When managing household payroll, many people wonder if they should set up a Limited Liability Company (LLC) for additional protection. While the idea of an LLC can be appealing, it’s generally unnecessary for household employers and often doesn’t provide the legal or financial protection you might expect. Here’s why setting up an LLC is usually more trouble than it’s worth for household employment.

At HomeWork Solutions, we understand that household employment can bring unique challenges for CPAs and financial professionals. Whether it’s a client who just hired a nanny or a question about how to handle household payroll taxes, we're here to make sure you have the insights you need. To help you guide your clients confidently, we’ve compiled a list of nine essential tips that will keep you on the right track.

As a CPA, your expertise is unparalleled, but staying abreast of every niche area of accounting can be overwhelming. Industry-specific laws and regulations, especially those governing household employees, are complex and ever-evolving. This is where outsourcing can make a significant difference, relieving you from the burden of constant learning and allowing you to provide more comprehensive service to your clients.

Minimum wage will be increasing in many states and cities across the country.  As longtime advocates for fair and legal pay, we believe this is long overdue!  Domestic employees deserve a living wage that fairly compensates them for the invaluable work they do to keep our households running.

As the Baby Boomer generation ages, a growing number of them face decisions around long-term care needs for themselves or their parents. This presents an opportunity for CPAs to have important family wealth-planning conversations. By proactively discussing potential home caregiver requirements, you can position your firm as a trusted advisor while identifying clients who may need support transferring assets or updating estate plans.

For CPAs, now is a great time of year to ensure clients with household employees—like nannies—are doing things the right way to make tax time easier for them and for you. It’s ideal if these clients have diligently tracked hours, issued accurate paychecks with the appropriate Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld, and kept up with quarterly unemployment tax filings and W-2 distribution. Unfortunately, this scenario is more the exception than the rule. Many employers of household employees are either not fully aware of their responsibilities or find themselves too pressed for time to manage them effectively, often creating additional workload for their CPAs.

May was an extremely busy month for labor rules across the U.S. Read on for our latest roundup of the Department of Labor's final rule, its ramifications across industries, and expert opinions on how all these topics impact your practice and your clients.

DOL Finalizes Fiduciary Investment Advice Regulation | Practical Law The Journal | Reuters
Reuters
The Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized a regulation on the definition of fiduciary investment advice under the Employee Retirement Income ... 

On January 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule revising its guidance on how to determine whether a worker is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Effective March 11, 2024, this new rule rescinds the prior independent contractor rule from 2021. 

When new household employees reach out to HomeWork Solutions for information on how their employers should report wages, some respond with “I don’t want to pay taxes, maybe we will just do this under the table.” While under the table payments might seem tempting at first, it really isn’t a good idea to work “off the books." We remind these callers when unreported or under-reported income comes to light the taxpayer not only owes the original amount, but also penalties and interest. Often these callers ask how the IRS will find out about the payments.  So, let’s look into how under the table wages may be discovered.

In the world of employment and compensation, bonuses are like icing on the cake. They are the reward that make hard work and dedication feel appreciated and recognized. For hourly employees like nannies, caregivers, and , bonuses can take two primary forms: discretionary and non-discretionary. But what are the key differences between these two, and how do they impact overtime pay?