Considering hiring a caregiver, nanny, or other in-home employee? You may think it’s more convenient to pay them under the table, but in fact, this could be a very costly decision if you end up getting caught. There are some important legal must-knows before hiring a household employee and here, we will go over what those are.

You’ve found a nanny to care for your children and now comes the conversation of payment and taxes. If your nanny doesn’t want you to report her wages or pay taxes, how should you respond? It may be convenient to pay your nanny under the table, but not only is this illegal, it could be very costly if you end up getting caught. Failure to pay nanny taxes could result in hefty penalties and fines, often in the thousands of dollars range.

Employers are faced with a variety of tasks and deadlines and sometimes staying on top of activities and dates can be difficult. Did you neglect to report and pay your nanny taxes in 2016? There’s good news: it’s not too late. Here are some important must-knows.

Now that there have been boundaries and ground rules established, the nanny and the work at home parent will need to talk about how to handle conflict/discipline as well as work on a schedule/routine that can be followed on a daily basis.

Many companies are now allowing their employees to work remotely, which means they can work from home rather than heading into the office for a traditional work day. Telework for a parent has many benefits, but it can also prove challenging if you’re looking for nanny services.

More and more families today are looking to hire in-home health care workers to assist with aging parents that are living with ailments or facing serious mental declines including dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. However, the cost of hiring in-home caregivers has been on the rise for several years, with the average cost of a home health aide being over $45,000 per year. ⁽¹⁾  Many families choose to privately hire, as an agency employed caregiver can cost $25 - 40 per hour while a privately hired caregiver can be $12 - $18 per hour. 

If you’ve recently started the process of searching for a new nanny, you know that finding the right nanny to nurture your kids is an incredibly big job. When it comes to looking for a live-in nanny, remember that you’re not just hiring a nanny to care for your kids, but you’re also looking for someone that can live well with you in a roommate style situation. We've broken down some helpful live-in nanny advice in sections.

For nearly two decades the Federal Government has required that anyone - including a household employer - hiring an individual to work in the United States verify that the individual is authorized to work in the U.S. It does not matter if the empoyee is a citizen, immigrant with a green card or an alien with an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Everyone must be checked. Employers must maintain an I-9 form on file for every employee on their payroll. 

We’ve seen it shatter the dreams of potential officeholders, time and time again — no, it’s not adultery, bribery, or breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters — we’re talking about the nanny tax.

Your gut instincts are a powerful tool to help you hire the best nanny for YOUR family.