Did you ever hear Mary Poppins talk about salary or work hours? The Brady Bunch’s Alice never utters a peep about her job description or increasing duties. TV makes it look easy! In real life, however, families must realize that the best nannies – the nannies who take pride in their childcare skills, are attuned to the needs of your child, and anticipate and meet the needs of your household before you even realize and articulate them – know their worth and command a living wage.
Finding the best nanny for your family takes work – from advertising, careful interviewing, thorough screening and background checking, eliciting candid feedback from references, working up the best job description for your family, and crafting the compensation offer. Your child’s nanny is probably the most important hire you will ever make. It is small wonder that so many families turn to an experienced nanny agency to guide them through the process, and why so many of the best nanny agencies partner with knowledgeable and accessible household payroll tax specialty services like HomeWork Solutions.
“After a spectacular initial nanny hire fail, my husband and I turned to an experienced nanny agent when we hired a nanny for our children,” shares Kathy Webb, founder and President of HomeWork Solutions. “Payroll and taxes were definitely an after-thought – and we had no clue.” Webb’s search for nanny payroll advice set off a chain of events that lead to her company’s founding. Today, busy families find that answers and advice on their nanny’s compensation arrangement are just a phone call or click away.
While an experienced nanny agency is an invaluable resource to families struggling with this critical nanny hire, a household payroll service simplifies a tax compliance process that is fraught with confusion, complexity and risk for the hiring family.
Locating the best nanny is an orderly process, and the most successful families both take the necessary time and involve the experts to maximize their probability of success. HomeWork Solutions offers the following tips for families:
1. INVENTORY YOUR NEEDS
Your family is unique. While you share many common needs and challenges with your family and friends, the nanny who will ‘click’ with your family will complement your family’s style, preferences, and requirements. Thoughtful pre-planning is a must. Envision your ideal nanny and make a list of the functions she will have to perform, the skills necessary, and the experience you are seeking. The family with an infant, for example, will require a nanny with verifiable infant care experience or training. Take you list and divide it into two columns – Must Haves and Nice to Have!
2. CONSULT PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
Your family and friends are sure to be helpful, but nanny industry professionals are an invaluable resource and important sanity check. The Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA) and the International Nanny Association (INA) share industry expertise, and maintain online directories of members and services available.
3. THE INTERVIEW
Productive interviewing is a skill – and not all of us will excel at this. Many families squander interview time telling the nanny about the job – in short, they talk too much. Remember, the interview is intended to help you learn about the candidate! Ask open-ended questions and dig deeper with follow-up questions. You will want an environment that is free of distractions, one that lets you and the candidate relax and get comfortable. Interview skills are one of the biggest advantages an experience nanny agency brings to your nanny hiring experience. If you have never done this before, or you have experienced a nanny hiring fail, strongly consider engaging a professional nanny agency.
4. SCREENING
A thorough nanny background check typically will take 2-3 days. An ‘instant’ background check, or a website that promises pre-screened candidates should be a red flag, as reliable national databases do not exist! Established nanny placement agencies have relationships with professional screening services. This individual will be in your home, caring for your child in a relatively unsupervised setting – make sure you do your homework!
5. DON’T SKIP THE REFERENCE CHECKS
Catching up with the nanny candidate’s prior employers takes time – they are busy with their families just as you are with yours. Once you reach the reference on the phone it takes skill to elicit candid answers, and even to ask the right questions. An experienced nanny agency can be invaluable here.
6. PUT THE DETAILS IN WRITING
All families should take the time to document the work agreement, and all parties should sign it! This document establishes the framework of the relationship, an outline of what you all should expect in the partnership. Include start date, hourly pay rate, the schedule required, benefits offered, as well as what you expect in the way of child care and any additional duties. The nanny agency can help you with this, or you can find sample nanny work agreements online. This agreement protects all parties, and is key to managing your financial risk should the arrangement end on a sour note.
7. KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL
The nanny may work with your children in your private home, but make no mistake about it. The nanny is a working professional and you are her employer. Paperwork and taxes are a part of this relationship. Do take the time needed to understand your financial obligations – whether you plan to handle the “nanny taxes” yourself or outsource to a household payroll service like HomeWork Solutions. The IRS estimates that a family will spend 60 hours a year on household payroll tax compliance. Your nanny is protected under Federal and state laws, and you put your family at considerable financial risk when you don’t attend to these details. Keeping it professional includes timely payments, accurate tax calculations, and payroll recordkeeping. Like you, your nanny appreciates regular payroll direct deposit.
“The right nanny for your family is invaluable to the smooth operation of your household and the emotional and physical safety of your child,” says HomeWork Solutions’ Webb. “Details matter. APNA member agency professionals and a responsive nanny payroll service provide the support, guidance and services you need when making the most important hiring decision of your life, your child’s nanny.”
APNA Sponsor Member HomeWork Solutions works with families nationwide providing payroll and nanny tax services to families with household employees.
By Kathleen Webb, HomeWork Solutions, Inc.