Group providers

As a group childcare provider you will be involved in recruiting and employing staff, take a look at these 7 things you need to do when employing staff:

1. Decide how much to pay someone - you must pay your employee at least the National Minimum Wage. Check the ACAS website for information about what deductions you can and cannot make from an employee’s pay. For example, did you know that if you pay minimum wage you cannot charge your employees for their uniform as this will reduce their pay below the minimum!
2. Check if someone has the legal right to work in the UK - an on-line checker is available on Gov.UK. You may have to do other employment checks as well.
3. Your staff will need to hold a current DBS check (formerly known as a CRB check). You can get more information about this on Gov.UK.
4. Get employment insurance - you need employers’ liability insurance as soon as you become an employer.
5. Send details of the job (including terms and conditions) in writing to your employee. You need to give your employee a written statement of employment if you’re employing someone for more than 1 month.
6. Tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by registering as an employer - you can do this up to 4 weeks before you pay your new staff.
7. Check if you need to automatically enrol your staff into a workplace pension scheme.

As an employer you have to provide a workplace pension scheme for eligible staff as soon as your member of staff starts working for you.

You must enrol and make an employer’s contribution for all staff who:

• are aged between 22 and the State Pension age
• earn at least £10,000 a year
• normally work in the UK (this includes people who are based in the UK but travel abroad for work)

If staff become eligible because of a change in their age or earnings, you must put them into your pension scheme and write to them within 6 weeks of the day they meet the criteria.

As an employer, you normally have to operate PAYE as part of your payroll. PAYE is HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) system to collect Income Tax and National Insurance from employment.

All childcare providers, their staff and committee members need to hold current DBS certificates, visit details about DBS checks. It includes information on how to get a DBS check, who needs a check, how long it takes and what you will need to complete the application.