For employers, managing payroll smoothly and properly is a delicate, critical matter. There may be no quicker way to turn a happy employee into a disgruntled one than by mishandling his or her paycheck (exactly why many household employers use us).

This year, employers have an additional challenge with which to contend. When Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) late last year, it meant the IRS withholding tables would have to be updated. And now they have been.

The decision to hire a nanny requires plenty of interviewing and research. There are many wonderful nannies out there that are looking for the right family to work with and it’s exciting to think of the many possibilities that you have in finding the right one that fits just perfectly with your children. Nannies are not babysitters, but they are instead nurturing professionals that are committed to helping influence your children’s growth and overall development. Nannies that are young and are looking to gain experience often have energy and unique ideas to bring to a family, but there is also something to be said about hiring a seasoned nanny that has years of experience. Here are some reason why you should consider hiring an experienced nanny.

Employers must exert a certain amount of time and resources to properly retain their income tax records. But these aren’t the only documents you need to maintain. Retention of your organization’s payroll records is also important. This goes for both corporate and household employment.

Unless you’re a tax expert, you likely have some questions about what your responsibility is when it comes to paying taxes on your household employee. If you have a nanny and you have paid this person $2,100 or more in wages, you’re officially considered a household employer and you’re required to pay Medicare and Social Security taxes. You will also need to report your nanny’s income and taxes that are paid for the year, as well as pay Federal employment taxes with your federal income tax return. Most states require filings every quarter and the state and federal thresholds are often different, based on quarterly or annual wages. Although you file a schedule H annually, be aware you may be required to pay quarterly estimated tax payments.

Many employers use background checks as a regular part of their hiring processes. But “many” does not mean “all.” In fact, recent research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management indicates smaller businesses tend to skip this important hiring step. Among companies with fewer than 100 employees, fewer than half conduct criminal background checks on job candidates vs. 83% for employers with at least 2,500 employees. Background checks can be particularly helpful in the household employment world too. After all, if you hire a nanny don’t you want to know about the person caring for your child(ren)?

Finding the perfect nanny to work with your family is an exciting and rewarding experience. Once you’ve found the person that you want to hire, you’ll need to verify your nanny’s work eligibility and be sure that she can work legally in the United States.

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), individual income tax rates generally go down for 2018 through 2025. But that doesn’t necessarily mean your income tax liability will go down. The TCJA also makes a lot of changes to tax breaks for individuals, reducing or eliminating some while expanding others. The total impact of all of these changes is what will ultimately determine whether you see reduced taxes. One interrelated group of changes affecting many taxpayers are those to personal exemptions, standard deductions and the child credit.

You’ve had a baby and your maternity leave has probably gone faster than you thought it would! The clock is ticking and soon, you’ll have to start thinking about heading back to work. Many new moms worry about how the transition will go when you leave your baby with a nanny during the day. You may be struggling with how the transition will go, not just for you, but your baby. Leaving your baby with someone new for the first several times is definitely hard at first, but both you and your baby will adjust quickly if you follow some of these helpful steps.

Here are some of the key tax-related deadlines affecting businesses during the first quarter of 2018. Keep in mind that this list isn’t all-inclusive, so there may be additional deadlines that apply to you. Most of these are for you independent CPAs and/or those working with clients’ businesses. Household employer tax deadlines vary by state.

HomeWork Solutions clients can count on the W-2 being filed correctly. If you or your clients are making any filings other than Forms W-2 from the below list for household employer taxes please give us a call. We love to educate on household payroll tax filings.

If you itemize your deductions when you’re filing taxes, you may be able to deduct certain expenses that were paid to your in-home caregiver. If you are trying to determine what portion of in-home caregiver expenses can be deducted, there are several stipulations that you should know about. As always, do consult a qualified personal income tax preparer to help with the details, but here is a quick guide to some caregiver tax deductions.