Tag: tips for nannies

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

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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!

To help your family save money on your 2021 taxes and understand what changes might affect you for the 2022 tax year, we sat down with Tom Breedlove, Senior Director of Homepay.

Below, we cover:

– 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)? There are several tax breaks many families don’t realize could help them save money on their 2021 taxes.

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.

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Annual Review Tutorial for Nannies

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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!

In this guide, we 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).

Nannies who use these tips often find that the annual review process becomes much less scary and creates a stronger bond between the parents and themselves. We hope you find these tips useful as well!

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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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A clear nanny contract is one of the most important tools for setting up a successful working relationship. In this guide, we walk you through everything you need to know about nanny contracts, including the pros and cons of having one in place and the key topics you’ll want to make sure your contract covers (such as sick policy, vaccinations, and compensation).

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!

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

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Nannies/Sitters – Join Our Community for FREE!

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Nannies and sitters, this one is especially for you!

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.

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!

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Nannies! Your Top Four Pay Questions Answered 💰

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Happy October!

Nanny pay is one of the topics we get asked about most, so we’ve pulled together answers to the questions we hear again and again. This guide is geared toward nannies, but we encourage parents to read through it as well.

Below, we cover four of the most common 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

Nannies, remember that being paid overtime is the LAW!

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Video Blog: How To Write An Amazing Nanny Resume

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A professional nanny resume is one of the most powerful tools you have in your job search.

We interview dozens of nannies each week for placement with our Concierge Service families, and one question comes up again and again:

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

Our 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.

Below, we’ll walk you through one of our favorite nanny resume templates and highlight what 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 we reference from resumegenius.com

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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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A question we hear often from nannies goes something like this:

“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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