Carer Payment

To find the going rate of pay in your area, look in your local paper, where there are usually wanted adverts for Agency Carers, showing the rate of pay offered. In my area (Reading, Berks) I have seen an Agency advert this very day for £7.50 per hour + 30 pence per mile for travel. Of course this is not the rate you will pay if you go to an Agency, where you'll be charged nearer to £15 per hour plus travel costs.

Making a private arrangement means both parties have to negotiate and agree on a rate, and then the client has to see to it that the carer gets paid via cash or cheques or bank transfers. Cash requires a trip to the cash machine, and cheques require to be presented at a bank. Both are unsatisfactory. Best by far is the bank transfer. If this seems like a major stumbling block, you should register your interest in our Payroll service, where we undertake all the arrangements from acquiring bank details to dealing with your responsibilities as an employer. Clients in receipt of Personal Budgets or Direct Payments will face this challenge as they are inceasingly encouraged to make their own arrangements.