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Stafftax for domestic employees PDF Print E-mail

When you work as a domestic worker in the UK you have the same rights as any other employee. This means that your employer must pay tax and National Insurance contributions on your behalf. It also means that you have the right to paid holiday, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) amongst other benefits.

This section of the Stafftax website has been created with you – the employee – in mind. If you have any suggestions of other things you would like to see on the site please don't hesitate to contact us.
 

advice for domestic workers

The National Minimum Wage

All domestic employers in the UK are required by law to pay at least the National Minimum Wage (NMW). It is a criminal offence for an employer to pay below the NMW, carrying a fine of up to £5,000 on conviction, unless you're living as part of the family household (i.e. without separately metered accommodation). For current NMW rates, please refer to our rates and thresholds page.

Your Rights

  • You can check if you are above the NMW from the payslips your employer should be providing you with. Simply divide your gross weekly wage by the number of hours you have worked to calculate your hourly wage
  • If you think that your employer is not paying the NMW you are also entitled to inspect the tax records they keep for your employment. They must give you access to these within 14 days of receiving a written request from you, but this should only be your final course of action after more friendly and informal communication between you has broken down
The working time directive
Domestic employees are exempt from the measures concerning working hours but are entitled to a 20 minute rest break for every six hours worked.