Knowledge Center

Senior Care Employers

• Understanding Senior Heath: When is Help Needed?

  Senior health  challenges afflict not only the aging, but an increasing number of adult children now caring for their parents. When is outside help needed to help your aging parent age in place? Monitoring an aging parent’s health Each year, projections for the average life expectancy of Americans trend up. There are differences by gender,… Read more »

• Are you a household employer?

  What Your Family Needs to Know... At HWS, we are experts on the tax and labor laws surrounding household employment, so you don't have to be. Let's first determine whether YOU are a household employer. Our knowledge center goes into much more depth on the details, here it is short and simple. Our lives are busy,... Read more »

• Senior Caregiver Hiring: Employee or Independent Contractor

  The IRS is increasing its focus on improperly classified domestic workers, including those hired as senior home care professionals. As an employer of a household employee, you must be aware of these changes for tax season. Misclassifying a household employee as an independent contractor can expose the household employer to multiple risks. An adult over... Read more »

• I have someone working in my home. What taxes do I need to pay?

  In general, the Internal Revenue Service requires payroll tax filings by a domestic employer (household employer) who pays a housekeeper or other household employee more than $2,700 cash wages (2024) in a calendar year*. These payroll taxes are collectively referred to as “nanny taxes”, although as a practical matter these employment taxes are applied to… Read more »

• 7 Rules When Hiring Senior Home Care

  When hiring senior home care you must approach this methodically and not skip important steps. 1. Job Description and Household Rules Your first step is to do a needs assessment. The more specifically you can identify your senior’s needs – physical, medical and emotional – the better equipped you will be to define senior home… Read more »

• Emergency Nanny Income During a Pandemic (Old – Redirected)

  17 March 2020 Summary Over the last several days, attempts to contain and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus are severely disrupting everyday life in the USA. Worries are running the gamut from, “Where can I find toilet paper?” to “I can’t work, I’m not being paid, how can I pay for toilet paper?”… Read more »

• 4 Common Errors: The Nanny or Senior Caregiver Compensation Offer

  You have a new baby in the house, you are not sleeping well, and you need to line up a great nanny before you return to work. Or mom is declining and you have to hire a senior caregiver to stay with her while you are working because she just is not safe alone any… Read more »

• G-5 Employee Workers’ Compensation Insurance

  Workers’ Compensation is insurance protection mandated under state law for a worker and his or her dependents against injury and death occurring in the course of employment. It is not health insurance, and it is not intended to compensate for a disability other than disability caused by injury arising out of employment. If your employee,… Read more »

• Outsourcing Schedule H to a Household Payroll Specialist

  Busy tax preparation firms always encounter a few clients who come to them during busy season with household payroll that has not been attended to throughout the prior year. The client is most interested in fast turnaround of a W-2 form for their nanny or housekeeper, under pressure from their employee to get things together and… Read more »

• Senior Caregiver Employment Application Tips

  Is a senior employment application really necessary? Imagine this… A lovely person is sitting in your mother’s living room. Lately you and mom acknowledge that it would be better if mom had some help at home so she could continue to live at home, even as living there has become somewhat difficult. There are some… Read more »