Mileage reimburse question ?

[Anonymous]

So I am ending my one year contract and renewing it with my current family for another year. I live in M-F, last year, I was told they'd give me $20-$30 cash weekly, but didn't want to include it in our contact so I wouldn't be taxed on it.. Okay, well, that lasted 3 weeks and they stopped giving me cash for gas, but I didn't make a big deal out of it because I wasn't driving more than 20-30 miles per week.. Well, now, with summer camps and activities, I am at 150 miles and it's ONLY Wednesday ! I voiced that this year, I am including .56/mile for gas in our contract and weekly I'll get reimbursed.

My question is.. Do you only include the mileage to and from WITH the kids, or can I include drop off, mileage back to their place... AND MILEAGE to go back to pick them up? I don't sit at their camp all day, so I typically go back to the family's home until pick up. What do you all do ? I just want to be fair about this, but I will be at 200 miles this Friday, I think gas is more than reasonable, I've always been flexible, but I think I've been far too nice the past year so I want our new contract to be spelled out more clearly. I also plan to have a mileage worksheet to show driving daily (more for my records than there's) Thanks for all advice.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends. Do they need you back at the house for laundry or other tasks or would they be done with you sitting there (paid) all day? All driving for the job is reimbursed.

[Anonymous]

You should specify the federal gas reimbursement rate rather than giving the number, in case it goes up. If you are driving your personal vehicle, you should be getting that rate for all child-related driving - to/from camps and activities, both drop-offs and pick-ups. However, if you make a pit stop along the way for a personal reason, that should be deducted.

[Anonymous]

2016 rates are $.54/mile, so she's already over the federal rates.

You should be reimbursed for all driving done on the job. However, if you currently have no duties at all if kids aren't there, and you're paid for the time the kids are in camp/school, I would suggest being willing to negotiate on that point. Otherwise, you may find that they come up with things to fill your time.

[Anonymous]

15:52, thanks for the update ! I wasn't aware it had decreased because initially I was to get cash !! I'll be sure to include .54 cents in the new contract. There's nothing to fill my time in between so I am totally okay with not charging for my drive home from the camp or my drive back to pick them up ! I have no problem charging for just the kids RT, and the drive to other activities, I'm still looking at 90 miles (from Monday to TODAY) which is straight from my GPS. That's what I am trying to get clarification for from other nannies in what they do. Thanks again !

[Anonymous]

So . . 200 miles at 54 cents a mile is $108 for this week.

[Anonymous]

As PP said, state "federal mileage rate" vs a number in your contract to cover any increases that occur. Are you paid dur

[Anonymous]

OP, I am kind of in the same boat as you. I am after school nanny, and as the kids have gotten older, my job has become more and more just taxi service to their activities. The 8 year old is now doing soccer in a town 20 miles away. So on Mondays and Wednesdays I leave my house, drive 6 miles to their house, let the 12 year old dog out to pee, then bring in packages, trash cans, etc., then take the dog for a quick walk, then drive 4 miles to school and pick the boy up, then drive him 19 miles to soccer practice. The dad meets us at soccer, and I drive 20 miles home.

Soccer practice started last week, and at first I was thinking that since I was only with the child for one hour, I would charge for only one hour of childcare. But at the end of the week, I realized I was spending 2 hours and 45 minutes on the road those days, and I am just not willing to do that in exchange for a one hour babysitting fee. MB and I discussed it all when the week was over and I renegotiated my fees for this taxi service. As far as gas / car maintenance fees, I charge 40 cents a mile from my house back to my house.


P.S. -- I have always wondered about the government gas rate. The actual cost of the gas is going to be 15-20 cents a mile. Does a vehicle really need so much maintenance that it equates to 35 cents a mile???? That would mean if a vehicle is driven 10,000 miles a year, it would need $3,500 a year in maintenance. Eh, my vehicle has been paid off for a long time, so I guess maybe I am not taking car payments and full coverage insurance into account.

[Anonymous]

As PP said, state "federal mileage rate" vs a number in your contract to cover any increases that occur. Are you paid during the time that they are in camp? That would make a huge difference if you were not.

[Anonymous]

The federal mileage rate is designed to cover a large variety of cars, and is actually a maximum amount that you can be given tax free. An employer can reimburse for a different amount, though most nannies seem to insist on this maximum amount because of the potential wear and tear of kids in the car.

Any amount you are not reimbursed up to the maximum rate can be deducted on your tax return if you itemize.

[Anonymous]

This is poster 08/24/2016 20:43 again. I got curious so I did some googling about the "I wonder" thing I posted about last night. Here is what I found.

Mileage reimbursement takes into account the following:
Gasoline purchases
Oil and maintenance expenses
Interest expenses on the vehicle loan
Or, lease payments for the tax year
Annual depreciation on the vehicle
Registration fees
Insurance
Repairs
Tolls
Tires
Garage rent
Parking fees

[Anonymous]

Unless they are willing to pay you to sit at the camp and wait, they need to cover all transportation required during the work day. That means both round trips.

I would ask for standard federal rates.

[Anonymous]

OP:
As a PP suggested, when agreeing on your new contract, simply write you are to be reimbursed at the Federal Mileage rate current at the time since it very well may go up in the next year.
This is for not just fuel costs, but for add'l wear + tear on your personal vehicle.

Also, if you are driving them to an activity, then yes you should definitely get a drop-off stipend. But if you are free after that, then I would not think you should be paid after that point. Unless you need to be back at the house.

And for a pick-up, you can start charging mileage from where you picked them up to back home.

Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

OP HERE ! So, I am a live - in nanny and paid 35 hours per week. During the summer, I am actually working more like 50 hours. During the school year, I am cutting it close to my actual 35 hours since some evenings the parents work late. Before I wasn't doing as much but now, I'm starting To do more and more so the gas mileage is important.

FYI: I drop kids off and I'm free til they need to be picked up. Most days mom have me running errands so I'm not "free". Parents recently split so mom is dating so again, I'm working 5-6 hours in the evening and can't go out myself so while the kids are 10/8, my interaction with them are minimal but my actual working hours are beginning to be more than my PAID 35. The 35 hours away agreed because they "really " only needed someone for 20, but they understood, it would be hard to find someone for mornings and then come back at 4p so 35 hours was agreed upon and I live in (M-F and yes, I pay rent for my own place as well ) because when the kids are out, the parents don't have to stress to find someone.


And as someone mentioned above the number is high once calculated, bug it typically cost $25-$27 to fill my tank so I'm not asking for $100! That would be overkill.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like with the change in circumstances, you need to do more renegotiation than just the mileage. I would ask for a cap on the number of evenings you're stuck at home, or a raise.