How to Employ Domestic Help
Hiring someone to clean your house, provide child care or do other domestic chores can be tricky. In fact, if you are hiring someone to be a nanny, it could be one of the most important decisions you'll ever make. You'll want to find someone you can trust, as well a person who is competent and legally able to work in the United States. You'll need to do some legwork to find the right person, but with skill and a bit of luck, you'll find someone who will be an asset to your household.
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Instructions
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Write a job description that details exactly what you need a domestic worker to do. This will give you an idea of the skills that the person you hire will need. Putting job duties in writing is a wise thing for any employer to do because it can clarify any misunderstandings.
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Decide how much you will pay your domestic help. Pay a competitive wage, as you don't want the person to leave after he has learned how to do the duties you expect. Plan to pay by check because this proves you paid your employee and will be needed for tax purposes.
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Ask your friends and acquaintances if they know of anyone who would be good for the position. Word of mouth is the best way to hire domestic help. Advertise in your local newspaper or on community bulletin boards if you are unable to find someone via word of mouth.
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Develop a set of questions and interview several individuals. In each interview, find out how reliable the person's transportation is, and ask her to describe how she would perform specific child-care or household tasks. This will give you an idea of the person's competency as a domestic worker.
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Verify your potential worker's legal status to work in the United States by filling out an I-9 form. Click the link in the Resourcessection to get the form, which is in PDF format. She'll need to show you the forms of identification requested on the form. Once you have filled out the I-9, verify that her identification is authentic. Enter the information into E-Verify, the Homeland Security Department's eligibility verification system to assess if the information you were given is valid or not.
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Check the references of anyone you are considering hiring. Require at least one professional reference because friends do not make very reliable references.
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Conduct a background check on the person you intend to hire. Relying on a "gut feeling" is not enough if the worker will be spending the day with your children or alone in your house with your belongings. Make it clear to your new employee that continued employment is contingent on a clean background check. Search for background information by using one of the online companies set up specifically for this purpose.
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Prepare to pay taxes for your domestic employee. According to the Internal Revenue Service, if a domestic worker earns above a certain amount in a given tax year (approximately $1,700), "you generally must withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes from all cash wages you pay to that employee." If this will be the case, obtain an EIN (Employer Identification Number) and file a W-2 for your employee at the beginning of the year. IRS Publication 926 provides charts as well as detailed information on unemployment tax for your domestic worker. Note: If your employee is an independent contractor who provides her own materials---in other words, you have not hired her as an employee---she will be responsible for her own taxes.
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References
Resources
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