Employing a Personal Assistant

Whether you self fund your support or have a personal budget from the Council, employing your own personal assistant could help you live more independently. Personal assistants are also known as PAs. 

Initially it may sound daunting to become an employer of a personal assistant but it doesn't have to be. There are different options available that can help you manage the responsibility that this brings. 

Plymouth City Council contract the Enham Trust to provide a local support service and can help with advertising and recruiting staff.

Employing a personal assistant directly

If you employ a personal assistant directly, this gives you more choice and control over who cares for you and what tasks they do but it also means you have legal responsibilities as an employer.

Before you employ a personal assistant, you will need to:

• Register with a payroll service
• Make payments to your personal assistant
• Pay HMRC monthly
• Have Employer Liability Insurance
• Manage your personal assistants holidays
• Note that Plymouth City Council does not allow self-employed personal assistants and you cannot pay your personal assistant cash in hand

Employing a personal assistant through a care agency

Alternatively, you can ask a care agency to assist you to find a suitable personal assistant. This means you have to find and pay the agency, but you do not take on any responsibilities as an employer because the personal assistant works for the agency.

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This page was last updated on 1 December 2022.