If you hire individuals to work in your home, such as nannies, senior caregivers, or housecleaners, you are likely a household employer in the eyes of federal labor and tax authorities. This employment relationship means you're responsible for filing the proper taxes and providing the necessary paperwork to your employees if you pay them over $2,700 for the year (updated for 2024).

Topics: household employer, nanny tax, Senior Caregiver Payroll, domestic worker, caregiver tax, schedule H, household employment, homework solutions

Good communication that establishes a mutual understanding is necessary when hiring a nanny, senior caregiver, or other household employee to work in your home. When it comes to defining benefits such as paid holidays, the details matter to ensure there is no misunderstanding about how these holidays will be compensated. If the employee often works more than 40 hours per week, defining this benefit and clarifying expectations becomes even more critical. Let’s examine how labor laws determine when overtime is due and how guaranteed pay alters the picture.

Topics: overtime rules, household employee, household employer, hiring a nanny, time tracking, nanny hourly wage, domestic employer legal responsibilities, nanny overtime, Hiring Elder care, Senior Caregiver Payroll

When your nanny decides to leave, whether the parting is mutual or unexpected, it can be an emotional and complicated time for everyone involved. Here are some important steps to consider to ensure a smooth transition and to maintain a positive relationship through the change:

Topics: caregiver payroll, household employee, household employer, hiring a nanny, nanny employment practices, nanny taxes, nanny employee, nanny return of family property, household payroll, nanny employment termination, nanny separation, caregiver, domestic worker, childcare, child care

If you recently hired a household employee who lives out of town, there is a good chance you have discussed reimbursement for moving expenses. These costs can be a burden for employees, so employers often step in and help with the expenses or cover them completely. Here are some things to remember when it comes to paying for moving-related costs surrounding the hiring of your new employee.

Topics: household employee, household employer, nanny expense reimbursement, household payroll literacy, nanny agency, household payroll, caregiver, IRS

Need a housekeeper, nanny, personal assistant, or estate manager to lend a helping hand in your home on a regular basis? Once you find the right person, you want to make sure that they stay employed with you for as long as possible. That means ensuring that everything is kept on the up and up – from communication, to a set payroll schedule, to tax withholdings. Hiring an in-home employee makes you a household employer. And you’ll need to be aware of what your legal responsibilities are. 

Topics: elder care, household employer, calculate nanny payroll tax, 1099 v w-2, domestic employer legal responsibilities, nanny tax compliance, household payroll, caregiver

Around the country, the beginning of the school year is starting out differently. Distance learning is the new norm for many states and counties and that means kids and parents are juggling a lot. But there is good news! There are options. The first one: parents can utilize the services of a nanny or a learning pod to help provide the support and quality education that kids deserve this year. Here’s how.  

Topics: nanny share, household employee, household employer, nanny agency, home health workers, senior home care, nanny sal, childcare, employment compliance, private educator

There is no doubt about it: 2020 has been a year of surprise and change. Parents have had to get creative in how they care for and school their children, in addition to adjusting their own career schedules to make it work. Nanny shares and learning pods are two effective methods that parents are using around the country to provide quality education and care for their kids.

Topics: household employer, nanny, nanny tax, household payroll, agency, private educator, Learning pods

If you hire people to work in your home -- such as nannies, private nurses, or housecleaners -- then you’re a household employer. You’re responsible for filing the proper taxes and getting the right paperwork to your employees if you pay them over $2,000 for the year (as of 2016).

Now that it’s tax season, be sure you’re providing your domestic workers with the proper paperwork. Start with the following information to ensure a stress-free tax season.

Topics: household employer, nanny tax, nanny taxes, domestic worker

I spoke to a prospective client today on the phone. She just hired a senior caregiver - a woman she calls "Mom's helper" - to come in daily to assist her mother around the house. Her mother has had a series of falls recently, none serious, and needs basic help and companionship at home during the day while her daughter is working. As a sandwich generation daughter of a mother with similar issues with aging, I completely understood why she took this step and the challenges she faces trying to balance her Mom's needs and her own professional and economic needs.

Topics: aging in place, household employer, senior care, Hiring Elder care, nanny tax case study

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