One of the biggest shifts in care over recent years has been the rise of ‘personalisation’ – a new way to deliver support to disabled people, older people and carers.  Instead of directly providing services, such as home helps, local councils can now give cash directly to individuals to make their own care arrangements. The advantage of this is in giving people choice, flexibility and control. Some people will use the money to buy care from an agency whilst others will directly employ their own staff, even in some cases paying members of their own family to do the care. These cash awards are called "Direct Payments".

 

If the disabled person (or someone acting on their behalf) employs staff directly, those receiving direct payments are bound by all the laws that cover employment and would be responsible for things like payroll, workplace insurance, auto enrolment duties, health and safety and recruitment.  By accepting direct payments the user accepts responsibility for the arrangement and administration of their services.

 

Morewood Accounting can help as we specialise in managing payments and all payroll related services on behalf of those in receipt of direct payments.  We will register you with HMRC as an employer and then act on your behalf to ensure you meet the requirements around National Insurance, tax, pension Auto Enrolment and reporting.  This includes:

 

• Producing and issuing payslips for each member of staff

• Facilitating payments of both wages and other outgoings

• Processing timesheets

• Liaising with HMRC and undertaking submissions and returns as required

• Deal with all other related administration and paperwork

• Creating easily understood documentation for customer use and provide the local council all management information that may be required

• Producing P60s and P45s and calculating any Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

• Letting you know how much to transfer each month to your employees