Tag: tips for nannies

Watch This Before Filing Your Taxes! Nanny Tax Breaks (2021 and 2022)

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Hi everyone!

With the federal tax filing deadline just a few days away, don’t miss out on these money-saving tax breaks if you worked with a nanny in 2021 or are currently with a nanny in 2022!

In today’s video, “Watch This Before Filing Your Taxes! Nanny Tax Breaks (2021 and 2022)”, I sit down with Tom Breedlove, Senior Director of Homepay to discuss how your family can save money on your 2021 taxes and what changes might affect you for the 2022 tax year.

We discuss:

– Child Tax Credit

– Child Care Tax Credit

– Build Back Better Act

– Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

– Who qualifies for these tax breaks

Did you know you can get a tax break if your kids attend summer camp (i.e. sports, Lego, Minecraft camps)? I didn’t and this video helped my family save money on our 2021 taxes!

I learned about several new tax breaks while producing this video and hope that you do too.

If you would like to talk to the HomePay team or sign up for their highly rated payroll services, click here. Sign up today and your first month is FREE!

Nannies – the HomePay team can answer any questions that you have as well.

Click Here To Watch!

nanny tax breaks

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Annual Review Tutorial for Nannies

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Hi nannies! Are you concerned that you aren’t being paid appropriately? Worried that your family isn’t following legal labor standards (i.e. paying overtime)? Are more and more job duties being piled on you by the parents?

If so, it’s time for an Annual Review!

Today, I am excited to release my latest video which I call my “Annual Review Tutorial for Nannies“.

In this video, I cover why an annual review is important, how to request a review (if your nanny family hasn’t), how to provide and receive feedback, how to discuss job duty “creep” and how to ask for a raise.

Don’t forget that an annual review is important no matter how you are being paid (over the table vs. under the table in cash).

I used these tips when I was a nanny and found that the annual review process became much less scary and created a stronger bond between the parents and myself. I hope you find these tips useful as well!

Click Here To Watch!

annual review tutorial

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Everything You Need To Know About Nanny Contracts – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series – Ep.9

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I’m back! 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend! A few days ago, we released Episode #9 in our series, “Working With A Nanny From A-Z”. 

In this series, I am going to walk you through the entire process of working with a nanny. From deciding if nanny care is right for your family all the way through how to find, interview, hire and work with a nanny. Basically, everything you need to know from A-Z about the nanny world!

If you missed any of the first eight episodes, click the images below to check those out:

In today’s episode, “Episode #9: Everything You Need To Know About Nanny Contracts – Working With A Nanny From A-Z Series”, I go over the pros and cons of having a nanny contract in place plus I discuss the topics that you want to ensure your nanny contract covers (i.e. sick policy, vaccinations, compensation, etc.).

Pro tip: If you are not located in Washington state and need a contract, feel free to download ours and modify for your local and state laws!

To check out the “What Can Happen If You Don’t Pay Your Nanny Legally” video I referenced, click here.

Want to check out the contracts we offer? Click here. We also offer a contract specifically for nanny shares. Find that by clicking here.

Don’t forget to subscribe and “ring the bell” on YouTube so that you can be notified when the next episode in this series comes out.

Scroll down to check out the video and I hope you find it useful!

contract

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Nannies/Sitters – Join Our Community for FREE!

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Hi everyone! It’s Laura back with my latest video. Nannies and sitters, this video is especially for you!

(Parents – the next episode of our “Working With A Nanny From A-Z” series will be published next week.)

Did you know that if you are offering childcare in the Puget Sound region, you can join our community totally FREE?

Many nannies and sitters think you have to pay a membership fee to access the tools and resources we offer on our site. Previously, we did test a monthly membership fee for nannies but scrapped that idea early last year due to the COVID pandemic.

I know that many of you nannies are super busy so I made a short video explaining the benefits of joining our community. Click here to check it out!

One membership benefit that is becoming more and more popular is the personal support that we offer childcare providers in our community. Our team can help you find a family, understand nanny industry standards, and even talk through issues you may be having with your current family (important to note that we don’t provide legal advice). All of this is included with your membership!

Ready to sign up? Click the button below:

Click Here To Join Today!

Scroll down to check out the video and if you found it helpful, please subscribe on YouTube and share with your friends. Also, please take a moment to check out the other videos we have published on YouTube.

I’d love to hear any comments about how I can improve these videos as well as your ideas on topics you’d like to see me cover in the future.  Just comment below.

Don’t forget, you can reach me directly via email by clicking here or by calling/texting (425) 243-7032 if I can help you.

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Nannies! Your Top Four Pay Questions Answered 💰

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Happy October!

It’s Laura back with my next video where I answer the most asked nanny pay questions. This video is geared towards nannies but I encourage parents to check this out as well.

