Guide to direct payments

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We want to know what you think about the plans to close the Support with Confidence scheme, and about what support we might provide instead.

Take part in our consultation
If you would like a paper copy, please contact the Support with Confidence Team

All scheme activity will remain paused while we consult on what happens next, although the online directory is still available.

3. Help with direct payments

Choosing direct payments can mean a little extra work for you in arranging your own support. Some people find this easy and others can find it a bit harder.

We use two organisations called People Plus and Independent Lives which offer free support with employing your own staff.

This includes:

understanding the rules that employers must follow, such as employment law, insurance, tax and national insurance
writing job descriptions
recruiting staff
performing checks on possible personal assistants
ongoing support with being an employer

People Plus and Independent Lives also offer services you can choose to buy. They both offer a payroll service which calculates how much you need to pay your personal assistants each month and what you must pay in tax.

When clients choose to employ their own staff, we always include an amount to cover payroll costs as almost everyone wants some help with this.