Jury duty: some people dread getting called, others welcome the chance to do their civic duty and experience a bit of change of pace from their regular workday. However, when your household employee gets called to jury duty, it can be a strain on your home, and you may need to adjust schedules in order to cover your employee’s absence. When it comes to payment, you might be wondering if they need to be paid while they are on jury duty. Here are the details you should know.
It is a common, but ill advised, practice in the household employment field to negotiate wages on a take home pay basis. We have illustrated many times how parents can get themselves into budgetary hot water when they agree to a take home wage without first doing the math to figure out what the out of pocket costs are too. Similarly, a nanny or senior caregiver who simply negotiates her wage on a take home pay basis often works against her best interest.
For many families, their pets are a part of their family and have just as many privileges and rights as the humans in the house. So, when it comes time to hiring a new household employee, it is important to keep your pets in mind during the process. If you plan on hiring a new nanny and you have pets in your home, this is something that you should discuss with potential candidates from the very get-go.
The following is a guest post from professional Nanny, Cate Matijevich. The views in this article are hers alone.
National Nanny Recognition Week is Sept. 22nd - 28th, a great time to use the advice below!
Preface:
A household employee’s role is to fit seamlessly into a private household, perform their duties independently, proactively and often invisibly. It is easy to understand why in the daily hustle and bustle of life, commending a job well done can be overlooked.
Once you find a wonderful nanny that works well with your family and that your kids love, it is easy to be protective of her and want her to be available all the time. But nannies have lives of their own and many of them want to have their own families. So, it’s important to be prepared for that fact and plan accordingly when your nanny announces that she is pregnant and will want to take maternity leave.
Generally speaking, couples filing jointly are also jointly responsible for the tax obligation of their household. This means that the IRS can go after either spouse for the entire tax obligation, not just the part associated with their earnings. One exception to this rule is called an “Innocent Spouse.”
Retirement planning is a vital part of financial health. Many people use a Traditional IRA to help ensure a comfortable retirement (you can help your household employee too). Building an IRA during your working life is only half the consideration; you should plan for distributions as well.
In the spring of 2019 the Social Security Administration (SSA) started sending out “no-match” letters. These letters are to inform employers that the W-2 given to an employee(s) has information that doesn’t match the agency’s files. Specifically, the information in question is the employee’s name and Social Security Number (SSN).
If you are looking for a nanny to work with your family, you know that it takes a lot of time to review resumes and sit down with top candidates for interviews. Doing your research ahead of time and not rushing the process means that you will be able to find the person that fits best with your family. The interview process itself is very important, too, and there are some key topics that should be covered during that time.
