# Doing a painting job and need to pay help



## mickeyson (Dec 2, 2013)

Hey guys. First off I'll mention that i am not licensed or insured, but I have a lot of experience and have been painting for years. 
Work got a bit slow and I posted an ad about willing to take on some paint jobs. I had someone call me and they are aware of who it is that will be painting their home. 
Anyway, we agreed on a price. 
I don't see myself having any issues because I plan to report my earnings etc etc.
But the thing is, the job is not a small one and I am going to have someone come along to help me. 
They are only helping me for this one job, and I'm not sure exactly what I should do about paying. 
I want to pay him cash, and report that I've done so.. but am I supposed to be paying his taxes or anything? 
Its a small job we can both do in a couple days, and i just don't want to get into trouble for paying him cash. 

I'm not sure what the procedure for this is as i've never taken on jobs of my own. 
I have a written contract with the homeowner but what worries me is how im going to lawfully pay my friend who is going to help me.. 

Any insight into this?


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## PuckiTwo (Oct 26, 2011)

Question would also be: will you be liable if something happens to him on the job? Which would not only mean how do you pay him legally but do you need insurance? Best thing would be if he could be paid directly by the contractor so that the pay does not go through you. Then he would be responsible for reporting his pay as income. When you quoted on the job did you see that you couldn't do it yourself? If so, you should have mentioned that you will do the job with someone else when you drew up the contract. - Otherwise you bite the bullet and do the job yourself, is that not possible?


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## stardancer (Apr 26, 2009)

If you are painting on the side, then do it yourself. If you do not carry Worker's Insurance (WSIB in Ontario), then you could end up in big trouble, should your helper get hurt on the job. If you have a business and pay premiums to WSIB, then you can pay him cash, get a receipt from him, and report this as an expense against the income. If you only use him a few times or it's a small job, you don't have to do an actual payroll for him. It is his responsibility to report his income.


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