Over on our Facebook group page, we recently surveyed our members to gather some current data regarding sitter pay rates. The results are in!

As the graphic below states, please DO NOT use this as a definitive guide to sitter pay rates in our area. We did not ask respondents to include variables such as driving duties, number of hours worked, the specific location in our area where the care occurred, etc. Use this as a general idea of current trends in the Puget Sound region.

As you can tell, there is a vast difference in sitter pay across our region – ranging from $10/hour to $25/hour. Parents – what do you pay for a sitter to care for one child? Sitters – what are you paid per child? Comment below!

Continue reading “Seattle Area Sitter Pay Rates – One Child Only”

 
Exclusive Discount from Seattle Children's Theater
EXCLUSIVE 25% OFF DISCOUNT FOR NANNY PARENT CONNECTION MEMBERS
Mr. Popper’s Penguins at the Seattle Children’s Theater

This is a great activity for the family or with your Nanny Kids!

Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a 70 minute (no intermission) performance suitable for ages 4+.

About the show: Mr. and Mrs. Popper are an ordinary couple in an ordinary English town…until some extraordinary Antarctic penguins come to stay! Lighting up the stage with song and dance, these birds possess talents rivaling the best of vaudeville. Delight in imaginative storytelling, hilarious puppetry and charming musical numbers as these talented creatures warm their way into your heart, taking you and the Poppers on an unpredictable, toe-tapping adventure.

 

Guest post from Nanny Parent Connection member Becki Brack who is a Partner and Certified Public Accountant at Growing Numbers Accounting and Bookkeeping. Thanks Becki for compiling this list of frequently asked nanny pay questions. You’re the best!

nanny pay questions
#1: Is a nanny or babysitter an employee?

According to the IRS, yes, a person is an employee if you are telling them what they will do and how they will do it.  It doesn’t matter whether the work is full time or part time, or whether you pay the worker on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis, or by the job. Since nannies or babysitters are told what to do with the children and how to do it (parenting styles, schedules, etc.), a child care worker is considered an employee as opposed to an independent contractor. That distinction is the difference between providing a W-2 or Form 1099 at year end and changes who is responsible for the employment taxes.

The IRS Publication 926 – Household Employers Tax Guide, provides examples of who a household employee is which includes babysitters, domestic workers and nannies.

Continue reading “Top Ten Frequently Asked Nanny Pay Questions”

 

Every holiday season, my husband and I love to take our kids out to see the holiday lights. The problem is that we always seem to miss a light show that is just around the corner or a few minutes away. 

So….I compiled our favorite Seattle area holiday lights (and some new ones we haven’t seen before but have heard about) all into one interactive Google map. Red markers are for free shows and green markers have a cost which I have listed. Click any of the markers for more information and ENJOY!

If you know of any others we should add, shoot me a note here and I will add them.

(Nannies – great activity for your kiddos if caring for them at night. Don’t forget the hot chocolate!)

Connect with THOUSANDS of nannies and sitters in the Seattle area for only $8.99/month.  Click here to sign up!

 

au pairGuest post from Nanny Parent Connection member Wendy Poleski who is an Educational Consultant focused on connecting families with that special au pair.

Where do culture, conversation, family, food, and laughter come together? Right at your dinner table! Bring the world to your doorstep with an au pair and watch your child experience the world at her fingertips. Are you intrigued by learning about people from different countries? Do you think it’s important for your family to learn a different language? Although there are countless benefits to hosting an au pair, these are just a few of the things that you will gain from hosting an au pair! 

Families all over the country have latched on to this form of childcare and while it has been around for many years, the idea of an au pair is becoming more and more mainstream.  The word au pair is a French word meaning “on par”.  This means that your au pair literally becomes part of your extended family. While they…

Continue reading “Could an Au Pair Solve Your Childcare Dilemma?”

 

Thanks again to Becki Brack and Growing Numbers for answering our questions on care provider pay! Learn more about the services that Growing Numbers offers by clicking here. To reach Becki, you can email her

care provider pay

Have you heard of any upcoming changes from the IRS, state government, etcetera, that may affect how care providers are paid?

There are no recent developments from the IRS for Publication 926 about household employees. However, there is a new wage threshold for 2018. In 2018, the wage threshold will increase to $2,100 (from $2,000). So if you pay your nanny, caregiver, babysitter, etc. $2,100 or more in a calendar year, you are required to withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes from the individual’s pay. If  you fail to do so, you (the employer) are liable for these taxes.

There is also a new Washington state sick leave law that nearly every employer in Washington will have to comply with beginning January 1, 2018. There are also city laws that may apply to household employers within the city limits that are already in effective or effective January 1, 2018. See below for more information on sick leave laws.

Continue reading “Care Provider Pay: Answers to YOUR Questions!”