Again: Who Much Do You Pay Your Cleaner?

[Cecil Fox Palmer]

I used to pay her $150 every week and she would come in once a week and I say she would take around 2 or 3 hours. I lived in an apartment with two other people. We were more or less clean but even so there is always something to clean up.

She was a wonderful person, always showed and above all she was trustworthy. She had her own set of keys and I never had any troubles with her. Plus, she had to wake up early and travel from Moreno. Last time I saw her, her mother was in the hospital and she was going from my apartment to the hospital to say goodbye. I would often give her things such as clothes that I no longer used because she always had people in the neighborhood to give them to. I don't care much for the spotlessness, but she was a very sweet person and $150 a week was the least we could do for her.

 

[Girino]

I am using my husband, 100% reliable and $0.

He doesn't want a mucama coming to our place, even if have the option to hire an extremely trustworthy lady who has been working for his family for over 20 years.
I refuse to do any cleaning that goes beyond cleaning the kitchen, but I don't mind washing, ironing, cooking and doing small electrical works.

 

[ElQueso]

We pay $45/hour. She does everything except the cooking (she doesn't even do food prep), three days a week (hey, we have 5 people here with very busy lives! You'd be amazed at how many clothes need to be washed every other day, beds changed, bathrooms washed, etc). On the days that she's here we cook a lunch meal and she sits down and eats with us, so the meal is included as part of the price. She works about 6-8 hours a day and makes pretty decent money - with the lunches and amount of money, we don't pay transport, although she doesn't live outside the city as many do to come in and work.

As I understand things, it's fairly standard practice (at least if you are talking once or twice a week or less) to have either a minimum amount of hours for the person's workday (usually 4), or to pay the travel fare as well as time at work. Personally, I like the idea of a minimum 4 hours better than just travel fare (more in their pocket usually). If the person is coming in to work for more than 4 hours, it is worth the time and relatively small amount of money for them to come work (in this country, where labor is so cheap because opportunities are so scarce for better work).

 

[citygirl]

I pay a monthly salary as she works full-time so different pay scale. She gets paid 2x a month (15th & last day of month) plus obviously vacation and aguinaldo.

The monthly impuestos are now 500 pesos which is a huge increase. Used to be 160, then went to 298. Now we have to pay ART as well so it's 500.

So those that are tourists, how are you paying the mandatory ART for your employee? With the new formulario, you have to put the DNI CUIL/CUIT of the employer.

Edited - I mean CUIT/CUIL, not DNI. But obviously you have to have DNI to have one of those.

 

[rrptownley]

So those that are tourists, how are you paying the mandatory ART for your employee? With the new formulario, you have to put the DNI of the employer.

We ain't.

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

$45/ hr 7-8 hr days 2-3 times a week. I don't pay viaticos.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Can somebody recommend a cleaning lady that's trustworthy ?
Maybe clean once or twice a month. Just the bathrooms (2), Kitchen & windows.
Candidate needs to be able to climb three flights of stairs.
I live in Constitucion area.

 

[mariano-BCN]

Same question: anybody who can recommend a cleaner for 3 hours every 14 days? I live in San Telmo.
I decided to get rid of the lady now she wants so much more money.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

I clean our house. I charge my wife U$50/hr. The clock starts when I put my coffee on in the morning. It takes me most of the day to get through 75 m2, plus the clothes. I take a nap now and then. Oh, and she gives me my own set of keys.

 

[2GuysInPM]

FWIW; Gov. mandated minimum salaries get updated every year, usually sometime between September and November.

The recent update included a 30% raise, a new form (F.102/RT), and a requirement of providing ART (insurance) for your housekeeper. This took effect in Oct/Nov 2014. If you don't contract ART on your own, the government assigns one and you can pay as part of your monthly aportes for your housekeeper. The monthly aportes are now:

- Under 12 hrs/wk: $161 / mo
- Between 12 and 16 hrs/wk: $224 / mo
- 16 or more hrs/wk: $498 / mo

Salary, for 16+ hrs/week workers, from Jan 1, 2015:

- Caretaker: $36 /hr, $4654 /mo
- Caretaker (residing at the household): $40 /hr, $5187 /mo
- Housekeeper: $33 /hr, $4186 /mo
- Housekeeper (residing at the household): $36 /hr, $4654 /mo

Again, these are minimums, which are nowhere near livable wages, so consider paying well above it.