Is is not normal for employers to cover gas?

[Anonymous]

I pay for my own gas to drive to and from work. However, while I am there I use their third family car for which they pay all the gas. Is this not normal? I like to look at job on care.com for fun sometimes in different areas of the U.S. and saw people saying that they pay a certain amount for every mile. Why would employers make you pay your own gas when you are transporting their own children?

How does gas work for all of you?

[Anonymous]

Not a nanny, but a former MB. For families that have a car that the nanny uses, I think that your experience is typical -- the family pays for gas. Where the nanny is using her car to transport the children, the family pays the nanny an amount per mile that is meant to compensate the nanny for gas and wear/tear on her car. So, those families are not making the nanny pay for gas to transport their children. Rather they are paying her for gas and the use of her car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a nanny, but a former MB. For families that have a car that the nanny uses, I think that your experience is typical -- the family pays for gas. Where the nanny is using her car to transport the children, the family pays the nanny an amount per mile that is meant to compensate the nanny for gas and wear/tear on her car. So, those families are not making the nanny pay for gas to transport their children. Rather they are paying her for gas and the use of her car.

+1 from another MB. We provide a car for the nanny to drive which we fill up with gas, however, when the nanny used to drive the children in her own car we reimbursed her at the IRS rate per mile that she drove.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a nanny, but a former MB. For families that have a car that the nanny uses, I think that your experience is typical -- the family pays for gas. Where the nanny is using her car to transport the children, the family pays the nanny an amount per mile that is meant to compensate the nanny for gas and wear/tear on her car. So, those families are not making the nanny pay for gas to transport their children. Rather they are paying her for gas and the use of her car.

+1 from another MB. We provide a car for the nanny to drive which we fill up with gas, however, when the nanny used to drive the children in her own car we reimbursed her at the IRS rate per mile that she drove.

+1 from a nanny. When I've used an employer's vehicle they have paid for all gas/maintenance because it is their vehicle. When I use my vehicle for work I am reimbursed at the IRS rate for mileage (I keep a little notebook in my car to track mileage).

[Anonymous]

OP again. Excuse my ignorance but I guess I don't understand the difference? Why is it paid for all gas on the family's car and only some on the nanny's car? Thanks for the responses everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Excuse my ignorance but I guess I don't understand the difference? Why is it paid for all gas on the family's car and only some on the nanny's car? Thanks for the responses everyone!

Because if a nanny is driving the family's car for the kids, she is only using the car during work hours. The parents will pay for all of the gas, because the only time the car is driven is by the parents or by the nanny during work hours.

If a nanny drives her own car, she will be using gas on her own time as well as during work. They pay for the miles she drives with the kids. Make sense?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Excuse my ignorance but I guess I don't understand the difference? Why is it paid for all gas on the family's car and only some on the nanny's car? Thanks for the responses everyone!

Why would the family pay for gas when the nanny isn't driving the children? The IRS reimbursement rate is higher than actual gas price and is meant to include wear and tear on the car as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP again. Excuse my ignorance but I guess I don't understand the difference? Why is it paid for all gas on the family's car and only some on the nanny's car? Thanks for the responses everyone!

In both cases the nanny is not paying for gas when she is driving the kids around for work. If she drives a family car, the family pays for all the gas because the car is only used by the nanny during work hours. If the nanny drives her own car, she is reimbursed per mile for the time she spends driving on the job. There the family wouldn't pay for every tank of gas because the nanny is presumably using her car for other transportation - nor is it typical in either scenario to pay for a nanny's transportation to and from work.

[Anonymous]

OP, the federal mileage rate covers gas AND wear and wear and tear on the vehicle, meaning it covers MORE than just gas. Do you understand?

[Anonymous]

Got it! Sorry for the dumb question, everyone!

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of an employer paying for your personal gas to/from work. My husband did negotiate it with his employer for a extra for gas and tolls but they were changing his work location and wanted him to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of an employer paying for your personal gas to/from work. My husband did negotiate it with his employer for a extra for gas and tolls but they were changing his work location and wanted him to stay.

While OP was confused in her initial post, she was not talking about employers reimbursing for gas to/from work. She was talking about gas used on the job.

[Anonymous]

Basically your employers do not pay for your gas to and from your job. That is your responsibility. I have had some who do offer to pay me for gas to and from work, esp. if I live far from where they live, but this is a luxury and is never expected.

If I am using my own vehicle on the job for transporting children and/or running their errands, I expect to not only be paid gas, but also mileage reimbursement since it is extra wear + tear on my vehicle.

However since you are using their car, and they are covering gas expenses, then you don't have to worry much about that.