Money Moral Dilemma: Should I charge for countersigning my friends' passport photos?

Middlers

As a retired police officer I have been signing friends passport applications for years and will continue to do so free of charge. The whole ethos of being a police officer is to help people, not help yourself. Give your time freely, you will earn more in respect than any trifling financial reward. To thought of charging friends for such a service is abhorrent. Just my two penneth.

pjran

Please don’t charge just be kind.

Catcrazy

I have signed quite a few passports and have never thought of charging.
Friends are friends,there are also people who I know well from work.
I know that this is a money saving forum but this is mean. Disappointed that you really want to charge friends for this.

SEANYDAY

Firstly, you should only be signing for someone you have known personally for over two years. Secondly, to accept money is accepting a gratuity for acting in your role as a police officer - you are always accountable on or off duty. That is part of your code of conduct. By doing this you are on offer to all sorts of problems. If you fell out with this individual and they then made a complaint about the fact that you took money for signing a passport then be prepared to deal with the consequences from your professional standards unit. Easiest thing to do is to sign if someone you really know and that’s it.

shinycarol

I used to do it for friends - no cost. Cost minutes but maintained friendships. If you do it for money you should declare it and pay tax.

crmism

As an ex-bank manager, I've always thought my employer and, indeed, any professional, had a cheek to charge what they do, because it should go with the job. I charged a nominal sum to reflect the simplicity of the task rather than the responsibility that went with it.

Keep your friends by asking for, say, a fiver rather than what the likes of solicitors, who are a rip-off, do.

Daisy3276

As a PC you’ll need to submit a Business Interest to Professional Standards if you want to earn an income by sponging from your ‘friends’......good luck with that!

ToxicWomble

Sure and next time they come round for a visit, charge them for tea and biscuits or whatever.
Maybe as they will be benefitting from the warmth provided by your central heating, charge them for that.
If they want the loo, charge them.

Stupid question

Ncb

No you shouldn’t charge. If you know the person well and you class them as a friend or colleague you should do this as a responsible citizen. Would you expect your friend to charge you when you want your passport renewing?

parrranger

As an Independent Financial Adviser I'm also on that list of professions and over the years have countersigned a whole lot of these for clients, friends, kids friends ( providing I know them well ) etc . Personally I've never made a charge, or would do so in the future , sometimes isn't it just nice just to be able to help someone ?