Have you been planning to hire a cleaning lady to help you with daily housework and now want to finally put your plan into action? Then you should definitely remember that you need to register your cleaning lady properly.
Registering and insuring cleaning staff – many employers act without knowledge
For many households, a cleaning lady is an indispensable help. If you would also like to make your life easier with the help of a cleaner, you basically have two options. You can hire and insure a cleaner yourself, or you can contact a professional agency or platform that will put you in touch with a professional domestic helper and support you with the hiring process and everything related to it.
Often, people take the seemingly easier route and search for a cleaner themselves – whether through a flyer, online, or within their network. However, what’s often overlooked is that hiring a cleaner independently makes you an employer. This comes with various rights and responsibilities. A responsible employer will register and insure their cleaner. In many cases, however, this isn’t the case. The reality is that many domestic workers are employed illegally because employers either lack knowledge of the necessary registration procedures or simply want to save time. To be able to enjoy your cleaner’s work, and especially the results, with a clear conscience, it’s crucial that you hire your cleaner properly. Your cleaner will also feel much more comfortable in their employment if they know that you, as their employer, act responsibly and professionally, and that they can rely on accurate billing and adequate insurance coverage. And a satisfied cleaner works with significantly more dedication and therefore delivers better results – which ultimately benefits you.
Properly insuring your cleaning lady – here’s what you need to know.
If you are planning to hire a cleaning lady privately, you should take into account the following tasks that you will have to perform.
1. Employment contract
Depending on the canton in which you live, the standard employment contract for domestic workers applies. The terms of this contract can vary from canton to canton. To obtain the relevant employment contracts, you can contact the cantonal economic affairs office. There you will receive the form to register a cleaning lady. The standard employment contract for domestic workers regulates the wages of your domestic help if she works for you for 5 or more hours per week.
2. Register for AHV (Swiss old-age and survivors’ insurance).
In Switzerland, you are required to register your cleaning help with the AHV (Old-Age and Survivors’ Insurance). If you wish to register your cleaning lady with the AHV, you will need her personal AHV number. Contact the relevant AHV office in the canton where you live.
3. Accident insurance
Another important point is accident insurance for your cleaning help. As is well known, most accidents happen in the home, and the cleaning and household chores involved carry a considerable risk of accidents. Your cleaning help’s health insurance will not cover these incidents, as it only covers accidents that are not work-related. This, in turn, makes you liable for any accidents your cleaning help suffers in your home or while performing tasks on your behalf. Accident insurance is therefore essential for financial protection. The employer is responsible for paying the premium for this accident insurance. The premium cannot be deducted from the cleaning help’s wages. If the cleaning help works more than 8 hours per week for the same employer, additional non-occupational accident insurance is required. This insurance premium can be deducted from their wages.
4. Illness
If your cleaning lady is absent due to illness, her wage claim must also be regulated. For this reason, it is important that you register your cleaning lady correctly. The Swiss Code of Obligations governs the rights and obligations regarding the employment of domestic workers. In addition, cantonal regulations and standard employment contracts must also be observed. Many of these standard employment contracts stipulate that employers are obligated to take out daily sickness allowance insurance for domestic workers. Such insurance ensures that the cleaning lady receives 80% of her wages for up to 720 days should she be unable to work due to illness. Employers who do not take out such insurance must continue to pay their cleaning lady even in case of illness, out of their own pocket. This type of insurance thus protects the employer from an immense financial risk. It is also possible for the employer and cleaning lady to draw up a written employment contract that invalidates the standard employment contract and thus circumvents the daily sickness allowance insurance. In this case, the provisions of the Swiss Code of Obligations apply. Should your cleaning lady become ill for an extended period during her first year of employment, you are obligated to pay her full wages, but only for three weeks. This entitlement increases by several weeks for each additional year your cleaning lady works for you. The extent to which this entitlement is extended depends on the legal practice of the respective canton. If no written contract is concluded, the standard employment contract of the respective canton automatically applies.
5. Family allowances
Registering your cleaning lady with the SVA (Social Insurance Institution for the Self-Employed) allows you to clarify any eligibility for child allowances. If your cleaning lady has children under 16, or children under 25 who are still in education, she may be entitled to family allowances.
Register a cleaning person correctly with SUUBER
You can delegate all the bureaucratic burden to SUUBER , making the registration and insurance of your cleaner as simple and convenient as possible. With SUUBER, you can register and insure your cleaner without having to deal with the complicated paperwork – all from the comfort of your couch. You grant us power of attorney, allowing us to handle all correspondence regarding your cleaner on your behalf. This ensures not only complete registration and insurance but also accurate billing for your domestic help. With SUUBER, your cleaner and your household are fully insured. You also benefit from significantly more advantageous rates than you would receive by taking out insurance directly.
