President Obama and congressional leaders in both parties have re-energized the debate on proposed immigration reform in the last several weeks. A "pathway to citizenship" for undocumented aliens currently residing in the US is a key element of the debate.

20 years ago HomeWork Solutions was founded dreaming of creating a service business to help busy families deal with household payroll tax compliance. The failed Zoë Baird cabinet nomination provided the inspiration and belief that many smart, successful families not only wanted, but needed help in this labyrinthine area of tax and employment law.

Q. I am a G-4 visa holder and I sponsor a G-5 maid.  I do not pay US Income Taxes.  Am I required to file anything at year end?

Staff members of international organizations inside the US territory are not required to pay US Income Taxes on their income from the international organizations; however, when they become G-5 sponsors, they must file/pay employment taxes arising from their domestic (household) employment.  Federal employment taxes are reported and paid on the Form 1040 Schedule H.  If there is no income subject to US Income taxation, this Form must be submitted with payment as a stand along document to the Federal Government no later than April 15^th.

P. Soy titular de una visa G-4 y patrocino a un empleado con visa G-5. Yo no pago impuestos sobre la renta en los  Estados Unidos. ¿Debo presentar algún documento a fin de año?

Miembros del personal de organizaciones internacionales dentro del territorio de los EE.UU. no están obligados a pagar impuestos por sus ingresos, sin embargo, cuando se convierten en patrocinadores de un empleado con visa G-5, deben presentar y pagar impuestos correspondientes al empleo de éste. Los impuestos federales son reportados y pagados mediante el Formulario 1040 Anexo H. Si no está sujeto a impuestos sobre la renta de EE.UU., este formulario debe ser presentado como documento individual y pagado al Gobierno Federal a más tardar el 15 de abril.

Q. The W-2 deadline has passed by and you haven’t gotten yours? What to do?

IRS requires employers to post mark W-2 Forms no later than January 31^st. 
The IRS encourages you to allow at least until February 15^th for the form to be delivered. They recommend you contact your employer at the earliest possible date to confirm that they have your current address if you have moved in the last year.

Q. ¿La fecha límite para recibir tu W-2 ha pasado y aún no la has recibido? ¿Qué hacer?

El IRS requiere que los empleadores entreguen el Formulario W-2 a sus empleados a más tardar el 31 de enero.  Recomienda a los empleados, así mismo, que si éste no ha sido recibido dentro de la fecha límite, se de un plazo adicional hasta el 15 de febrero para presentar su reclamo ante el IRS.  Primero debe contactar a su empleador para confirmar que tiene la dirección actual, en caso se haya mudado en el último año.

More and more older Americans are choosing to live in their homes for as long as possible, or aging in place. The senior who wants to stay in their own home often needs some non-medical assistance to meet this goal, including help with housekeeping, driving, cooking, and even some activities of daily living such as dressing and bathing.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, passed by Congress this January 1, included some substantial good news for employees whose employers supplement their public transportation expense.

Q. We have a regular babysitter. Most weeks she watches the children 3 afternoons/evenings a week, just until I get home from work, so my wife can attend classes. We only pay her $200 a week. I have heard about "nanny taxes" but since she is not full time or a real nanny, that doesn't apply to me, right?

The Internal Revenue Service issued new 2013 income tax withholding schedules yesterday and they are fully integrated with our online tax calculator now. We are fielding a lot of inquiries about new paycheck amounts and will try to address the common questions here: