If one of your household employees has recently filed for unemployment benefits, you may have received notice from your state and be unsure of what to do. This brings up the question: what does it mean when an employee files an unemployment claim? Here we will break down some of the basics about unemployment claims and explain what’s required of you as the employer.

Nanny and household staffing professionals know that there are federal and state, and sometimes city, laws that govern job application forms, interview questions, and screening processes and more. Most of these laws are intended to protect the applicant from discriminatory hiring and screening practices.

You have searched to find the right nanny or senior caregiver for your family and have found the person you want to work with. Congratulations, you have become an employer! Hopefully you have completed thorough background screening and reference checking, and you and your new employee have a written work agreement in place. Now you and your employee must complete the proper government paperwork. What forms need to be completed? The following forms below are required at the time of hire.

In a perfect world someone hires another to do a job, they do the job, and are then paid a fair wage. Obviously things aren’t that simple. When thinking through an open position and recruiting for a new employee you might want to start thinking about a “compensation philosophy.” Here are some thoughts to get you started on developing a "compensation philosophy" plan.

If you are a household employer and have an employee working in your home, you have a responsibility to pay and report payroll taxes, which includes filing a Schedule H form with your personal federal tax return. If you paid your employee at least $2,100 in the year, if you withheld Federal Income Taxes, or if you are liable for unemployment taxes you must file this form.

In 2015 a law was passed to start using an inflation adjustment for penalties on labor law violations. Here are some of the penalties for 2019:

Spring break is a time that many families look forward to each year, as it’s a time to relax and connect with each other, either at home or away on a trip. If you have been planning a getaway with your family this spring break, it is important to understand how it will affect your nanny. If she isn’t going along on the vacation with you, do you still have to pay her and is she guaranteed hours?

Most employers these days use some form of “at-will” employment model. What is at-will employment? Simply put, it means that the employment relationship can be terminated at any time with or without notice. This goes for both the employer and employee. An employee quitting is pretty straight forward so we’ll focus on the employer side for this article. As this post does not end here, you’re probably assuming it’s not that simple. You’re right.

Your brother and wife are taking a quick trip and they have asked if it would be ok for you to keep your five-year-old niece for the week. But, you’re working, and your nanny has a responsibility during the day taking care of your children. How should you handle this? Here are some ideas.

For 2019 the Federal mileage reimbursement rate has increased 3.5 cents to 58 cents per mile. This may mean better deductions on business taxes for 2019 but also increased cost if you have a workforce that uses personal vehicles.