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[Gardian]

Does anybody have an idea as to what the ‘going rate’ would be for somebody to carry this out?

Mrs G and I are a bit beyond doing the general housework now and we now want to find somebody to take care of it.  There have been complaints from visitors (our two sons!!!) and we just need to find somebody.

Any suggestions welcome.

 

[menthe]

You need an aide domicile and if you find someone to work under the cheque emploi scheme, you will get 50% of the cost back via the tax office.

In fact, recently the scheme is better than ever.  Just had an email from the tax office to say that, based on my last tax declaration in spring of this year, they will put 60% of my expenditure by direct credit into our bank account so that we will not have to pay all of the cost up front.

In my town, there is an agency who find the workers (hedge cutters in our case) and deal with the initial paperwork though I already had gardeners well before I found the agency and was registered with USSAF.

Ask at your mairie, they will know of similar services in your town.

At the moment, I don't have help in the house but I will not hesitate to use help should I need it.

As for cost, the last time I had someone to clean, I paid her 12€ an hour and then the cotisations on top made it to about 21 or 22€ an hour.  That was about 6 years ago.

For hedge-cutting, I pay 26€ an hour all told but, after the reimbursement, that works out to only 13€ an hour for one man.  We have 2 men because we have a lot of hedge and they do the hedge, cart all the stuff away, strim all round the base and leave it all looking neat and tidy.

Haven't really found anyone to do the housework to a good enough standard so I hope you and Mrs G have better luck;

[anotherbanana]

Gardian, a little dirt never hurt anyone.

I got the same comments from one of my kids, so I put out a full cleaning kit for them when she next came. No more comments!

[Gardian]

Mint .........

Thanks v much.  Will pursue all that.

[NormanH]

This is the link to the site that deals with the scheme mente mentioned

https://www.cesu.urssaf.fr/info/accueil/utiliser-le-cesu/le-service-cesu/le-cesu--quest-ce-que-cest.html

[Lori]

Yes, we use the same type of service for our heavy garden work.  They also offer secretarial work and house cleaning, among other things.

This is our first year using this type of service.  How, if at all, does it affect your revenue declaration?  Do you have to note it on some line when you complete your forms??  Thanks for any info.

 

 

[menthe]

Lori, as it's your first year, there is a column for declaring help around the house.  Used to be a paper form but since I have been declaring on line, I just fill in the appropriate box.

This year, I could not see a space for putting in the details of the worker so I just wrote down his name, address, social security number etc in the last page for additional information.

Next year, I will just have to ask the services agency for an attestation for the amount I paid, number of hours worked etc.  But, when the chaps come again later this month, the tax office will already know the details and the agency will be able to deal with claiming the cost upfront on my behalf.

Sorry if this sounds a bit vague but URSSAF themselves have evolved the way they work so I haven't actually used them since. 

[Lori]

Thanks for that Menthe.  We use the "Le nouveau service Avance immédiate" so we won't get reimbursed anything.  We get the discount credited when the service(s) are made.

That is why I wondered if we needed to report this to the fisc on any particular line of the declaration form.  We have an online URSSAF account that shows exactly what/when/how much we've paid to date. 

[ssomon]

As the URSSAF report all relevant information to the Impots we have never had to report it on our tax declaration.

We receive our credit automatically on our Avis.

We don't use the service you mention, as our gardener doesn't want to register for it. He prefers to get his payments directly from us for each visit, and it's quite nice to receive our credit in one payment.

 

[menthe]

1 hour ago, Lori said:

Thanks for that Menthe.  We use the "Le nouveau service Avance immédiate" so we won't get reimbursed anything.  We get the discount credited when the service(s) are made.

That is why I wondered if we needed to report this to the fisc on any particular line of the declaration form.  We have an online URSSAF account that shows exactly what/when/how much we've paid to date. 

I really don't think you need to give any info on the tax declaration then.  No tax involved so no declaration needed?

Anyone else have experience that is different?

[Lori]

Thank you both for the replies.  Sounds like we don't need to do anything.  I will ask the service folks also.

[Un autre Gallois]

4 hours ago, menthe said:

I really don't think you need to give any info on the tax declaration then.  No tax involved so no declaration needed?

Anyone else have experience that is different?

My understanding is that you will receive either a reduction in impots payable or, if you do not pay sufficient tax,  you will receive the appropriate adjusted amount from the tax office, so if the amount is not declared you lose any receivable amount.

[Lori]

I was under the impression that my immediate reduction, prior to paying the service provider's invoice on URSSAF (which shows my credit/deduction) 'was' my tax exemption.

I just wasn't sure if it needed to be noted somewhere on the declaration form.  Now, I'm still not certain. 

[menthe]

Yes, Gallois, I see what you are explaining.  Lori, best to contact your impôts and ask them; that is really your best bet.

[NormanH]

As ssomon said mine is automatically entered on the declaration  in any case it would be at 7DB

Best look at official sources as I used to say quite often

https://www.impots.gouv.fr/particulier/emploi-domicile

[Lori]

Thank you so much for that Norman.  I will have a good read tomorrow.

🙂

 

[ian brodie]

Gardian, FWIW, here in Indre I pay €16/hour for cleaning, and €17/hour for gardening.

 

Paid by cheque, registered via Urssaf and (largely) refunded automatically. A wonderful system!

Edited November 3, 2023 by ian brodie

[Gardian]

I was about to mention our ‘home help’ in a thread that I’m about to start and then wondered whether I’d mentioned in this thread that we actually got somebody !

I put a little ad in two of the local boulangeries and within a day or two a lady rang and asked if she could come round immediately.  She did, we agreed the timings and the payment.

She started within days and it’s proving to be a very satisfactory arrangement.  She’s about 60, very busy, very efficient and altogether very pleasant.  She lives in the village and is ‘known’, so much better than somebody who we know nothing of.  The biggest problem was getting comfortable over somebody who is a stranger being in your house and getting ‘everywhere’.  That reticence didn’t last long.

BTW, she comes for 2hrs / wk, for which we pay €30.  She wasn’t interested in the cheque emploi system and wanted to be paid in cash (nervous that she’ll incur a mega tax bill, which is nonsense, but who’s arguing?)  We’re OK with that.

 

[Lori]

That sounds great all the way around Gardian.  Hope it continues.