How I’m Dealing With Nanny Taxes
Know what taxes you're on the hook for.
I recently became the editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine. To help ensure that I’m prepared to take on this exciting new role, my husband and I decided to hire a nanny to care for our two young children while we work. Having a nanny come to our house frees up time that I previously spent running our children to and from day care. And because I work from home, I can enjoy lunch with my kids or take a walk with them when I need a break from my desk.
The convenience of having an in-home caregiver for your kids comes at a premium price and with considerable tax ramifications. The national average weekly rate for a nanny in 2022 was $701 for one child or $726 for two, according to the most recent Cost of Care survey from Care.com. That compares with $268 for one child or $510 for two children at a daycare center. And because a nanny is a household employee, the IRS requires you to withhold and pay tax if her income from the nanny job reaches a certain annual minimum threshold — for 2023, it’s $2,600.
Managing the tax complexities.
As a nanny’s employer, you must pay your share of Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes — an amount equal to 7.65% of her wages — as well as federal and state unemployment taxes. In addition, you must withhold from the nanny’s pay her share of FICA tax, which is 7.65% of her wages. The nanny’s earnings are subject to federal and state income tax, too. (The same tax rules apply to any household employee — such as a cook or housekeeper — for whom you control not only the work they do but how they do it; independent contractors who have multiple clients and use their own supplies — say, providers of lawn care or cleaning services — are not household employees.)
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
To simplify the task of withholding and paying tax, I plan to use a payroll service. You can look for a local accountant who offers payroll assistance or check out a provider that operates online. SurePayroll ($50 monthly), for example, calculates the amount of tax owed, deducts tax from the nanny’s pay, arranges direct deposit of paychecks into her bank account, and remits federal, state and local taxes for you. The program also prepares Schedule H, which reports household employment taxes on your federal tax return.
Other providers of similar online services include Poppins Payroll ($49 monthly) and HomePay ($75 monthly). If you’re willing to file and send tax payments yourself but want help tracking them and figuring out how much you owe, try Simple Nanny Payroll ($29 yearly).
Don’t miss these tax breaks.
To ease the tax bite, I’m contributing to a dependent-care flexible spending account (FSA). If your employer offers one, you can stash away pretax money from your paycheck to cover care for children younger than 13 while you work or look for work. Qualifying expenses include a nanny, day care, preschool, after-school programs and summer day camps. (You can also use dependent-care FSA funds for expenses related to elder care or other care for dependent adults.) The IRS limits household contributions to dependent-care FSAs to $5,000 per year (or $2,500 yearly for those married filing separately).
The child and dependent care tax credit can help offset care expenses, too. You can claim the credit on up to $3,000 in care expenses for one child or up to $6,000 for two or more children. (Only expenses that are not reimbursed by a dependent-care FSA are eligible for the tax credit.) As with an FSA, the care must take place while you work or look for work, and the child must be younger than 13. The maximum credit that you can claim depends on your adjusted gross income. If your AGI is more than $43,000, you can claim up to 20% of care expenses. The percentage increases as AGI decreases, topping out at 35% for those with AGI of up to $15,000.
Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here.
Related Content
To continue reading this article
please register for free
This is different from signing in to your print subscription
Why am I seeing this? Find out more here
Lisa has been the editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance since June 2023. Previously, she spent more than a decade reporting and writing for the magazine on a variety of topics, including credit, banking and retirement. She has shared her expertise as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, Cheddar and many other media outlets around the nation. Lisa graduated from Ball State University and received the school’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014. A military spouse, she has moved around the U.S. and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.
-
How to Help Your Kids Without Ruining Your Retirement
Here are some general considerations to ensure the gift of assets to your kids will not negatively affect your financial future.
By Mario Hernandez Published
-
AI to Power the Next Generation of Robots
The Kiplinger Letter There's increasing buzz that the tech behind ChatGPT will make future industrial and humanoid robots far more capable.
By John Miley Published
-
Should You Let the IRS Do Your Taxes?
Tax Filing The new IRS Direct File program is now open to more taxpayers.
By Kelley R. Taylor Last updated
-
The Price of Filing Taxes With a Professional is Rising
The average cost of working with a tax professional is going up.
By Sandra Block Published
-
How to Calculate Your Adjusted Gross Income — and What It Means
Income Tax Your eligibility for certain money-saving tax breaks depends on your adjusted gross income.
By Ella Vincent Published
-
Types of Income the IRS Doesn't Tax
Income Tax It may feel like the IRS taxes most of your hard-earned money, but some types of income are nontaxable.
By Kelley R. Taylor Last updated
-
Last-Minute Tax Savings Guide for 2023
Tax Savings April 15 is weeks away, so it's not too late to save your 2023 taxes.
By Sandra Block Published
-
Why You Should Care About Your 2026 Taxes Now
Tax Planning It's not to early to prepare for the possibility that your taxes will go up in 2026.
By Sandra Block Published
-
More States Are Offering Family Leave
Increasingly, states are stepping in to offer family leave options for caregivers.
By Sandra Block Published
-
How Net Unrealized Appreciation Helps Save More of Your Retirement Savings
If you have employer stock in your 401(k), net unrealized appreciation is a strategy to minimize your taxes.
By Joy Taylor Published