You’ve done your research and interviewed lots of potential candidates for your household employee position. Whether it’s a nanny, an in-home senior caregiver, or someone else that will work regularly in your home with you, making the decision to hire the right person can feel like a lot of pressure. And more than likely, you have questions on what your responsibilities are for paying taxes on your household employee.

For small businesses and household employers, managing payroll can be one of the most arduous tasks. Adding to the burden earlier this year was adjusting income tax withholding based on the new tables issued by the IRS. (Those tables account for changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.) But it’s crucial not only to withhold the appropriate taxes — including both income tax and employment taxes — but also to remit them on time to the federal government.

Wondering if a nanny is the best choice for your family? Hiring a nanny can be a great thing for your family and can help alleviate some of the responsibilities and stress you have as a working parent. A good nanny will have your children’s best interest in mind and taking good care of them will be their primary concern. Here is some important information about a nanny job description as well as tips on how you can foster a great nanny/parent relationship.

Nannies will take care of your children while you’re away. They will play with your kids, feed them, help them with toileting, and will comfort them when they need it. The bottom line: a nanny will step in to provide similar things that you would provide if you were there. Nannies may also do housework like wash dishes, do the laundry, straighten the children’s rooms or play areas, and more. A nanny’s specific duties will vary from family to family and the job description will need to be something that you discuss in detail with your nanny before you hire her.

“Going green” at home — whether it’s your principal residence or a second home — can reduce your tax bill in addition to your energy bill, all while helping the environment, too. The catch is that, to reap all three benefits of the renewable energy tax incentive, you need to buy and install certain types of renewable energy equipment in the home.

You live a busy life and sometimes, you feel overwhelmed with the demands and tasks that continually pile up. If you’ve hired a household employee such as a nanny or senior caregiver and you simply don’t have the time to manage the payroll and make sure that all the taxes are being withheld properly, it may be time to consider a household payroll service.
There are many benefits to outsourcing. Here are some of the main reasons to consider delegating payroll to the professionals.

Your nanny works hard for you day in and day out, so making sure she feels valued and appreciated is very important! As you build a solid relationship with your nanny, they will begin to feel like they’re part of the family. So, in addition to offering a fair compensation package and regular time off, it’s nice to acknowledge her contributions to your family in special ways.

National Nanny Recognition Week 2018 is September 23 - 29. Here are some great ways you can express gratitude for a job well done.

It’s easy to get frustrated when an employee is failing to produce the volume or quality of work you expect. A business owner, department manager, or even household employer may give in to the temptation to play the blame game, pointing a finger at the struggling worker and only exacerbating the situation.

You’ve interviewed many potential nannies and you’ve finally found the right one. Now, it’s time to build a solid relationship with her – one that works on the professional level as well as the family level. You will be entrusting your children with this nanny, so it’s important to have a great relationship with her. Starting well right at the beginning is key and that usually begins with strong communication and a mutual understanding that you will work together as a team. This will help keep the relationship healthy with a good balance. Here are some other help tips on building a great nanny/family relationship.

This is a community post provided by Freddie Tubbs. From time-to-time we like to share other points of view on popular topics here on our blog. This is one way we keep our content fresh! The opinions and advice below are solely those of the author, not HWS. 

A good nanny job description should contain many things. After all, that's not a simple job – you need to hire someone to take care of your children when you are not around and most parents feel like no one can do it better than them. This is what makes the nanny finding process much harder.

You’ve spent time searching for the right caregiver for your father or son and you’ve become used to having help around the home for your loved one. It appears as if everything is working out well. But then, the caregiver quits. Did something go wrong? You may feel anxiety when you first hear the news that your caregiver is leaving, but there are some practical things you can do that can help alleviate stress and help put you on the track toward finding another person to step in.