Questions re: Logistics of Hiring and Paying a Nanny
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Anonymous
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My husband and I are hiring a nanny to care for our twin sons who will be infants when the nanny begins work. We are hoping to get this group's thoughts on several questions we had:
1. For a full-time nanny, do you pay the nanny for all days/weeks of the year, including for days that the nanny is not needed (i.e., because one of the parents is home from work due to illness or vacation)? 2. Do you handle payroll taxes yourself or hire a company to do this for you? If you hire a company, would you recommend it, and which one would you recommend? 3. Does anyone have a sample list of terms or a contract that you wrote with your nanny that you might be willing to share? 4. Is there a good website that describes the responsibilities of the employer of a nanny, such as with respect to tax withholding? Thanks for your thoughts. You can reach us at rebecca.williams@aya.yale.edu. |
Anonymous
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Unless you pay the nanny a very high rate, she will not survive on irregular paychecks. So yes, you pay her for the schedule you ask her to set aside just for you.
Congratulations on your babies! |
Anonymous
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1. I have always been paid throughout the year, including the times my employers take a day off or go on vacation. There are many f/t nannies who insist on having guaranteed pay as part of their work agreement. In this scenario the only times your nanny wouldn't get paid is if she takes a day off after having used up all of her PTO.
2. My current family uses Breedlove, and we all love the company. It's been a really smooth process. Former employers have used either a personal accountant or business manager. 3. I can't share my work agreement without blocking out a lot of details, but if you search under "nanny sample work agreement (or contract)" you'll find quite a few great examples. 4. Breedlove's website has a section that explains employer responsibilities. http://www.breedlove.com/Answers/GetAnswers.aspx |
Anonymous
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Hi Rebecca. Congrats on your twins!
My best advice to you is to join your local parents of multiples club. If you're in the DC area we have a great one in Montgomery County (MCPOM - MoCO Parents of Multiples). There's a really good one in Fairfax also. Through those networks you can get great, specific advice from parents who don't have to be anonymous like on this forum. We also share nanny referrals, night nurses, contract info, etc... And it's great to meet a few other folks who are due around your time or have kids around the same age. Re your specific questions I second the Breedlove recommendation. There are several services that will handle taxes and payroll for you and I HIGHLY recommend doing that. It cost a little more, but it is a huge sanity save and makes the whole thing a total breeze to manage. We have been using Breedlove for 2 years w/ our nanny and they've been really great to work with. Never a single problem and a great resource for information. Re payment - you'll do better hiring a nanny for whom you guarantee steady work, even if there are times when one of you might be able to offer the coverage. As a mother of twins myself, let me assure you that the occasional days when you might have off are days when it is GREAT to still have a nanny to help. I often take vacation days just to do things like shopping, or cleaning out closets, going to a doctor, or maybe even having lunch with a friend. Those days are key to my sanity and also to keeping the whole household on track. And then there are the times when the parent(s) in the house are sick and if it weren't for the nanny you don't know how anyone would survive! (Speaking as someone who called her nanny one morning when the nanny was supposed to be off, feeling like I was on my deathbed and begging for help!) 
You will occasionally spend a bit of money paying the nanny for time you could have covered. But it's a very small price to pay for the backup, consistency, ongoing relationship, etc.. Good luck and congrats! |
Anonymous
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And then there are the times when the parent(s) in the house are sick and if it weren't for the nanny you don't know how anyone would survive! (Speaking as someone who called her nanny one morning when the nanny was supposed to be off, feeling like I was on my deathbed and begging for help!)
