New W4 for 2021: What You Need to Know to Get it Done Right

Topics: filing taxes, tax return, W-4, W4, IRS, taxes, 2021 taxes

If you plan on hiring an employee to work in your home, it’s essential to know who you’re hiring. Background and reference checks can give you confidence that their criminal and personal history are free and clear of anything alarming. Our HomeWork Solutions experts have worked with thousands of clients over the years, and we recommend reference checks and background screenings for anyone regularly working inside your home. 

Topics: caregiver, nanny reference check, senior home caregiver, outsource nanny payroll, domestic worker, agency, what to expect, employment compliance

Whether you're a mom, dad, grandparent , or guardian, the children in your life are some of your greatest treasures. Finding the right person to love and care for them is significant and hiring a qualified nanny to work in your home requires some research. Here are some of the most important things you should know before hiring a long-term nanny.  

#1: Know what you need.

Every family is unique, which means your childcare needs will be unique too. Understand your family's needs and make a list of expected duties and responsibilities you want a nanny to have. Then, think about the qualities you're looking for in a nanny. Do you want someone young and energetic that may be just starting their nanny career? Maybe you would be more comfortable with someone experience, who has worked with multiple families during their career. Know what you're looking for, and let that help guide your search.  

Topics: household employee taxes, nanny agency, summer nanny, nanny payroll tax, nannies, nanny tax compliance, outsource nanny payroll, domestic worker

At HomeWork Solutions, we understand household payroll and tax preparation can be complicated. With tax laws changing regularly, it can be challenging to stay up to date on everything. Outsourcing will save you time and the headache of researching what has changed and what hasn't. You won't need to worry about making a mistake with deductions, either. Your household payroll specialist is skilled in each part of the process, navigating everything for you—the result: payroll and tax preparations are seamless.  

If you've recently hired a household employee like a nanny or senior caregiver, and you don't have the time to manage payroll and tax deductions for your household employee, consider outsourcing the work to a qualified payroll and tax provider like HomeWork Solutions. That way, you and your employee are compliant, and you can rest easy knowing all the details are handled.

If you needed more of an incentive to start paying your household employees on the books, The American Rescue Plan Act is now in place for additional financial help, providing families with even more tax credits. It's never been easier to do the right thing and pay your employee's taxes accurately and on time. 

Topics: household employee, nanny payroll tax, nanny tax compliance, caregiver, senior home caregiver, outsource nanny payroll, agency

We get many questions surrounding overtime for domestic employees. Most of the time, household employees work 40 hours a week or less. However, when your employee works extra hours, you will need to be prepared to pay for overtime. Not sure how to accurately calculate the overtime for these longer shifts? We can help.  

It might seem easier to agree to pay your employee a weekly salary to avoid overtime. Some might try to average bi-weekly payments to help make up for uneven work schedules. This could cause problems in a wage dispute because it goes against Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime rules.  

Topics: overtime rules, nanny payroll tax, nanny overtime, nanny tax calculator

Hiring a senior caregiver, a nanny, or a housekeeper who regularly works in your home is a personal decision. It takes time to find the right person to fit your family's unique needs, so once you've found that person, it's essential to get things started on the right foot. Here are three of the most important things to do immediately upon hiring your new domestic employee.

Topics: household employee taxes, household employee, nanny payroll tax, nanny work agreement, nanny tax compliance, caregiver, nanny management

Topics: nanny, agency, senior, CPA, coronavirus, COVID-19

Spring break will be here soon and it’s a time that many families use for scheduled vacations. It’s a great time to reconnect and recharge with each other and if you’re not planning on bringing your nanny with you, you will need to know how your vacation will affect her.

Topics: nanny, agency

Your kids love your nanny. She gets along great with your family. She has invested time and energy into your home. Suddenly, she quits. You might be wondering what went wrong. You might feel pushed into panic mode because you’re left without a reliable childcare option. What can you do? Here are some options that can help ease the stress.

Topics: nanny payroll tax, nanny job interview, nanny separation, temporary nanny, nanny interview

Topics: nanny, agency, senior, CPA, coronavirus, COVID-19