NEW FULL-TIME NANNY JOB WITH INFANT IN PHX, $15-$18/hr

44th St & Camelback: This amazing returning family of ours who are first time parents to a happy, healthy 9 month old baby girl are seeking a loving, reliable, committed, caring nanny with excellent infant experience to join their family and care for their daughter on a flexible, full-time basis. Mom currently works from home in her home office. The family is flexible with their schedule and can work around a nanny’s availability but ideally a M-F schedule of 8AM-4PM would work great. The nanny will be responsible for total and complete childcare responsibilities pertaining to the infant even when the parents are in the home. The nanny responsibilities will include the following; feeding, changing, putting the infant down for naps, going for walks, playing with age appropraite toys, reading books and working on developmetal activities. The family

will also need light housekeeping. The Dad works long hours and the Mom would love an extra hand around the household. Ideal candidate is someone who is focused on being engaging and interactive and who places an importance on educating their daughter and planning age-appropriate developmental activities as she grows. They are open to enrolling her in classes and having the nanny take her on outings and to activities. No Pets.  Compensation: $15-$18/hr. (REF#PBPHX)

Read More

BEING PAID UNDER THE TABLE CAN DELAY RETIREMENT
When a nanny, housekeeper or senior caregiver is paid legally, they are entitled to certain benefits that are earned through the payroll and tax process. But because many household employees are younger in age, sometimes they don’t realize how important these benefits are. In this edition of The Legal Review, the Hanson family finds themselves in a big mess after their long-time nanny decides she’s ready to stop working.

The Situation

The Hanson family lives in upstate New York and has employed a nanny named Bonnie for the past four years. Unlike most nannies, Bonnie was 60 years old when the Hansons hired her, but had a wealth of experience with childcare as she was a stay-at-home mom for most of her life. Before working for the Hansons, the only job Bonnie ever had was working in a local retail shop for 8 years. With her upbeat personality and her love for children, she was a great fit for the Hansons after their first child was born and they were ecstatic to hear she would take on the challenge of a second child two years later.

The Mistake

When the Hansons first hired Bonnie, they asked their neighbors how they handled hiring a nanny for their kids. The Hanson’s neighbors explained they paid their nanny like they would a babysitter and gave her cash at the end of each week. Bonnie agreed with this arrangement and she was paid in cash every Friday for four years.

The Law

When a family hires a household employee to work in their home, they are required to withhold Social Security & Medicare (FICA) taxes from their employee’s pay each payperiod. Federal and state income taxes – while not explicitly required to be withheld – should be deducted as well to ensure the employee does not get stuck with a large tax bill during tax season. The family is also required to pay a matching portion of FICA taxes, as well as federal and state unemployment insurance taxes. Some states, like New York, also require additional taxes to either be withheld from an employee or paid by an employer. Please visit our state-specific pages for details on the taxes in your state.At the end of the year, the family is required to prepare a W-2 for their employee so they can file their personal income tax return. The family is also required to file Form W-2 Copy A and Form W-3 with the Social Security Administration and prepare a Schedule H to attach to their personal income tax return.

The Mess

After four years of working for the Hansons, Bonnie was 64 and nearing the age for retirement. In trying to prepare for this exciting time, she enlisted the help of a local CPA to gauge what her benefits would be so she could budget for the next chapter of her life. Unfortunately, when the CPA learned Bonnie had no employment records for the previous four years, he had to be the bearer of bad news and told her she was ineligible for Social Security benefits. This is because the Social Security Administration (SSA) requires a minimum of 40 credits (or 10 years of work) to be accrued before a person can earn retirement benefits – and Bonnie could only prove she had eight years in retail.

Bonnie was confused and asked the CPA how she could get credit for the last four years of her working career so she could retire at the end of the year. The CPA explained that the Hanson family would need to catch up on four years’ worth of payroll reporting and tax returns in order for the SSA to approve Social Security benefits for her. With this information in hand, Bonnie approached the Hansons, who were understandably embarrassed and guilt-ridden at the thought of their long-time nanny not being able to retire on her schedule.