You will occasionally spend a bit of money paying the nanny for time you could have covered. But it's a very small price to pay for the backup, consistency, ongoing relationship, etc.. Good luck and congrats! You had good advice. However, I must say you are quite presumptuous to call your nanny the morning of one of her days off to beg her to come in. She may have acted fine about it, but it has happened to me and other nannies, and I have never heard of anyone being okay with that. I have been doing this 18 years. I always think it is easy for them to call me, rather than the spouse taking off work, relatives coming over, etc. In all instances I have been in, and others I know have, the parents always had another alternative if they thought about it, tried hard enough, or were willing to sacrifice (like the other spouse leaving work). It makes me feel undervalued and like my time off is not respected. |
Anonymous
You had good advice. However, I must say you are quite presumptuous to call your nanny the morning of one of her days off to beg her to come in. She may have acted fine about it, but it has happened to me and other nannies, and I have never heard of anyone being okay with that. I have been doing this 18 years. I always think it is easy for them to call me, rather than the spouse taking off work, relatives coming over, etc. In all instances I have been in, and others I know have, the parents always had another alternative if they thought about it, tried hard enough, or were willing to sacrifice (like the other spouse leaving work). It makes me feel undervalued and like my time off is not respected. I've been it this situation, and I truly was ok with helping out when I wasn't supposed to be on duty. MB and one of the kids were both violently ill with a stomach virus. The 2 1/2 year old and 3 month old still needed to be taken care of. DB was out of the country on business and no relatives closer than a 2 1/2 hour drive. I was closest and available. MB dealt with herself and the sick 4 year old while I took the younger two. Some of us are very understanding and more than willing to help out in a pinch while still feeling valued and respected. |
Anonymous
I've been it this situation, and I truly was ok with helping out when I wasn't supposed to be on duty. MB and one of the kids were both violently ill with a stomach virus. The 2 1/2 year old and 3 month old still needed to be taken care of. DB was out of the country on business and no relatives closer than a 2 1/2 hour drive. I was closest and available. MB dealt with herself and the sick 4 year old while I took the younger two. Some of us are very understanding and more than willing to help out in a pinch while still feeling valued and respected. MB whose post was the subject of these responses here. Yes, our entire house was seriously ill, there was no one better to call for help, and our nanny was happy to come help us out for a few hours. We have a relationship with her where all of us have gone out of our way to take care of the other (we helped her find a place to live, moved her in, loan her a car when her car is in the shop, etc...) And she helps us out when we're in a jam - as we very much were that day. We are blessed to have her and she seems very happy in her employment with us. My point is that a great nanny is a true blessing. Nannies and parents who work together and support each other are a win-win. 16:03 sounds like one of the winners that OP should try to find. 3:27? Not so much. |
Anonymous
I pay mine a week vacation of her choosing. She can up to two weeks unpaid, at her choosing with notice. I give all federal holidays paid. Often I will come home early and let her go but still pay through her normal time. I pay her 1.5 x her rate for any hours over 8 in a day (vs just over 40 in a week). If she travels with me I pay all her expenses plus normal rates. I often allow her to stay overnight if she wants to not drive home late/bad weather/whatever. I provide all food during the day and she stays fir dinner at least 1-2 times per week. I use a service for payroll |
Anonymous
You had good advice. However, I must say you are quite presumptuous to call your nanny the morning of one of her days off to beg her to come in. She may have acted fine about it, but it has happened to me and other nannies, and I have never heard of anyone being okay with that. I have been doing this 18 years. I always think it is easy for them to call me, rather than the spouse taking off work, relatives coming over, etc. In all instances I have been in, and others I know have, the parents always had another alternative if they thought about it, tried hard enough, or were willing to sacrifice (like the other spouse leaving work). It makes me feel undervalued and like my time off is not respected. This kind of attitude is silly, PP. You can always say "sorry, I have other plans" when asked to work on your day off. Many nannies would be happy for the chance to earn extra money if they had nothing specific planned. Others may not need the money, but would be happy to help the family out in a pinch. At any rate, it should be the nanny's decision, not one the family makes in anticipation of the possibility that it might have a nanny with a fragile ego who is looking for reasons to feel insulted. |
Anonymous
Agree and agree. Nanny has guaranteed hours/pay, and occasionally we need a few more hours when my partner travels and we pay for that too. We pay our nanny and have a basic service from 4nannytaxes.com. We tried to do ourselves and made some rookie mistakes, they got us straightened out. We do have a contract. |
webbkathy
Member Offline
Member Offline
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Rebecca:
1. For a full-time nanny, do you pay the nanny for all days/weeks of the year, including for days that the nanny is not needed (i.e., because one of the parents is home from work due to illness or vacation)? Most full time nannies expect a guaranteed base pay every week, even if the family doesn't need her one or more days. This is not a requirement, however it is so common that if you do not plan to do this you should disclose in the interview and the work agreement so you don't end up with a very unhappy nanny somewhere down the road and have to replace with little/no notice. This is much less common for PT nannies. Make sure you state her pay in hourly rate terms, and if more than 40 hours are needed in a week do the math for regular and overtime rates. The Hourly Rate Calculator at 4nannytaxes.com will do the algebra for you! 3. Does anyone have a sample list of terms or a contract that you wrote with your nanny that you might be willing to share? There are sample work agreements here: http://www.4nannytaxes.com/index.cfm/resources/forms/ Also state specific payroll and tax tip sheets can be downloaded from here: http://www.4nannytaxes.com/index.cfm/resources/news-and-updates/household-employment-rules-by-state/ 4. Is there a good website that describes the responsibilities of the employer of a nanny, such as with respect to tax withholding? Our FAQ has been developed from 20+ years of experience helping new household employers with their questions: http://www.4nannytaxes.com/index.cfm/faq/nannyhousekeeper-faq-list/ I hope that helps! Kathy Webb |
Kathy Webb
HomeWork Solutions Inc.
http://www.HomeWorkSolutions.com
800.626.4829
Simplifying Nanny Tax Compliance Since 1993
HomeWork Solutions Inc.
http://www.HomeWorkSolutions.com
800.626.4829
Simplifying Nanny Tax Compliance Since 1993