# Cleaner Insurance | Hiring a Cleaner in Ireland: Tax Rules URL: https://dublincleaners.ie/guide/hiring-a-cleaner-ireland-tax-insurance/ > Cleaner insurance, PRSI and tax when you hire a cleaner in Ireland: the €40 a week domestic employee rule and who pays if someone is hurt. Call 01 230 8646. Rules explained # Cleaner Insurance and Tax: Hiring a Cleaner in Ireland (2026) ![Lana, founder of Dublin Cleaners](/img/lana-founder-dublin-cleaners-96.webp)By [Lana](/author/lana/), Founder of dublincleaners.ieUpdated 14 November 2026 Quick answer **If you pay a cleaner directly, you may be their employer.** Revenue lets you skip employer registration only for **one domestic employee paid under €40 a week**, and employer PRSI is still due. Above €40 you register and run payroll. Check the cleaner has **their own public liability insurance**, because your home policy may not cover damage they cause. Key takeaways - Revenue says you do not need to register as an employer for one domestic employee paid less than €40 a week. - Under Revenue's Tax and Duty Manual 42-04-33, an exempt domestic employer still pays employer PRSI in a single sum at the end of the tax year to the Department of Social Protection. - Citizens Information says domestic workers have the same core rights as other employees, including a written contract, minimum wage, 4 weeks' paid leave if full-time, and 5 days' statutory sick pay. - The CCPC says you can only claim for damage caused by someone working in your home if that person has their own public liability insurance. - Most home policies cover a visitor or employee injured in your home only where you are at fault, according to the CCPC. - Personal injury claims must usually be made within 2 years of the accident, according to Citizens Information. Cleaner insurance and tax are the two things most Dublin households skip when they hire someone to clean. Both depend on one question: is the cleaner your employee, self-employed, or sent by a company? The answer decides who registers with Revenue, who pays PRSI, and whose policy pays out after an accident. ## Who is the employer when you hire a cleaner? You are the employer if you pay a cleaner a wage to work in your home on your terms. Citizens Information says a cleaner who only works occasionally in someone’s home may instead be self-employed, or an agency worker. A company you book is the employer of its own staff. Each set-up moves the paperwork to a different person. With a self-employed cleaner, they handle their own tax. Book a [regular house cleaner](/house-cleaning/) through a company, and the company runs payroll and holds the insurance. With a direct employee, the duties land on you. Arrangement Who registers and pays PRSI Who should hold liability cover Your direct employee You, as the employer Your home policy, if you are at fault Self-employed cleaner The cleaner, through their own tax return The cleaner’s own public liability Cleaning company The company The company’s public liability ## When do you have to register as an employer for a cleaner? You must register with Revenue if you pay a domestic employee €40 or more a week. Revenue states that you do not need to register if you have one domestic employee and pay them less than €40 a week. Having a second domestic employee also ends the exemption. The €40 line is lower than most people expect. The national minimum wage is €14.15 an hour in 2026, according to Citizens Information, so three hours a week at that rate comes to €42.45. A weekly cleaner on any normal rate is almost always over the threshold. Revenue’s Tax and Duty Manual 42-04-33 adds detail. The exemption applies only to individuals, not companies or clubs. A bonus that pushes pay over €40 in one week does not end it, as long as the bonus is reasonable and there are no more than two a year. ## Do you still pay PRSI under the domestic employee exemption? Yes. Revenue’s manual says an exempt domestic employer is still liable for employer PRSI on the employment. It is paid in a single sum at the end of the tax year to the PRSI Special Collection Section of the Department of Social Protection. If you are over the €40 line, you register as an employer and deduct PAYE, PRSI and USC every pay day. Citizens Information says you must also pay employer PRSI to the Social Insurance Fund and give your cleaner a payslip. The national employer helpline is 01 738 3638. ## What rights does a cleaner you employ have? A cleaner you employ has broadly the same rights as any other employee, according to Citizens Information. That includes a written contract, at least the minimum wage, a payslip and paid holidays. The Code of Practice for Protecting Persons Employed in Other People’s Homes sets this out. The main points to plan for are these: - A written contract naming both of you, the work, the pay and the hours. - At least 4 weeks’ paid leave a year if full-time, plus the 10 public holidays. - 5 days’ statutory sick pay. - Records of hours worked, kept for 3 years. - Notice if the job ends, and unfair dismissal protection after a year. The minimum wage rises to €14.94 from 1 January 2027, according to Citizens Information. If you pay close to the floor, your rate has to move with it. ## Does home insurance work as cleaner insurance if someone gets hurt? Usually only if you were at fault. The CCPC says most home policies include liability cover up to set limits, including where “a visitor or employee (like a tradesperson or childminder) is injured” in your home and you are at fault. Policies differ, so read your own wording. If a cleaner is injured, report it to your insurer straight away. Personal injury claims generally go through the Injuries Resolution