The Outcome

The Hansons wanted to help Bonnie in any way they could. After four years working in their home, she was a valued member of their household and a grandmotherly figure to their children. The CPA Bonnie consulted with happened to have a couple of clients with household employees and told the Hansons to contact Breedlove & Associates about the late tax returns. While he knew the steps they needed to take to make everything right for them and Bonnie, he wasn’t interested in taking on four years’ worth of payroll and taxes.

The Hansons called Breedlove & Associates the next day and we were able to get them caught up on their employer taxes. We set them up as household employers with the IRS and the state of New York, gathered the four years’ worth of payroll information for Bonnie, filed the late tax returns, and best of all, sent tax information for the family and Bonnie to the Social Security Administration so Bonnie could get the working credits she needed for retirement. The family unfortunately incurred thousands of dollars in back tax payments and interest, but we were able to get the state of New York to waive the majority of the penalties they assessed. Bonnie will turn 65 in November and she’s now set up to retire just in time for the holiday season.

 How the Whole Thing Could Have Been Avoided

If the Hansons had verified what their neighbor said via an accountant or even a simple Google search, they would have realized paying Bonnie in cash was not the right course of action. When families become household employers for the first time, they often have a laundry list of questions. It’s important that they are steered toward a resource that can set them up for success. We’re always available for your clients when they need this initial consultation and it’s free for them to call. Sometimes a ten minute conversation can save a family like the Hansons thousands of dollars.
Thank you to our partners at Breedlove for this guest blog. Here at Caring Nannies, we have a story of our own about nannies ready to retire after a 40 year career, with no Social Security benefits and with poor health. Obama has made it a wash for families who deduct taxes. Check it out with Breedlove and you’ll be surprised how inexpensive it is to do it right. You’ll sleep better at night and if your nanny needs to purchase a new car or a home, she can do it because she has a valid job.

Built by household employers exclusively for household employers, Breedlove & Associates provides a no-work, no-worry solution to paydays, tax time and all points in between.  If you have any questions about household employment or want to take advantage of our complimentary New Employer Orientation, just give us a call.   We’re here to help.

Beth Weise

Read More

For the most important hire you will ever make, the key is asking the right questions.
A nanny takes care of your most valuable resources, your children and your home, and represents your family. You are the gatekeeper for your family, and in many ways, she will become the face of the family.
Choosing the right agency
The first question to ask is to determine which service to use. It helps to get a personal referral. When you’re shopping for a high end car, you go to the best store. This is not the time to look for a bargain and don’t make the mistake of using several agencies. You’ll likely see some of the same candidates. Read up on how they find their candidates, what their screening practices are. Look for a nice, kind, friendly agency.

A good agency will ask lots of questions. They will want to know your personality and the personality of each one of the children, your schedule, what household chores would lighten your load, like running errands, preparing a tasty dinner a few nights a week, or home management experience.

On Your mark, Get set, Go
Your first job is to decide what you actaully need and want:

  • Daily and weekly schedule- full or part time
  • Duties, expectations
  • Salary range
  • Skill sets, like bilingual, cooking
  • Educational level
  • Flexibility–like being able to travel or help with occasional evenings
  • Live-in or live-out

Be as specific as possible in your description
We recommend finding the best personality match for your family and being negotiable about specific skill-sets.

Narrowing down the candidates 

Your Placement counselor will take your Family Application and the information from the phone interview and go through their data base of nannies to find a handful of very close matches. She is doing the work for you so do consider each of them. She may start with 15 candidates and narrow the list down to 3-5 best matches for you. She is looking at the ages of children the nannies have had recent experience with, how close she lives to you, how her personality matches with yours, skill sets, schedule and salary. She is doing the digging for you. When she says, “meet everyone we send you , even if it’s just for 15 minutes”, do it.

Let the agency save you stress and  time. Trust them. A picky nanny agency will  go through 25 applications before finding one to interview. After an in-person interview, a decision is made whether to proceed with reference and background checks. Our goal is that your choice will be based on the best personality match for your family between a few top-quality candidates.

