How to find a housekeeper?
Responsible for cleaning the homes and ensuring their hygiene, housekeepers are sought after by individuals who do not have the time or the inclination to take care of the upkeep of their homes themselves.
According to the Federation of Private Employers of France (Fepem) the average working time is around 15 hours per month if we make the exception of full-time domestic workers, often housed in the home of their employers (or in an annex) .
There are several methods to find a cleaning woman (man): recruit her directly or call on a specialized agency or a social organization.
Domestic help: conditions for benefiting from it and remuneration
By direct recruitment
In most cases, recruitment is done by word of mouth and sometimes in response to a classified ad. In all cases, it is preferable to conduct a short interview in order to agree on the specifics of the mission and to assess the reactions of the housekeeper to these requests. It is obviously better to give preference to someone with reliable references or advised by someone you know well. Legally, the individual is considered an employer.
A 10% increase for paid holidays must be applied. If the conventional amounts are lower than the amount of the Smic in force, it is then the Smic which is applied.
It may happen that the housekeeper is fed and/or housed by the employer. In this case, this benefit in kind must be included in the cleaning lady’s salary to be subject to social charges, then it is deducted from the net salary to determine the final salary to be paid. These benefits in kind are retained for 4.70 euros per meal and for 71 euros per month for accommodation.
Calling on a home help company represents a higher cost, around 30 euros per hour of cleaning. It is important to check whether or not this price is calculated taking into account the tax reduction (see below) to which home employment opens the right. In return for this higher rate, the individual is exempted from all reporting formalities since it is a provider mode.
Finally, if the housekeeper has the status of micro-entrepreneur, the amount per hour billed varies between 15 and 20 euros gross, knowing that the employee will then have to pay her taxes and social charges herself.
How to pay a housekeeper?
The payment of a household employee can be made by bank transfer, by check, in cash or by universal service employment check (Cesu préfinanced). Whether the housekeeper is hired by an employer or made available to her by a service provider, the use of the employment service check is possible. This is a nominative payment voucher for a determined amount (for example 100 euros). The employer uses it to pay the employee if she accepts this means of remuneration. These checks must then be cashed at the Cesu Reimbursement Center (CRCesu).
Please note: these payment vouchers are vintage. They have a limited validity.
The employment check replaces the employment contract if the working time is less than 8 hours per week and it totals less than 4 weeks per year. Beyond that, an employment contract must be drawn up and signed by the individual employer and the cleaning lady.
Note: from the age of 70, the employer benefits from the exemption of certain employer contributions due on part of the salary of the home help.