There are a few reasons why you may need to make your carer redundant. In most cases, this decision won’t rely solely on you and you will need the local authority to sign off on this decision. We have outlined the key things you need to know about redundancy.
Contents
- What is Redundancy?
- Why Might I Need to Make My Carer Redundant?
- What is The Difference Between Making Your Carer Redundant and Dismissing a Carer?
- How Do I Work Out Redundancy Pay?
- Does My Insurance Cover a Redundancy Payout?
- Does My PA Have to Pay Tax on Their Statutory Redundancy Pay Out?
- How Much Notice Should I Give My PA?
What is Redundancy?
Redundancy is when you dismiss someone because they are no longer required for the job and you will need to ensure that you can prove this.
It is important to note that the final decision about whether you can make your PA redundant must be made by the local authority.
Why Might I Need to Make My Carer Redundant?
- Firstly, you could have a change in circumstances meaning you no longer need a PA to care for you at home. You may be moving into an assisted living facility or care home that already has carers there for you.
- You could be simply moving house and therefore you are no longer within commuting distance for your carer.
- You could be going into hospital indefinitely.
- It may be that your care package has been reviewed and you no longer require direct payments
- Your care package could have been reviewed and your carer could not have the correct qualifications to assist you with the type of care you now need
- Another reason could be that you are a nominated contact of the service user and they have passed away. In this case you will be required to provide a death certificate.
What is The Difference Between Making Your Carer Redundant and Dismissing a Carer?
The main difference is that making a carer redundant requires one of the above circumstances to have occurred. If you have to make your PA redundant this won’t be due to a fault of theirs and therefore in the UK, we have laws in place around redundancy to protect employees. One of these laws makes every employee eligible for statutory redundancy pay, providing they have been employed by their current employer for at least 2 years.
How Do I Work Out Redundancy Pay?
It is important to know that if you haven’t continuously employed your carer for a minimum of two years, they are not entitled to any statutory redundancy pay. In order to work out how much redundancy pay your employee would be entitled to, you can use a calculator like this one on the Government website.
Statutory Redundancy Pay Calculator
If you are still unsure, you can contact Acas on 0300 123 1100.
Does My Insurance Cover a Redundancy Payout?
Don’t forget, insurance policies can differ and you should always read the full policy wording to see what you are covered for. At Surewise, it depends on the level of cover you take out as to how much you are covered for.
It also depends on the amount of Direct Payment funds left. We will ask to see bank statements and if the service user has funds left in their account, we will use whatever they have left as a contribution. If there are no funds left in the account, we will cover the whole cost of redundancy, providing it is covered under our policy wording.
Our Gold policy covers you for up to £7000. If you want more information regarding this, you should contact your insurer. If that is Surewise, you can give our claims team a call on: 01268 200 020 or email [email protected].
Does My PA Have to Pay Tax on Their Statutory Redundancy Pay Out?
You don’t have to pay tax on redundancy pay outs up to £30,000.
How Much Notice Should I Give My PA?
You should always aim to give your carer as much warning as possible, giving them time to find alternative employment. However, legally you are only required to give one week if they have worked between one month and two years and anything over that is a week per year of service.