Read More

When my girls were ages one and two,

I’d been teaching preschool, teaching swim lessons, but I didn’t want to get a regular job that took me away from them full time. A friend gave me the idea of starting a nanny referral service, so in July, 1983, I began.  Initially it was mostly family day care homes, so every Thursday, Grandma babysat, and I made a loop around Phoenix, inspecting providers and their homes. Ten years later, the State of Arizona started offering free day care home referrals, CCR&R, no screening included, so I felt we were undone. But at the same time, nannies suddenly become popular. We called them “Traveling Babysitters” and charged a whopping $45 placement fee.

The rest is history but what makes Caring Nannies special?

What we do every day in our Scottsdale office

is part art and part science-it’s a craft. It’s primarily fueled by who we are as persons, our values, our passion, plus three decades of experience finding top-notch candidates. Our goal is to match that right one for each family. That’s the mastery of the craftsperson. We have developed a knowingness about the character and personality qualities that bring nurture into a family. It’s an art that we’ve polished and polished, as though with our hearts.

Young children will model the character and personality of the people they spend time with. That’s why character is our benchmark. Humility, joyfulness, creativity, punctuality, confidence, attentiveness, teachableness, a heart to serve, dedication, and reliability.

A caregiver with a PhD but without passion can’t teach a child nearly as much as someone with less schooling but with passion. Breakfast becomes an instant classroom as a two year old practices slicing a banana with a plastic knife, then cutting the circles into semi circles and quarters. Blueberries are added or subtracted as they are eaten.

A backyard becomes a nature lab
as earthworms are discovered, worm farms are stocked and library books and artwork revolve around learning about these simple creatures without which we could not exist.

We want you, our families
to be freed up to do the things that give you the life you want, so you can achieve the satisfaction and sense of fulfillment you deserve. A family that really works and works well!

What does your family need?
Peace of mind? Order? Time? Freedom? Expertise?
And remember, we’re more than a nanny service we also place domestic staff!

Read More

Each December, our staff likes to take a look back at our past year. We look at all the aspects of our nanny service from practical results as well as more important personal goals.
We invite our families and nannies to stop and consider the progress they’ve made in the past year in these infinitely more important dimensions.
We label our progress:
1. Doing Tremendous!
2. Making strides, but still a ways to go
3. A challenge area
4. Oops! Do I really have to do this?
You’ve had a good year if:
You spent more time evaluating your past year and planning for the direction of your life. We all have room to grow. How was your year?
Your family relationships strengthened. 
Did you spend more time of richer quality with your spouse and children?
Did you make more time available to your spouse and less to your hobbies or business? 
Did you spend focused time teaching your children values?
Did you eat dinner together as a family more and watch less TV?
Is your love and service to them greater than it was last year?
We can only bring to our career what we already have in our lives and in our homes.
Our outward achievements are only a reflection of our inward success.
If you saw yourself more as servant to your employees, clients, peers, and suppliers, with a goal to make them more successful, if you’ve made the effort to encourage and edify others, then you’ve had a good year.
You are even slightly less acquisitive. 
The urge to acquire things is very human, and there’s nothing wrong with having it, but stuff doesn’t truly satisfy. We know that there’s no joy or peace in material things. In fact, the more we get, the more were distracted, and the more work we have to clean it, organize it, insure it and store it. If youve extricated yourself, even a little, from its grasp, if you’ve reduced your debt, even a little, you’ve had a good year.
You are more grateful and content.
What do we have that we deserve? We live better than kings and queens in the past, so how can we not be grateful?  Can you say I have more than I deserve or need and really mean it?
You have more peace in your heart.
Its been a rough year economically for many.  If our peace depends on the Dow average, it comes and goes.
If you see blessings in all your circumstances, both good and bad, more clearly this year, you’ve had a good year.
You became more proficient in your job.
If you consider that your business or occupation is a gift that you’re to lead with passion and youve been learning and using better ways, you’ve had a good year!
 
You took better care of your body.
Did your exercise and diet prove you’re developing more self-discipline? Mastering yourself is a key to maturity.  If youre in better shape than a year ago, you’ve had a good year. 
I hope you have a wonderful 2010,
Beth Weise

Read More