Negotiating salaries- Are hourly rates net or gross?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here- I negotiated net, $22/hr which is $29/hr. How do you expect your nanny to live off $20/gross?? Could you live off $16-17/hr?

That is fine, but you should be negotiating in gross terms. Negotiate for what you have calculated that you need/want/deserve to earn. If that is $29/hour, then lead with that upfront. Why would you negotiate for $22/hr net instead of $29/hr gross? The former leads to confusion, whereas the latter is completely straightforward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here- I negotiated net, $22/hr which is $29/hr. How do you expect your nanny to live off $20/gross?? Could you live off $16-17/hr?

That is fine, but you should be negotiating in gross terms. Negotiate for what you have calculated that you need/want/deserve to earn. If that is $29/hour, then lead with that upfront. Why would you negotiate for $22/hr net instead of $29/hr gross? The former leads to confusion, whereas the latter is completely straightforward.

This. I negotiated my job with the company for X yearly gross not Y net. I realize it's a little different for hourly employees but if you do guaranteed hours as most nannies want anyway you can figure out what the tax burden will be and do your own calculation and negotiate in gross terms.
We did that with our nanny. We withhold taxes for her based on her paperwork since she didn't want to get stuck with a huge bill in April.

[Anonymous]

And a lot of nannies confuse "paying" their taxes with having them deducted from their paycheck. Likely she will ask for higher hourly...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And a lot of nannies confuse "paying" their taxes with having them deducted from their paycheck. Likely she will ask for higher hourly...

You're kidding. Where are you finding these people?

[Anonymous]

PP- same nannies that say they need $29/hr to net $22/hour!

[Anonymous]

Agree that you should work from a gross that works with your family's budget, and find a nanny for whom that is acceptable.

http://info.homeworksolutions.com/blog/i-agreed-to-pay-our-nanny-600-take-home-weekly-a-case-study

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that you should work from a gross that works with your family's budget, and find a nanny for whom that is acceptable.

http://info.homeworksolutions.com/blog/i-agreed-to-pay-our-nanny-600-take-home-weekly-a-case-study

Thank you for sharing. This happens all the time. We agreed to $700/week net and learned the hard way that this was really about $975/week. Not out of the norm for this area but a big shock. I do find most nannies want an agreed upon net take home, however, so you have to make sure you have a good understanding of taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that you should work from a gross that works with your family's budget, and find a nanny for whom that is acceptable.

http://info.homeworksolutions.com/blog/i-agreed-to-pay-our-nanny-600-take-home-weekly-a-case-study

Thank you for sharing. This happens all the time. We agreed to $700/week net and learned the hard way that this was really about $975/week. Not out of the norm for this area but a big shock. I do find most nannies want an agreed upon net take home, however, so you have to make sure you have a good understanding of taxes.

It's really ignorant for employers to get into "net" discussions. Why do you engage in that nonsense? You're leaving your children with these people??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that you should work from a gross that works with your family's budget, and find a nanny for whom that is acceptable.

http://info.homeworksolutions.com/blog/i-agreed-to-pay-our-nanny-600-take-home-weekly-a-case-study

Thank you for sharing. This happens all the time. We agreed to $700/week net and learned the hard way that this was really about $975/week. Not out of the norm for this area but a big shock. I do find most nannies want an agreed upon net take home, however, so you have to make sure you have a good understanding of taxes.

It's really ignorant for employers to get into "net" discussions. Why do you engage in that nonsense? You're leaving your children with these people??

I agree and I don't get it either.

[Anonymous]

I would never agree to a net amount. What would stop her from inflating her withholding and getting a huge refund? If this person can't be professional enough to understand the tax implications of salary, I don't want to employ her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that you should work from a gross that works with your family's budget, and find a nanny for whom that is acceptable.

http://info.homeworksolutions.com/blog/i-agreed-to-pay-our-nanny-600-take-home-weekly-a-case-study

Thank you for sharing. This happens all the time. We agreed to $700/week net and learned the hard way that this was really about $975/week. Not out of the norm for this area but a big shock. I do find most nannies want an agreed upon net take home, however, so you have to make sure you have a good understanding of taxes.

It's really ignorant for employers to get into "net" discussions. Why do you engage in that nonsense? You're leaving your children with these people??

I don't know any nanny --and I have been hiring nannies for over 10 years-- that does not want some guaranteed amount per week, hours, etc.

[Anonymous]

Our nanny negotiates net, but just for the ss/Medicare that come off the top. She fills our income tax form out as exempt so that nothing additional is deducted and then is responsible for paying income taxes herself. We know she actually files her tax return, but I don't know the specifics (honestly, it' unlikely she's exempt, but it's technically possible and she may not owe enough to owe a fine).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that you should work from a gross that works with your family's budget, and find a nanny for whom that is acceptable.

http://info.homeworksolutions.com/blog/i-agreed-to-pay-our-nanny-600-take-home-weekly-a-case-study

Thank you for sharing. This happens all the time. We agreed to $700/week net and learned the hard way that this was really about $975/week. Not out of the norm for this area but a big shock. I do find most nannies want an agreed upon net take home, however, so you have to make sure you have a good understanding of taxes.

It's really ignorant for employers to get into "net" discussions. Why do you engage in that nonsense? You're leaving your children with these people??

I don't know any nanny --and I have been hiring nannies for over 10 years-- that does not want some guaranteed amount per week, hours, etc.

You guarantee your hourly rate and number of hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that you should work from a gross that works with your family's budget, and find a nanny for whom that is acceptable.

http://info.homeworksolutions.com/blog/i-agreed-to-pay-our-nanny-600-take-home-weekly-a-case-study

Thank you for sharing. This happens all the time. We agreed to $700/week net and learned the hard way that this was really about $975/week. Not out of the norm for this area but a big shock. I do find most nannies want an agreed upon net take home, however, so you have to make sure you have a good understanding of taxes.

It's really ignorant for employers to get into "net" discussions. Why do you engage in that nonsense? You're leaving your children with these people??

I don't know any nanny --and I have been hiring nannies for over 10 years-- that does not want some guaranteed amount per week, hours, etc.

You still need to make your offer in gross wages. If she needs help figuring out net, you can ask her about her tax withholdings, and use a payroll calculator online to calculate/estimate her net wages, print it and give it to her.

[Anonymous]

If your nanny insists on negotiating on net wages, and you really want to hire her, then a condition of employment should be that at the end of the year, she will provide a copy of her tax return and turn over any refund to you.