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Alaska Fact Sheet Household Tax Compliance Tips

HOMEWORK SOLUTIONS IS HERE TO HELP!

Payroll tax compliance for your new employee does not need to be terrifying, time consuming or expensive. HomeWork Solutions is a nationally recognized “household payroll” service company, providing household employers nationwide with trusted and time saving payroll and payroll tax solutions.

WORKER CLASSIFICATION IS THE KEY

You become a household employer when you hire an individual to perform duties and provide services under your direction in your private home. Generally, these workers are your employees, not independent contractors. Failure to properly classify the worker and make the appropriate employment tax filings and payments is considered tax fraud by the IRS.

PAYROLL TAX RESPONSIBILITIES

You are responsible for federal employment taxes when you pay household workers as little as $1,000 in a calendar quarter or when you pay any individual employee age 18 or over $2,700 in a calendar year.

You have both Federal and State tax filing responsibilities. Federal employment taxes are reconciled with the household employer’s annual Federal Income tax return. Your state may require quarterly unemployment tax filings, as well as reports and remittance of state income taxes withheld, if applicable. Employee wages are reported to the Social Security Administration. Your employee is due a W-2 form in January.

Social Security and Medicare Taxes

The household employer is responsible for the payment of all Social Security and Medicare taxes to the IRS. You may choose to either collect your employee’s taxes via payroll deductions or fund these taxes yourself.

Unemployment Taxes

You will make contributions to the IRS and Alaska to fund unemployment and worker re-training programs.

Income Taxes

Federal and state income taxes are ultimately the responsibility of the household employee; however, best practice is to deduct these taxes from your full time employee’s wages to help them avoid owing large sums when they file their annual income tax returns.

OTHER LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Verification of Work Eligibility

All U.S. employers are required to verify a candidate’s employment eligibility using Form I-9.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Compliance

Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records including time tracking, gross pay calculations, and detailed records of all deductions from the employee paycheck.

Pay no less than minimum wage on an hourly rate basis.

Health Insurance

You are not required to provide employee health insurance, however there are financial and retention advantages to contributing some or all of your employee’s health insurance premium. HWS is happy to discuss this with you.

ALASKA LABOR LAWS

Minimum Wage

Alaska defers to the FLSA, which requires that all domestics, excluding companions, be paid at no less than the greater of the state or federal minimum wage.

Alaska minimum wage laws exclude those in domestic service (including babysitting) in or about a private home. Thus, minimum wage for domestic employment in Alaska is $7.25/hr.

Overtime Pay

All live-out workers are to be paid an overtime differential of 1.5 times the hourly wage for hours over 40 in a work week. Overtime compensation is not required for hours on weekends or holidays.

Paid Time Off

Alaska does not mandate any paid time off for non-exempt workers.

Mileage Reimbursement

The federal government establishes and updates a maximum rate for non-taxable mileage reimbursement each year. The current rate is $0.67 per mile.

Payroll Frequency

Alaska allows you to pay your household worker daily, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, but does not permit monthly pay cycles. Pay upon separation is due within 3 business days.

Payroll Documentation

You must notify employees in writing at the time of hire of the day and place of payment and their wage rate.

You must provide employees on each pay day a statement of earnings and deductions.

You must also inform employees of changes to wages or the day or place of payment no later than the payday prior to the time of change.

You can find a sample pay rate notice here.

Employment Contract Requirements

You are required to provide a written Employment Contract to your employee at the time of hire. The contract must include the employee’s hourly rate of pay, when paydays will occur and how the employee will be paid. A free sample work agreement can be found here.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Alaska requires all household employers to obtain Workers’ Compensation Insurance. This will help protect you, should your employee(s) be injured on the job. A policy can usually be obtained easily and cost effectively by contacting your Homeowner’s or Renter’s Insurance provider. If your insurance provider does not offer coverage, you may purchase insurance through Alaska’s Assigned Risk Pool, which is administered by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI).

State Unemployment Insurance

Alaska requires a new employer state unemployment insurance tax of 1.0% for the first $51,700 of wages paid to each employee. This may vary if you have previous employees.

Frequency of Tax Filings

Alaska requires quarterly tax filings.

HWS WILL HELP YOU DO THE RIGHT THING

HWS knows that most families want to pay their household employees legally and ensure that the employee receives workers compensation and unemployment insurance protections. You also want to establish a principled relationship with your employee who is caring for and interacting with precious family members. Getting the relationship started on the right footing, including complying with legal and tax formalities, helps set the tone for the relationship.