Whether you hired a nanny, a housekeeper, a personal assistant, or a private educator this year, there are some important things to know when it comes to filing taxes. When you hire someone to work in your home, you become an employer. Tax and labor laws generally apply, even if there are some small exemptions unique to household employers. Many families don’t know this and make the mistake of paying the employee “off the books.” This could be a very costly error. Here are some specific ways to avoid domestic employee tax problems. 

Topics: housekeeper, household employee taxes, nanny payroll tax, nanny hourly wage, nanny independent contractor, nanny tax compliance, household payroll, caregiver

If you are a CPA at this time of year, you are hoping and praying that your clients with nannies have their documents in order. Your fingers are crossed that your clients have tracked their nanny’s hours worked, paychecks paid, and all with their Social Security and Medicare taxes withheld. You really hope they have already done their quarterly unemployment tax filings and issued their nanny's W-2. Unfortunately, the odds are not in your favor. Most nanny employers either are not fully aware of the responsibilities of household employment or lack the time to handle these obligations, which leads to hours and hours of extra work on the part of you, their CPA.

Topics: household employee taxes

Nannies and senior caregivers who work in a private home, receive instructions and directions from the family employer and are paid by the family (either directly or via a household payroll company) are employees in the eyes of the IRS and US Department of Labor. As employees, many aspects of compensation and payroll are governed by payroll and labor law, no different than employees in a department store, factory or othr workplaces. Tax and labor law that covers household employees are often unique, and all too often neither the family nor the caregiver know the important details. Household payroll literacy on the part of a nanny or senior caregiver is important as they negotiate pay and benefits with their employers, many of whom don't understand these key points themselves.

Topics: household employee taxes, household payroll literacy, nanny employment practices, domestic employer legal responsibilities

The CPA or accounting professional is often the first resource a family consults when hiring a nanny or senior caregiver. Families have questions about their tax responsibilities and the myriad rules and responsibilities that surround their new role as a household employer. You of course are knowledgeable about household employment taxes (the so-called “nanny taxes”) and have probably assisted many families to report and pay these taxes as part of your personal income tax practice.   While you and the family can of course refer to IRS Publication 926 for specifics about Federal household employment tax reporting, your experience tells you this is not the end of the story.

Topics: household employee taxes

Last Friday, HWS' Client Care Manager Mary Crowe took a phone call that went along these lines:

Topics: household employee taxes, nanny payroll tax

Usually around this time of year we start getting worried phone calls from families confused by the household employee taxes or the "nanny taxes." We pulled together some more of the frequently asked questions our tax experts are getting in time for April 15th. 

Q. My domestic (elder caregiver, housekeeper, nanny) wants to be treated as a "contractor." Can I do that?

Topics: elder care, eldercare, household employee taxes, senior care, 1099 v w-2, senior home-care workers

Hiring a nanny to care for children, or a caregiver for an elderly family member can be very expensive. These employees often work long hours and your need for their services is generally perpetual. The high cost of employing household workers often makes it tempting for families not to report paid wages, since reporting carries additional financial requirements related to unemployment insurance and other benefits. However, the risks to families who do not pay their domestic employees "on the books" are considerable.

Topics: household employee taxes, household employee, household employer, household payroll tax, workers compensation household employees

In an inspiring and forward-thinking section of the New York Times on innovations in retirement, an article on innovative solutions to senior living offered news on several fronts. While most readers will be familiar with the existing alternatives such as in-home senior care, assisted living and independent senior living options, the article features new ideas that will certainly gain more traction as the baby boomer population ages. Often referred to as "aging in place," here are some examples highlighted in the article:

Topics: elder care, aging in place, eldercare, household employee taxes, nanny background screening

With compliance rates hovering around 10-20%, many household employers are only now beginning to seriously consider the costs and risks related to paying nannies and other household workers "on the books." While filing and paying taxes on household employees brings with it additional costs and paperwork, more families are recognizing the merits of filing as employers, and helping household workers with income tax withholding.  

Topics: household employee taxes, nanny payroll, nanny tax, nanny taxes

Household employee placements- including butlers, chefs, housekeepers and nannies- are on the rise, said Sarah Tilton of the Wall Street Journal in a recent online article. Accustomed to the high level of service they receive on luxury vacations and five star hotels, wealthy homeowners are increasingly staffing their residences with specially trained personnel to make their lives more comfortable.

Topics: household employee taxes, 1099 v w-2, domestic employer legal responsibilities, nanny tax compliance