A nanny will become an essential member of your household, caring for the most precious part of your life. So it’s a sensible decision to onboard a nanny (or any household employee) the correct way. These four steps will ensure that your nanny can begin work without delay and, come tax season, you or your tax preparer will have the necessary elements to file correctly.

Topics: nanny tax compliance, nanny tax, hiring a nanny, nanny, senior, agency, CPA

Every American dreads this date.  APRIL 15th!  We see images of adding machine tape, lines at the post office, and piles of tax receipts. January is the month household employers deliver W-2 forms to their nanny, housekeeper and other household employees. After a month of frantic phone calls from employers and caregivers alike pleading for tax help, I can offer the following reflections:

Topics: nanny taxes, 1099 v w-2, nanny tax compliance, Senior Caregiver Payroll

When a nanny who has earned her wages under the table is fired and files an unemployment claim, nanny taxes can become a big deal for the former employers (your family!). Read on about how—and why—paying your household employees on the books is the best choice for you and your family.

Topics: nanny off the books, nanny taxes, nanny tax compliance

Families know that a comprehensive, legitimate pre-employment background check, thorough reference checking and organized behavioral interviewing questions are the gold standard in nanny recruiting. The careful background screening is a must, but you should not be lulled into thinking that just because a nanny that passed these 3 steps with flying colors you don't need to pay attention and observe the nanny on the job.

Topics: nanny tax, nanny tax compliance, nanny, nannies, nanny background screening

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

If you employ a household employee (defined by the IRS as any domestic worker earning more than $1900 in calendar year 2014), you are responsible for the so-called "nanny taxes". By keeping track of paperwork, you'll be in a much better position come tax time next year. Nanny agency owners can also benefit from staying organized during the year whether they are filing their agency's taxes on their own or with a tax preparer.

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

Our demanding careers and busy lives sometimes leads us to hire someone to help us out around the house.  If you have hired a nanny, housekeeper, elder caregiver, personal assistant, or any other person to provide services in your home you might become a household employer.  What does it mean?

Topics: nanny tax, household payroll tax, nanny tax compliance

El Congreso de los Estados Unidos está debatiendo la reforma migratoria que podría liderar un camino a la ciudadanía para los cerca de once millones de trabajadores indocumentados que viven y trabajan hoy en las sombras, evadiendo la legislación fiscal.  Una buena parte de éstos trabajadores, están empleados como niñeras, empleadas domésticas y personas al cuidado de adultos mayores.

Topics: nanny tax, nanny payroll, nanny tax compliance, payroll tax enforcement

Congress is debating Immigration Reform, legislation that would establish a path to citizenship for the about eleven million undocumented workers living and working in the shadows today, bypassing tax law obligations.  A good portion of these are employed as household workers such as nannies, housekeepers and senior caregivers. 

Topics: domestic employer legal responsibilities, household payroll tax, nanny tax compliance

Topics: babysitter nanny tax, worker misclassification independent contractor, domestic employer legal responsibilities, nanny non-exempt employee, nanny independent contractor, nanny tax compliance, nanny job description