In this video, I answer the following pay questions:

When To Ask For A Raise

How Much of A Raise Should I Ask For

What You Should Do If Not Being Paid Overtime

How To Receive Paid Sick Time

Click any of the topic titles above to jump to that section of the video.

Nannies, remember that being paid overtime is the LAW!

Scroll down to check out the video and I hope that you also had a chance to check out the How To Write An Amazing Nanny Resume video as well!

pay questions

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Video Blog: How To Write An Amazing Nanny Resume

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It’s Laura back with my next video which is specifically focused on nanny resumes.

I personally interview dozens of nannies each week for placement with our Concierge Service families. A question I am often asked is:

“How can I increase my chances of finding an amazing family to work with?”

My first piece of advice is to always have a professional nanny resume ready to go that clearly shows why you would be an excellent choice.

In the below video, I will walk you through one of my favorite nanny resume templates and show you what I feel really makes a resume stand out. Plus, some additional tips about including hobbies, experience and a cover letter.

Click here to check out the nanny resume template I review from resumegenius.com

Scroll down to check out the video and I hope you find it helpful!

nanny resume

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What Training Is Required To Become A Nanny?

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Earlier this month, a peek at my email inbox got me thinking. I had four emails from different individuals all asking the same thing:

“Hi Laura, can you explain to me what I need to do to become a nanny?”

“What are the requirements to care for children in Seattle?”

“Do I need training to become a nanny?”

“Laura, I just moved to Washington from Mexico and would like to work as a nanny. How?”

Several times each week, I hear from people that want to become a nanny but are unsure if formal training or education is required. With this in mind, I approached Dr. Angela Blums who is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Pierce College. Angela very graciously agreed to write the below post on the value of childhood education and the different education opportunities that exist in Washington. Thank you so much Angela for this incredibly valuable information and insight!

P.S. There is no formal training or education required to become a nanny in Washington but it sure helps! I hear from parents looking for care providers with formal child care education on a regular basis.

child care education

What is the difference between a field and a profession? There are several factors to consider, such as professional organizations, national or state recognition, and of course, education. Caring for young children is the most important work in the world, yet few people consider nanny work to be “professional”. This is wrong, because the care that a qualified nanny provides is nothing less than professional. One way to be recognized as a professional is to pursue training or to learn to highlight the training you already have!

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Guest Post: A Professional Nanny’s Perspective

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I frequently get emails from new parents who want to have a nanny care for their child, but they don’t know what the norms are for working with a nanny or where to start. Nannies often reach out to me as well, with questions about their working relationships with their families or compensation for the work they do. To offer a different perspective, I invited Amy Martino – a seasoned, professional Seattle nanny to offer some insights about these things from a nanny’s point of view. Thanks for this great post Amy!

The Nanny World

Seattle is booming! New families are moving to the area at astounding numbers – and with them comes their need for child care. Parents face long wait lists at daycares and in turn start exploring the idea of hiring a nanny.

Nannies are moving here too, lured by the prospect of good pay, and are often weighing multiple offers.

nanny's point of view

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Nanny Discussion: How and When Should I Ask For A Raise?

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Over in our Facebook group, there was a question recently posed by a nanny (I’m summarizing here):

“I’ve been a nanny for my family for over a year.  After what period of time is it appropriate to ask for a raise?  How do I ask for more paid time off and sick leave? How do I ask for overtime pay, when I initially said it was ok to not be paid that?”

ask for a raise

The topic of a raise can be difficult for a nanny, or anyone for that matter, to navigate.  It is pretty standard to discuss any compensation changes with your nanny family after one year.  You may run the risk of things becoming awkward with your family.  The fear of rejection is real. What if they say no? Do you hold your ground and leave if they refuse (even though they are an otherwise wonderful family to work for)? Will they be open to negotiating?

But you know you are providing valuable service to your family.  Their kids are well-cared for.  You’ve never been late to work, or maybe you’ve never even had to call in sick.  You even go above and beyond in chipping in on household duties because you want to.  Making sure you are well-cared for and feeling appreciated is likely important to your nanny parents.  They may just not have thought about it, and may not in the future unless you bring it up!

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Discussion: Nanny Bringing Her Child To Work

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nanny bringing her child

Nannies with young children of their own often bring their kid(s) along with them to their nanny jobs.  I have heard from some nannies that they have a harder time finding such a position than if they didn’t bring their child along. 

Is it because parents think the logistics of such an arrangement will be too challenging to sort out?  Is it because of the added liability of having another child in their home?  Or are they open to it but insist on a lower wage for a nanny bringing her child along to work?

Nanny Parent Connection members Rachel Miletich and her nanny extraordinaire, Melissa Britt weigh in on some common questions that arise from parents considering such an arrangement. Thank you Rachel and Melissa for putting this together!

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