Summer is fast approaching, which means many of us are counting down the seconds till our much-needed holidays in the sun. For nannies, though, the summer can be the most stressful time of the year.  It’s simple, really: the benefits of your full-time job that allow you to take paid time off (whether sick leave, personal days, or paid vacation) cannot be taken for granted by a nanny.

As a full-time non-exempt employee of the family, a nanny should be paid for any regularly scheduled day that she is available to work and the family, for any reason, decides they don’t need her. For example, this would include the family’s beach week or Labor Day weekend trip to the in-laws. How does offering this benefit to the nanny help the employer? Paying nannies for any regularly scheduled day when their services are not needed provides a stable income stream for your nanny, and will allow you to employ the best nanny (the best nannies look for the best employers!).  In addition, it is reasonable for the family to ask the nanny to perform routine household tasks—such as pet sitting or organization of kid’s school supplies and clothes—while the family is away (so long as you provide your nanny reasonable notice, of course). Your family may even consider bringing the nanny along on vacation!

Talking to our loved ones about the possibility of senior home care can be one heck of an uncomfortable conversation. Your aging mom or dad wants to age in place, and you want to help them achieve that goal safely.

The District of Columbia’s Wage Theft Prevention Amendment Act of 2014, became effective on February 26, 2015. This law does cover household employers - families who employ a nanny, housekeeper, senior caregiver or other domestic service worker. The law requires in part that employers provide written wage notices to their DC employees.  Household employers have until May 27, 2015 to satisfy this requirement with respect to their employees who were employed as of the Act’s effective date of February 26, 2015.

Whether you’re hiring your first nanny, searching for a newborn specialist, or an experienced nanny employer, nanny placement and referral agencies can save you a ton of time and effort.

Summer is coming, and with it, some much-needed vacation time! However, traveling with kids can sometimes be such a challenge that you need a vacation from your vacation. Well, there’s an easy solution that keeps the kids happy and allows the “big kids” the freedom to enjoy family time without being bound to “babysitter duty”: bring your nanny on vacation!

Good Morning,

Hiring a nanny for the first time can be a harrowing experience. Before you introduce a new nanny to your children and invite them into your home, you want to be 100% confident that they are the perfect fit for your family. Save yourself the frustration of hiring the wrong nanny by avoiding these common missteps.

Confused about how nanny taxes affect the taxes you pay on your housekeeper’s wages? In honor every mom who appeciates extra help keeping the home in order, we thought we’d clear up some common misconceptions surrounding an employer’s tax obligations on their housekeeper’s wages.