AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Agree the job, hours, days off and monthly pay in a one-page written agreement, pay on a fixed date into an account in the worker's own name, and have someone at home who confirms the work is being done. Nigeria's national minimum wage is ₦70,000 a month (PwC, May 2026), which is a legal floor, not a guide to the going rate for a live-in help or driver in a city.
Who pays, who supervises
When parents get older, a house help, a driver or both often become the most practical support children abroad can fund. The money is the easy part. What causes trouble is unclear terms: who the worker answers to, what the job includes, what happens when the worker travels home, and who decides on a raise. Settle those before the first payment.
Name one supervisor in Nigeria, often a parent or the sibling who lives closest. The worker takes instructions from the household, but pay comes from you. Make sure everyone knows that, so the worker is not caught between relatives.
If your parents cannot supervise, perhaps because of illness or memory problems, the supervisor's role matters even more. Ask them to visit at set times rather than only when there is a complaint, and to check the things a parent might not mention: whether meals are being cooked, whether medicines are taken, whether the car is used for errands nobody asked for. A short weekly message from the supervisor, with a photo or two, gives you a picture from the US without making the worker feel watched every hour.
Setting the pay
Nigeria's national minimum wage is ₦70,000 a month, and PwC's tax summary (reviewed May 2026) notes that minimum wage earners are exempt from personal income tax. That is the legal floor. Pay for domestic work in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt usually depends on:
- Whether the worker lives in (with accommodation and feeding) or comes daily.
- Hours and days: a driver on call six days a week is a different job from one who does two school runs.
- Skills: a driver with a clean record who also does basic car care, or a help who can manage a parent's medication routine.
- What other households nearby pay; ask neighbours and relatives, because there is no official rate.
Worked example (illustrative figures)
| Line | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Driver salary | ₦150,000 |
| Fuel float (topped up against receipts) | ₦80,000 |
| Live-in house help salary | ₦90,000 |
| Feeding allowance for the help | Provided in the house |
| Total sent each month | ₦320,000 |
These are example figures. Keep the fuel float separate from the driver's salary. Mixing them makes it impossible to tell whether the car is costing more or the driver is being paid more.
Put it in writing
A one-page agreement, read out and signed by the worker and the supervisor, prevents most disputes. Include:
- Names, start date and the worker's phone number and next of kin.
- Duties, in plain words. For a driver: who they drive, the car's upkeep, fuel and logbook. For a help: cleaning, cooking, laundry, helping a parent move about.
- Working hours, days off and annual leave.
- Monthly pay, pay date and how it is paid.
- Accommodation and feeding, if live-in.
- Notice either side must give, and a probation period.
- What happens on sick days and family emergencies.
For a driver, also keep a copy of the driver's licence and check it is current, make sure the car's insurance covers them, and agree what happens if there is a traffic fine.
Paying from the US
Pay on the same date every month, directly into a bank account in the worker's own name. Paying through a relative creates a gap where money can be delayed or reduced, and it leaves the worker with no record of what they were paid. If the worker does not have an account, help them open one; most banks need a BVN and an ID.
Since 1 January 2026, a ₦50 stamp duty applies to electronic transfers of ₦10,000 or more and is deducted from the sender, according to a Techeconomy report; the same report cites First Bank saying salary payments are exempt. How your provider classifies the payment decides whether it applies.
From the US, your provider must show you the fee, the exchange rate and the amount the worker will receive before you pay, and you have rights to cancel and to report errors (CFPB).
Records worth keeping
- The signed agreement and a copy of the worker's ID.
- A monthly ledger: salary paid, fuel float, and any advances or deductions.
- Fuel receipts and a simple mileage note for the car.
- Receipts for every payment.
Raises, advances and leaving
Review pay once a year, ideally in January when food and transport costs are being repriced. Food inflation was 19.59% year on year in September 2026 according to NBS figures reported by Voice of Nigeria, so a worker on an unchanged wage is poorer every year. Agree advances in writing and repay them in set deductions. When someone leaves, pay what is owed to the last day and get a short signed note that the account is settled.
Where Pryme fits
From a Pryme account you can send naira to the worker's own account on the same date each month, converting with Swap when you choose; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve. The Personal Assistant can remind you on pay day and prepare the transfer, which moves only when you approve it. For a carer, see paying a caregiver for elderly parents, and for the wider budget, setting a monthly amount for parents.
Questions people ask
How much should I pay a house help in Lagos?
There is no official rate. The national minimum wage of ₦70,000 a month is the legal floor; ask neighbours and relatives what similar live-in or daily help is paid, and agree it in writing.
Should I pay the driver directly or through my mum?
Directly, into an account in the driver's own name, on a fixed date. It avoids delays and gives the worker a record.
Do I need a written agreement for a house help in Nigeria?
It is not a formality you must file, but a one-page signed agreement with duties, hours, pay and notice prevents most disputes.
Is there a charge on salary transfers in Nigeria?
A ₦50 stamp duty applies to electronic transfers of ₦10,000 or more from 1 January 2026, borne by the sender; a bank notice reported by Techeconomy says salary payments are exempt.
Sources
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries: Nigeria, taxes on personal income (reviewed 29 May 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Techeconomy: Stamp duty replaces EMTL, sender to bear ₦50 charge on bank transfers (1 Jan 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- CFPB: What is a remittance transfer and what are my rights? · accessed Oct 2026
- Voice of Nigeria: Nigeria's headline inflation drops to 14.63 per cent (16 Oct 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.