce the NMW violations and encourage better transparency, which in result will lead to workers being more in control of their rights.

Nannies and your Company

I have my own company; can I pay nanny through my payroll?

No. Nannies are considered a personal employee and should not be under a company’s PAYE. Nannies should not be paid through your company, but through your own personal bank account.

Therefor you need to register yourself as an employer of a nanny and register nanny through this new company and process and submit payroll through this new company.

You can either do this yourself through HMRC or contact us at payrollfornannies.co.uk and we will then hopefully take the responsibility of doing this on your behalf

Babysitter Tips: Dealing with Upset Children

As a babysitter, there may be times when you need to deal with an upset or distressed child.  It is important to fill your metaphorical childcare toolbox before babysitting in order to be able to deal with these situations in the most effective and compassionate way.

Of course, the best plan of action is prevention, rather than cure.  Laying the groundwork will help the child feel secure with you as their babysitter when the time inevitably comes that the parents have to leave.

Preparation

Following are some tips and ideas for helping children feel secure in your care.

 

  • Visit and meet the child at least once, preferably several times, before the time comes that you’ll be needed to babysit.  Getting to know you a little first will be key in the child being happier to have you look after them.
  • When you meet the child, make sure you spend some time getting down to their level and playing with them.  Ask them questions to help them feel as though they are important to you.
  • Make some plans with them in advance, if they are old enough to understand.  You might try asking them what their favourite game is, and ask them if you can play it together when you look after them.  You could also tell them that you’ll bring some home-made play dough with you to play with – it’s easy to make and costs practically nothing, and most kids get very excited about it.  However, if you make promises, make sure you keep them!
  • Take a small soft toy with you and give it to the child, asking them to take care of it until you see them next when you can play with it together.  This will help the child feel connected to you and look forward to your return.

 

 

When the parents leave

It is incredibly common for children of all ages to become upset when their parents leave.  They may melt down at the point of the separation, or they might become upset later on.  Either way, you will need to deal with this in a kind and understanding way.

  • Remember that this is a big deal to them.  Just because they are little doesn’t mean their feelings are any less important.
  • Tempting as it may be, don’t immediately try to distract them out of their sadness.  If a friend of yours was upset about something, you wouldn’t try to get them to think about something else – you’d listen.  There’s nothing wrong with making suggestions of things to do, but don’t try to ‘snap them out of it’.
  • Empathise with them.  Even very young children can understand when somebody is making an effort to understand how they feel.  Saying things like “You’re so sad because your mummy left and you wanted her to stay” and “I can hear how sad you are. I understand how you’re feeling right now” will help them feel as though their feelings are real, and important to you.
  • Reassure the child that their parent(s) will be home soon and that you promise you will keep them safe until then  .

Employment Allowance

HMRC allow most employers to get £3,000 off their National Insurance liability.

Unfortunately, if you employ someone for personal, household or domestic work you are unable to claim this as the employees are being employed in a personal capacity to support the running of a household.

It is important to know the rules otherwise you could end up paying back this money to HMRC.

You can claim on the following:

old age

mental or physical disability

past or present dependence on alcohol or drugs

past or present illness

past or present mental disorder

You cannot claim the Employment Allowance if you are employing a nanny unless the nanny is employed for an individual who needs care because of one of the reasons set out above.

To claim for the Employment Allowance, it will need to be submitted via payroll software by means of sending an EPS (Employment Payment Summary).

Why to Choose a Childminder

Choosing a childminder to provide care for your child has many benefits for both the child and the parents.  In this article we will outline a few of the reasons of why a childminder can be a really beneficial influence in your child’s life, as well as why they can be a great choice for parents, too.

Child development, security and confidence

In an ideal world, parents would be able to choose to stay home with their children until they felt the child had reached an age that they were able to cope with being separated from them, but unfortunately this can’t always be possible.  A childminder offers the child a real sense of safety and security because they can really get to know each other well.  The child will not have to get to know a large amount of staff and be used to different people caring for her – instead they only have to settle in to a familiar home environment and one carer.  Developmentally speaking this is very important – children need to be able to form secure attachments to their caregivers, and this can be hard if there are many different caregivers in the picture.

Convenience and flexibility

A childminder looks after children in their own home, and as such they can be very useful when trying to find care for children who are already at preschool or school.  They generally will be happy to do pick-ups and drop-off’s from/to school and clubs, and some childminders will even pick up children from their homes and drop them back again if they are out and about at that time anyway.  This can make life just that little bit easier for busy working parents.  Additionally, special requirements (such as dietary needs) can be more easily managed in this kind of environment where care can be individualised.

Social benefits

Many parents worry that their children won’t get adequately socialised if they are not attending childcare in a group setting.  In actual fact, large group settings can actually be damaging for confidence and social skills for some children.  Research has shown that thrusting children into large groups before they are ready can make quite an impact on their emotional development.  With a childminder, children will get to socialise in small groups in a familiar environment.  They are able to get to know each other properly and will often become very good friends.  Additionally, children will benefit from the opportunity to socialise with children of different age groups, which is a much more realistic form of socialisation – after all, apart from school, where else in life are we confined to groups of people of the same age as us?

Cost

Childminders are a very cost-effective choice for parents.  Their cost will depend on their experience and any extras included but you can usually expect to pay somewhere between £4.50 and £5.50 per hour, depending on where you live.  Some childminders will include the price of meals, snacks and drinks in their hourly rate, whereas others will charge extra.  Additionally, childminders often get discounts for local child-friendly attractions, so excursions can be cheaper.

NMW National Minimum Wage 2020/21

From April the NMW (National Minimum Wage) rates are changing for the 20/21 tax year.

As an employer you must comply with the national minimum wage, if you do not you could end up in an Employment Tribunal or be reported to HMRC and face a fine of up to £20,000.

The new hourly rates for the tax year 2020/21 are:

  • Apprentice   – £4.15
  • 16 to 17 year old   –  £4.55
  • 18 to 20 year old   –  £6.45
  • 21-24 year old   –  £8.20
  • 25+   –  £8.72

If nanny lives in the family home and not separate accommodation provided by the employer, then the national minimum wage does not apply.

For live in nannies, there is a daily accommodation offset rate of £8.20 per day, £57.40 a week. These rates are set every April, so it is important to keep up to date with the new legislation. These rates are from April 2020.

For accommodation provided to nanny other than the family home, this will need to be declared as a Benefit In Kind.