Once you’ve found the right person to serve as a nanny or caregiver in your home, you’ll be able to rest easy knowing that your loved one is in good hands while you’re away. Once you’ve hired your caregiver or nanny, you’ll discuss what hours they will need to work, but if you’re planning on "banking hours", or carrying their hours over, be aware that this process is illegal. Federal law requires that your household employee is paid for each hour they work in a given workweek.  If they work more than 40 hours in any given 7 day workweek, you must pay them overtime, likely at a rate of at least 1.5 times their regular rate. Some states even mandate daily overtime, so be sure you know the overtime rules in your state.

Topics: nanny, agency, senior

Travel nannies and newborn care specialists typically work in multiple states - and even countries - in the course of a year. A travel nanny is engaged by a family to provide childcare when the family is traveling to resorts, on a cruise, or just out of town a week or more on business. When it comes time to file and pay income taxes, multiple questions arise.

Topics: nanny, agency

With rising health care costs, claiming whatever tax breaks related to health care that you can is more important than ever. Adding to the complexity, there’s a threshold for deducting medical expenses that may be hard to meet. Fortunately, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has temporarily reduced the threshold.

Topics: CPA

Many of our partners take advantage of working from their homes. It makes a lot of sense for convenience and cost. But just because you have a home office space doesn’t mean you can deduct expenses associated with it. For 2018, even fewer taxpayers will be eligible for a home office deduction.

Topics: agency, CPA

Topics: filing taxes, nanny, nanny tax, Senior Caregiver Payroll, agency, senior, CPA

 

Tax credits reduce tax liability dollar-for-dollar, potentially making them more valuable than deductions, which reduce only the amount of income subject to tax. Maximizing available credits is especially important now that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has reduced or eliminated some tax breaks for businesses. Two still-available tax credits are especially for small businesses that provide certain employee benefits.

Topics: agency, CPA

Our client, John M. came to us after working with a nanny that he thought could work as an independent contractor.

Topics: nanny, agency, senior, CPA

Topics: agency, CPA

At the Federal level, private employers are not required to offer sick leave - whether paid or unpaid - to their employees. Most household employers voluntarily offer some paid time off to their nanny, senior caregiver or housekeeper in their work agreement. 

Topics: senior care, nanny, agency, CPA

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) enhances some tax breaks for businesses while reducing or eliminating others. One break it enhances — temporarily — is bonus depreciation. While most TCJA provisions go into effect for the 2018 tax year, you might be able to benefit from the bonus depreciation enhancements when you file your 2017 tax return.

Topics: CPA