10 hours a week
£200
a week with Witho
Around £140 through a typical agency — a difference of about £3120 a year.
Helpers
Set your rate. Keep all of it.
Most agencies charge families £28 to £35 an hour and pay the helper somewhere between £12 and £16 of it. Witho takes no commission and charges you no fees. You set your own hourly rate — the minimum on Witho is £20 — and every penny of it is yours. You choose who you work with, when, and for how long.
What that difference is worth
Based on a typical agency paying £14 of a £28 hour. Your actual agency rate may differ — it is worth working out your own number.
20 hours a week
£400
a week with Witho
Around £280 through a typical agency — a difference of about £6240 a year.
30 hours a week
£600
a week with Witho
Around £420 through a typical agency — a difference of about £9360 a year.
You are self-employed, so tax and National Insurance come out of this and you will need your own insurance. We are straight about that below rather than burying it.
Why helpers move to Witho
No commission, no fees
You set your own hourly rate from £20. Witho charges you nothing to join, nothing monthly, and takes nothing from what you charge. There is no catch and no premium tier.
You choose your work
You set your availability and accept only the introductions you want. Nobody allocates you a run of fifteen-minute calls across three towns.
Time to do the job properly
One hour minimum, and no unpaid travel squeezed between visits. Most helpers say this is the part that changed how they feel about the work.
The same families
Families choose you and stay with you. You get to actually know the person you support rather than meeting a new one every shift.
Your DBS is yours
You hold your own DBS on the Update Service. It belongs to you and you can use it for other work — it is not tied to us.
Insured while you work
Witho pays for insurance covering every helper: £2m public liability, £25,000 legal expenses, personal accident cover, and income protection of £130 a week for up to 12 weeks if an accident or illness stops you working. There is also a 24-hour legal and tax advice helpline, which is worth knowing about when you are newly self-employed. Nothing for you to buy and nothing to pay.
Being straight with you
Self-employment suits a lot of helpers and does not suit everyone. Here is the honest version, so nothing comes as a surprise after you have applied.
What it costs you
Nothing to Witho, ever. The one cost is your DBS — around £23, paid to the checking service rather than to us — plus the DBS Update Service subscription that keeps it current. You do not need to buy your own public liability insurance — Witho’s policy covers every visit booked through the platform. If you drive clients you will need business-use motor insurance, which is your own.
What self-employed means
You register with HMRC and handle your own tax and National Insurance. There is no holiday pay, no sick pay and no pension from us. In return nobody sets your hours, nobody allocates your clients, and nobody takes a cut. It is worth reading HMRC’s guidance on self-employment before you apply.
What we check before you can start
The same for every helper, without exception. It protects families, and it protects you — nobody on Witho is working alongside people who have not been checked.
DBS checked, kept currentID, right to work & address verifiedTwo references taken upInterviewed by our teamBooked sessions insured
Full detail on our trust and safety page.
Apply to join Witho
Takes about ten minutes. No CV needed — we care far more about judgement and reliability than a work history. We reply to every application within one working day. Worth reading first: the helper agreement and the service agreement you will have with each family.
Questions before you apply?Ring us and ask. We would rather answer honestly than have you fill in a form you are unsure about.
Call 0345 351 0207Mon–Fri 9am–5pmCalls cost no more than a standard landline call and are included in inclusive minutes.
Support work near you
We are introducing helpers to families right across England.