Knowledge Center

Topic

• 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 »

• I’m Working a Nanny Share Job, Does Having Two Bosses Change Anything with My Payroll and Taxes?

  Does having a nanny share job change my payroll and taxes? When you work in a nanny share arrangement with two families, both families become employers. Presuming that each pay you for the work performed for their individual family, each employer is responsible for withholding nanny share payroll taxes and the periodic remittances of payroll taxes…. Read more »

• What is included in the NannyVerify BASIC Background Check?

  The basic nanny background check package from NannyVerify.com has two components: SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TRACE: Verify SSN and current address. This is also used to determine a candidate’s previous residence(s), and any other names or aliases associated with that SSN for the past 7 years. Vital to determine if additional names or jurisdictions need to… Read more »

• About the Social Security Number Trace

  Hiring families may have questions about the Social Security Number trace they receive as a result of the pre-employment background check order they run on their nanny, housekeeper or care giver candidate. The following FAQ about the SSN trace will assist in interpreting the report. What is a social security trace?A social security trace is... 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 »

• Is my nanny an “Independent Contractor?” Can I do that?

  Is My Nanny an Independent Contractor? Is my nanny an independent contractor? Can I give my nanny or senior caregiver a 1099  and let her file her own taxes? Most Workers are Employees! The US Department of Labor's Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, David Weil, clearly stated on July 15, 2015 that most... Read more »

• This is complicated…What are the risks if I ignore the Nanny Taxes?

  Household employment taxes are complicated! Learn more about what the risk factors are for ignoring nanny taxes below. Risks When You Ignore the Nanny Taxes We know that lots of families skip the the nanny tax. If you are thinking of going in that direction, please be sure you consider the following: Tax Fraud (a… Read more »

• Who actually performs the nanny background investigations?

  Nanny, housekeeper and senior caregiver background checks are provided by a third party, National Crime Search, Inc., an Arkansas-based corporation with a national background screening network. National Crime Search is in compliance with the Professional Background Screening Association and formally recognized as BSCC-Accredited. Nanny background checks are a vitally important part of the nanny hiring process… 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 »

• State Minimum Wages

  NOTE:  If your state’s minimum wage rate differs from the federal rate, then the employer must pay the higher of the two rates for a domestic worker's minimum wage. Nannies, housekeepers, and most senior caregivers are covered by minimum wage legislation. They must be paid for every hour of work at no less than the... Read more »