If you’re taking care of an elderly parent, you know how many things there are to juggle at once. Whether it’s cooking meals every day, paying income taxes, or running to doctor appointments, there are usually endless numbers of tasks that will accumulate from day to day and week to week. It is important to take care of yourself in the midst of taking care of your loved one. Family caregivers need help too, so here are some things you can outsource to simplify your life and have a better routine for caregiver self care.

The summer has been packed with fun activities, but before you know it, you’ll have to start thinking about heading back to school and all that comes with being prepared for that. If you’re busy and you’re looking for ways to get your nanny more involved with the back to school preparation, here are some great ways that you can have her help.

Prior to the enactment of Obamacare ( Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act), household employers gave little thought to cost and regulation when it came to subsidizing a household employee's health insurance costs. The employee and employer simply negotiated a tax free reimbursement contribution, the employee purchased insurance, and the entire transaction took place under the government radar, perfectly legally.

Households that employ domestic help, such as nannies or senior caregivers, are required to file and remit federal and state employment taxes for their employee, but surprisingly, many do not. Failure to pay the so-called “Nanny Tax” results  in a tax gap that totals billions of dollars. In fact, unpaid nanny taxes are estimated to be $3.3 billion to $5.7 billion per year, according to a new study discussed at the June 2018 presentation at the IRS/Tax Policy Center Joint Research Conference on Tax Administration. It is estimated that only 5.3% of the estimated 3.6 million household employers complied with this requirement in 2015. ⁽¹⁾

Hiring a nanny is an important decision and there are likely many questions going through your mind. Setting hours and understanding how much to pay your nanny is an important part of the process, and there are various terms that are used that you may be confused about. Salary* and guaranteed hours are terms that are often used interchangeably, but in fact, they are completely different. If you’ve wondered what guaranteed hours are, we’ll break it down here for you.

At this time of year, a summer vacation is on many people’s minds. If you travel for business, combining a business trip with a vacation to offset some of the cost with a tax deduction can sound appealing. But tread carefully, or you might not be eligible for the deduction you’re expecting.

Minimum wage and overtime laws are contained in a complex assortment of Federal, state and local laws and ordinances.

If you received a large refund after filing your 2017 income tax return, you’re probably enjoying the influx of cash. You may have had a hefty bill as well. Ideally your tax return should have you just about even with the government, no large refund and no big bill. It’s almost impossible to come out square but being only a couple hundred dollars off one way or another is pretty good. If you aren’t close you might want to consider adjusting your withholding. That process is a little more complicated for 2018.

Nanny shares are a great solution for working families that need childcare but need to keep childcare costs affordable. Nanny shares allow a nanny to care for children in more than one family and it can often be a great fit for parents that need reliable care for their kids while they’re at work.