By the Sevetu team
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Short answer
You can hire a family driver without a broker by posting the job on a direct hiring app, shortlisting drivers whose ID is verified, checking the licence on Parivahan, running a paid trial drive and writing the terms down. It saves the broker's fee, which is often a month's salary1 or a monthly service fee plus GST2. On Sevetu, posting and hiring are free, with no commission from either side3.
What a broker actually costs
Two models are common:
- A month's salary, once. One hiring platform's guide says most local placement agents charge one month's salary upfront, non-refundable, even if the driver leaves in a week1.
- A monthly fee plus GST. A Bengaluru agency's own worked example: salary ₹20,000, agency service fee ₹2,000 and GST at 18% of ₹3,960, so ₹25,960 a month. The same page notes that direct hiring between individuals doesn't carry GST2.
To be fair to agencies: a good one shortlists for you and sends a replacement if the driver leaves. If you have no time at all, that's worth something. Ask what the replacement promise covers, for how long, and get it in writing before paying.
Hiring directly, step by step
1. Post the job
Say the car (manual or automatic), the hours, the routes, late nights, outstation trips and the salary. A clear post brings drivers who fit. What to pay a driver in 2027 →
2. Shortlist the ID verified drivers
On Sevetu, a driver can verify his identity against Aadhaar or another government ID, with his consent, and carry a Verified badge4. The app says Sevetu stores the match result only.
What the badge doesn't mean: it's an identity check, not a police or criminal record check, and Sevetu doesn't verify references or past employers4. That's the next three steps, and they're on you.
3. Check the licence yourself
Look up the DL number and date of birth on Parivahan, check the class covers your car, and search pending challans by DL number. Ten minutes, free. How to check a driver →
4. A paid trial drive
Your car, your real route, at the real time of day. Pay for the day, even if it doesn't work out.
5. Put it in writing
Salary, pay date, hours, weekly off, late-night rule, outstation allowance and notice.
Two things never to do
- Never take a "security deposit" from a driver. Some agency guides suggest it. It's money he can't afford to lose, and it starts the job on distrust. Write the notice period instead.
- Never pay a broker in cash without a receipt, the replacement terms and the driver's own documents in front of you.
Good for drivers too
Brokers often take a cut from the driver's side too; one hiring platform says helpers in many cities pay a hefty commission to agents to get work5. Hiring directly means the driver keeps the full salary you agree. On Sevetu, drivers join and apply free, with no commission3. Driver jobs without an agent, in Hindi →
More on drivers: a driver for one day → · a monthly driver or Ola and Uber → · driver apps compared →
Post a driver job, free, and hire directly →
Read next: what maid agencies charge · job apps that charge workers a fee
Questions people ask
Often one month's salary as a one-time commission, or a monthly service fee plus 18% GST. One Bengaluru agency's example adds ₹5,960 a month to a ₹20,000 salary.
Post the job on a direct hiring app, shortlist drivers with an ID verified badge, check the licence on Parivahan, take a paid trial drive and write the terms down.
No. ID verification confirms identity. Apply for police verification separately in your city.
No. Agree a notice period in writing instead.
Sources
- Helpers Near Me, How to find a reliable Private Driver in Dwarka, Delhi, read 12 November 2026: local placement agencies "Charge 1 full month's salary as commission"; "Most agents charge 1 month's salary upfront, a non-refundable commission, even if the Driver leaves in a week." Helpers Near Me sells a competing hiring service. helpersnearme.com
- ChikuCab, Hire Trusted Drivers in Bangalore: Monthly Packages, Safety and Cost Breakdown, read 12 November 2026: basic driver salary ₹20,000, agency service fee ₹2,000, GST at 18% ₹3,960, total ₹25,960 a month; "Direct hiring between individuals does not mandatorily include GST." chikucab.com
- Sevetu, Pricing, read 10 November 2026: households post, review, chat and hire free, with no placement, platform or subscription fee; workers join and apply free, no commission, and keep 100% of agreed pay. sevetu.com/pricing/
- Sevetu, Verification, read 10 November 2026: an identity check against Aadhaar or another government ID; not a police or criminal record check; references, past employers and certificates are not verified by Sevetu. sevetu.com/verification/
- Helpers Near Me, How to find a good reliable Driver in Delhi?, read 12 November 2026: "In many cities, helpers pay a hefty commission to agents & contractors to get some work." helpersnearme.com
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Written by the Sevetu teamSevetu is a hiring marketplace for household work in India, operated by Fiel Private Limited. These guides come from the questions families and workers ask us. Nothing here is sponsored, and where a number has no defensible source we say so instead of inventing one. About Sevetu
