Before-start employer checklist
Before domestic staff start: employer checklist
Before a nanny, housekeeper or other directly employed domestic worker starts, confirm the right to work, written employment terms, PAYE registration and payroll, workplace-pension duties, Employers’ Liability insurance, agreed holiday and working pattern, and the practical first-day information needed for the role.
What must a household employer do before domestic staff start?
Complete the employer's right-to-work check before employment begins, put the required written employment particulars in place from the first day, register with HMRC in time to operate PAYE, prepare payroll and payslips, assess automatic-enrolment pension duties from the employment start, hold required Employers’ Liability insurance, and make the agreed pay, hours, holiday and role boundaries clear.
The exact obligations depend on the worker, employment status and arrangement. This is a practical checklist, not personalised legal, tax or payroll advice. Use the linked GOV.UK, HMRC, Acas and Pensions Regulator guidance for the actual employment.
The household employer before-start checklist.
Work through the statutory items first, then the practical household handover.
Right to work must be checked before employment starts.
The employer is responsible for carrying out the prescribed right-to-work check. Depending on the worker's status, that can involve the Home Office online service using a share code, an eligible original-document check, or the Employer Checking Service in specified circumstances. Keep the evidence and date of the check in the form required by current Home Office guidance.
Use the right-to-work guide for household employers for the operational walkthrough. A candidate's nationality or a previous employer's statement is not a substitute for the employer's statutory check. This is general immigration-compliance information, not individual immigration advice.
Keep job description, contract and payroll details consistent.
One current duty list.
The written role used for recruitment should match the job that starts. Remove duties that were dropped during negotiation rather than keeping multiple versions.
Payroll needs an unambiguous pay basis.
Record gross salary or hourly pay clearly so PAYE deductions and employer on-costs can be calculated correctly.
Use the same schedule in the offer, payroll assumptions and onboarding.
If the working pattern changes before start, update the written terms instead of relying on a verbal correction.
Separate accommodation from working time.
Describe accommodation, privacy and any applicable accommodation-offset implications without treating residence as continuous availability.
What does payroll need before the first payday?
HMRC's employer guidance covers registration, employee information, tax codes, PAYE deductions, Full Payment Submissions and paying HMRC. The operational sequence is set out in how payroll works for a nanny or housekeeper.
Decide before start whether the household will run payroll itself, use payroll software or use a payroll bureau. Outsourcing administration does not remove the household's underlying employer responsibilities.
From our work: we use the original household brief as the control document before the start date.
Filipino Domestic Services' staffing process begins with the role, recurring duties, days and hours, location, live-in or live-out arrangement, intended start date and practical requirements. By the time a household chooses a candidate, those fields should have become a specific offer rather than remaining a flexible search description.
Before the start, we recommend comparing the final offer with that original brief. If hours changed during negotiation, update them. If a nanny role lost family-housekeeping duties, remove them from the job description. If a live-in arrangement was agreed, make the accommodation and privacy terms visible. This avoids starting employment with several versions of the same job.
We also keep recruitment checks and employer administration separate. References and interviews help the household decide whom it wants to employ. Right-to-work checking, PAYE, pension assessment, insurance and written employment terms arise because the household is becoming an employer. The fact that an agency introduced the candidate does not make those responsibilities disappear.
The practical onboarding layer comes last: keys, alarms, routines, emergency contacts, expenses, household privacy and the first-week plan. Treating these as a separate handover means legal administration is not confused with teaching the employee how this particular household operates.
We use that same agreed brief as the baseline for the practical handover once the household has chosen the candidate.
What should be ready for the first day?
Prepare a current job description and schedule, access instructions, household contacts, safety information, the agreed expense process and the practical routines relevant to the role. The first-week onboarding checklist turns those details into a paced handover instead of expecting the employee to memorise the whole household on day one.
For the employment document itself, use the domestic staff employment-contract guide.
Before domestic staff start: common questions.
When must I check a nanny or housekeeper's right to work?
The prescribed right-to-work check must be completed before employment begins if you want to establish the statutory excuse against a civil penalty. Use the current Home Office route that applies to the worker.
When should I register as an employer?
HMRC says most employers need to register before the first payday and can generally register no more than two months before they start paying people. Check the current registration guidance for the actual start and pay dates.
Does a domestic employee need a written contract before starting?
Employees and workers must receive specified written employment particulars, with the principal statement due on the first day. Use the employment-contract guide for the current legal requirements and example drafting prompts.
Do household employers have to provide a pension?
Automatic-enrolment duties apply to household employers too. Whether an employee must be automatically enrolled depends on age and earnings, and the employer still has assessment, communication and declaration duties.
Do I need Employers’ Liability insurance for a nanny or housekeeper?
A household that directly employs staff will usually need Employers’ Liability insurance, subject to statutory exceptions. GOV.UK states that required cover must be at least £5 million from an authorised insurer.
What should I give the employee on the first day?
Give the practical information needed to work safely and confidently: schedule, current duties, access, household routines, emergency contacts, expenses and privacy rules. Pace the wider household handover across the first week.
Official employer sources.
This page contains regulated employer information. Each claim stays narrow and links to the authoritative source; a qualified UK household-employment reviewer should sign off the page before production publication.
Close the employer obligations before the household handover begins.
Then use the first-week onboarding plan to introduce the actual routines and relationships of the home.