Monday, September 1 is Labor Day in the U.S. - a Federal holiday that many nannies and caregivers receive as a paid holiday. Families often struggle with how to calculate the employee's paycheck, especially overtime pay,  when a paid holiday is in the pay period.

Topics: senior caregivers, caregiver payroll, nanny payroll, holiday, senior home-care workers

HWS has been providing Nanny Tax compliance services since 1993. Did you know, in a recent client survey, the biggest motivation for employers in outsourcing nanny tax compliance is the time saved?

How much time an individual would spend on their nanny taxes will of course vary between individuals. The IRS estimates that record-keeping, keeping familiar with the law, and tax return completion can run 60 hours per year. Record-keeping accounts for the lions share of the time, an activity that needs to be done every payroll period.

I was chatting with a client today. This gentleman has used our services for many years, and his household circumstances are changing. In the course of the conversation, I asked him what factors caused him to continue using our services year after year. He answered without hesitation "The time savings!" He went on to state that he actually spends only about one hour a year on his nanny taxes - primarily in collecting his information and responding to our quarterly requests for wage reports. (This client is a NaniTax Plus subscriber.) He was certain that he had never filed a tax return on time before hiring HomeWork Solutions, and that the savings in late fees alone was more than our fee. I suspect some exaggeration, but not much!

Topics: nanny payroll, nanny tax, household payroll tax

School is out, and families nationwide are turning to summer nannies to provide safe, individualized caregiving for their young children over the summer holidays.

Topics: nanny payroll, summer nanny, nanny taxes

I am the youngest of six and learned many lessons of ‘what not to do’ from watching my siblings. I observed to the owners of HWS the other day, after taking a client call, that we fix the same problems over and over for different clients. Knowledge is power even when the knowledge comes from seeing the mistakes of others.

I want to share with you my top 5 mistakes your ‘employer’ siblings have done before you so that you can learn ‘what not to do’.

Topics: nanny payroll, household payroll

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

Moving your family can be one of life's most exciting times, yet also one of the most stressful times. Finding a new place, selling an old place, leaving a job, starting a new one or transferring within a company, packing, unpacking, leaving an old nanny, hiring a new one, (or sometimes the nanny moves or commutes to the new location if it’s a local move) the list can seem like its endless.

Topics: nanny payroll, nanny payroll tax, nannies, calculate nanny payroll tax

A client calls and say "I want to pay my nanny $16.00 an hour take home, can you help me?" When I hear this question it is like nails on a chalk board; however it’s also a great opportunity for me to explain the nanny taxes, how payroll works and why paying a net per hour is the worst idea.  This is often referred to as 'Grossing Up' a paycheck and it can lead to major headaches.

Topics: nanny, nanny payroll, nanny payroll tax, nanny hourly wage, nannies

Many families pay their household workers directly and subscribe to a service such as HomeWork Solutions' Essential Payroll to prepare necessary quarterly and end of year tax documents. We are often asked about whether pay stubs are necessary.

Topics: nanny payroll, calculate nanny payroll tax, domestic employer legal responsibilities, nanny tax calculator, household paycheck calculator

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.” In fact, complaince rates hover around 20%. More families are recognizing the merits of filing as employers, and helping household workers with required withholding and tax payment. While filing and paying taxes on household employees brings with it additional costs and paperwork, it also avoids stiff penalties if you are audited by the Internal Revenue Service.

Topics: nanny payroll, household payroll

New Jersey has several new employment related laws that go into effect on January 1, 2014.

Topics: nanny payroll, household payroll