Board. Citizens Information says the time limit for most claims is 2 years from the date of the accident. A self-employed cleaner or a company should carry its own insurance. That keeps an accident from landing on your policy at all. ## Which cleaner insurance covers damage to your home? You may not be able to claim on your own policy. The CCPC lists damage by “someone working in your home” as a common exclusion. You can only claim for it if the person who caused it has their own public liability insurance. The CCPC’s advice is simple: always check that anyone working on your home has their own public liability insurance. Ask for the certificate, not just a yes. Check the insured name matches the person or company you are paying. ## How do you avoid tax and cleaner insurance problems? Book through a company that employs and insures its own cleaners. The company registers as the employer, pays PRSI and holds public liability insurance. You get an invoice instead of payroll. That is how Dublin Cleaners works. Our team is insured, brings its own products and equipment, and charges €28 an hour with VAT included. You can compare that rate with others in our guide to [cleaner cost per hour](/guide/cleaner-cost-per-hour-dublin/). If you would rather employ someone directly, budget for the extras: employer PRSI, paid leave, sick days and a check of your home policy. Our comparison of an [agency vs independent cleaner](/guide/agency-vs-independent-cleaner/) weighs up the two routes side by side. Want a fixed price instead? Call 01 230 8646. Give us the bedrooms, bathrooms and area, and we will give you a price on the phone. [01 230 8646](tel:+35312308646)[Request quote](/contact/) ## Frequently asked questions Do I need insurance if I hire a cleaner? Check your home policy first. The CCPC says most home policies include liability cover for a visitor or employee injured in your home when you are at fault. Separately, ask the cleaner for proof of their own public liability insurance, because damage they cause may not be covered by your policy at all. Is a cleaner self-employed or my employee? It depends on the arrangement. Citizens Information says a person who works occasionally in your home as a cleaner may be self-employed or an agency worker rather than your employee. If you set the hours, pay a wage and they work only for you, the arrangement looks more like employment. Do I have to register as an employer for a cleaner? Only if you pay a domestic employee €40 or more a week, or employ more than one. Revenue says one domestic employee paid under €40 a week does not require registration. At the 2026 minimum wage of €14.15, three hours a week already passes €40, so most weekly cleaners are over the line. What happens if my cleaner has an accident in my house? If the cleaner is your employee and you were at fault, your home policy's liability section may respond, according to the CCPC. A self-employed cleaner or an agency should carry their own insurance. Report the accident to your insurer promptly, and note that injury claims usually have a 2-year time limit. Can I pay my cleaner cash? You can pay in cash, but the tax rules are the same. If the cleaner is your employee, Citizens Information says you deduct PAYE, PRSI and USC and give a payslip. If they are self-employed, they declare the income themselves. Paying cash does not remove either obligation. Does a cleaning company take on these responsibilities? Yes. When you book a cleaning company, the company is the employer. It runs payroll, pays employer PRSI and holds its own insurance, and you pay an invoice. Ask any company for its public liability certificate before the first visit. ## How we checked these figures We used only official sources: Revenue's employer registration page and its Tax and Duty Manual on domestic employees, Citizens Information pages on domestic workers, the minimum wage and personal injury claims, and the CCPC's home insurance guidance. We checked that the domestic employee exemption still exists and quote its conditions as Revenue states them. This guide explains the rules in general terms. It is not tax or legal advice, and your insurer has the final word on what your own policy covers. Figures checked on 14 November 2026. ## Sources 1. [Revenue, Registration of employers for PAYE purposes](https://www.revenue.ie/en/employing-people/becoming-an-employer-and-ongoing-obligations/registration-of-employers-for-paye-purposes/index.aspx) (2025-11-10) 2. [Revenue, Tax and Duty Manual Part 42-04-33, Domestic employees](https://www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/income-tax-capital-gains-tax-corporation-tax/part-42/42-04-33.pdf) (2025-12-01) 3. [Citizens Information, Domestic workers' employment rights](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/types-of-employment/domestic-workers-employment-rights/) (2026-01-01) 4. [Citizens Information, Minimum wage](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment-rights-and-conditions/pay-and-employment/minimum-wage/) (2026-10-09) 5. [CCPC, Home insurance](https://www.ccpc.ie/manage-your-money/day-to-day-finances/insurance/home-insurance) (2026-11-14) 6. [Citizens Information, Injuries Resolution Board](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/civil-law/injuries-resolution-board/) (2025-11-05) ![Lana, founder of Dublin Cleaners](/img/lana-founder-dublin-cleaners-192.webp) About the author: [Lana](/author/lana/) Founder of dublincleaners.ie, Lana's company brings expertise in both residential and commercial cleaning services fostering a clean, healthy environment. Outside of work, you'll often find her hitting the gym or immersing herself in invigorating body balance classes.