January 31, 2023 is the deadline to provide your household employee(s) with their W-2. Now is the time to start preparing your nanny taxes. Need a primer on paying nanny taxes in general? Check out our guide to paying nanny taxes first.
If you’ve been tracking hours worked, withholding taxes each pay period, and remitting quarterly, congratulations! You’re in good shape this tax season. If not, it isn’t too late. It’ll just take a little more work on your part to catch up and learn how to pay nanny taxes yourself.
1. Verify If You Owe Nanny Taxes
If you paid your nanny $2,400 or more in 2022, then you and your employee owe FICA taxes. This is the contribution to your employee’s Social Security and Medicare accounts. If you paid a nanny $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter, you owe federal and state unemployment taxes.
2. Confirm Your Employee’s Information
To save headaches down the road, make sure you have your employee’s correct legal name, Social Security number, and address.
3. Review Hours Worked
If you’ve kept accurate timesheets and paystubs, this is an easy step to complete. Just confirm that all hours worked have been paid correctly. As a reminder, nannies are to be paid at least minimum wage, which is the highest of the federal, state or local rates. They also receive overtime pay of time-and-half for hours worked over 40 in a week.
4. Calculate Employee Tax Withholding
Your employee owes 7.65 percent of their cash wages in FICA taxes (6.2 percent for Social Security and 1.45 percent for Medicare). You’ll need this for their W-2 so your employee can file their personal tax return. Hopefully, you’ve been withholding and remitting these taxes on your employee’s behalf. If not, they will owe their entire tax obligation when they file their return. This can be thousands of dollars that they may not be able to pay all at once.
Your employee may also owe federal and state (if applicable) income taxes. You’re not required to withhold income taxes from their pay. Again, it’s helpful for your nanny to have this taken out of their pay on a regular basis rather than possibly owing a large sum by the April 15 tax filing deadline. Use a nanny tax calculator to get a clearer picture.
5. Determine Your Tax Obligation
You’ll owe 7.65 percent of what you paid your nanny in FICA taxes as well as six percent on the first $7,000 of gross wages in federal unemployment taxes. You may also owe state unemployment taxes. When you file your personal tax return, this entire amount will be due. Unless, of course, you’ve been paying quarterly.
6. Provide Your Nanny With Their W-2
Complete Form W-2 give it to your nanny by January 31. Form W-2 details the wages they earned for the year plus any taxes that have been withheld. You’ll also need to file Copy A of Form W-2 and Form W-3 with the Social Security Administration by January 31.
7. Complete Schedule H
Fill out Schedule H and attach it to your personal tax return. This is where you’ll report wages paid to your employee as well as tax withholdings including Social Security, Medicare, and federal and state unemployment taxes. You may be able to take a tax credit for your nanny’s pay as a child care expense using Form 2441.
There’s a Better Way…
Nanny taxes are a hassle and you can risk fines and penalties for not getting it right. Save yourself the time and worries and let GTM Payroll Services manage your nanny taxes. Sittercity families get a free setup! They’ll take care of payday (live check or direct deposit), quarterly tax filings, year-end tax forms, and much more. All backed by a team of household employment experts available by phone, email, and chat. Sign up online or call (833) 796-1515 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
