Nevada Nanny Tax Rules
Our Guide for Nevada Household Employers
Need help with the legalese around nanny taxes? Trying to figure out how to pay your household employee the right way?
We’ve put together a bunch of useful info for you here. If it still seems like too much, we can handle everything for $49 a month. You can even try Poppins for free!*
If you pay a household employee such as a nanny, babysitter, caregiver or house manager more than $2,700 a year or $1,000 in a quarter to perform work in your home (or occasionally even out of your home such as in a nanny share), you are a household employer.
There are important benefits to following the law. It gives your employee Social Security, Medicare and Unemployment Insurance benefits. It also allows her to build her credit. Paying legally sets you up to take advantage of tax credits for dependent care. Finally, you never know when you might get nominated for the Supreme Court. And, we all know how that ends if you haven’t paid your nanny taxes.
As a household employer, you must comply with certain tax obligations, commonly referred to as the “nanny taxes” or “household payroll taxes.” It’s complicated, but generally, after you have registered as an employer with all the appropriate agencies, you must:
- Register – You need to obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number
and register with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
- Report your employee – All employees must be
registered
with the State within 20 days of hiring.
- Payroll - At every pay period, withhold Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from the employee’s paycheck per the employee’s W4 elections and make employer contributions to the Social Security and Medicare and unemployment funds.
- Quarterly - submit the proper paperwork and payments to the correct agencies. The agencies will typically include the IRS and the State.
- Year-End - provide your employee with his or her W-2 form, submit such information to the Social Security Administration, submit state reconciliations and prepare a Schedule H to file with your individual tax returns.
You can find all the information about your federal obligations in the
IRS’s Publication 926 – Household Employer’s Tax Guide
and your Nevada obligations in the
DETR Employer Handbook.
The IRS estimates that it would take you 60 hours to comply with the federal nanny tax regulations. That does sound, well, taxing. Poppins can take care of all of it for $49 a month! That includes all your state and federal registrations, new hire reporting, payroll calculations and direct deposit, quarterly state and federal filings and the year-end documents for you and your employee. You can even try Poppins for free!*
If you decide to handle payroll and taxes yourself, you’ll need to know about these forms:
Form I-9: Have your employee complete this form when hired and provide the required proof of ID.
Form W-4: Have your employee complete this form which dictates how federal income tax is withheld.
Form 1040-ES: On a quarterly basis send this form to the IRS along with payment to report taxes from previous quarter. Don’t forget that federal quarter dates do not always line up with calendar quarters!
Form W-2: Fill out Form W-2 if you pay wages of $1,000 or more, and give Copies B, C and 2 to your nanny. Copy A (along with Form W-3) goes to the Social Security Administration.
Schedule H: If you pay your nanny cash wages of $1,000 or more in a calendar quarter or $2,400 in a calendar year file Schedule H.
Nevada Directory of New Hires: Complete this form to report your new employee to the State.
But if that sounds like too much, Poppins can take care of all these filings for $49 a month! We gather all the information we need from you during signup, generate your forms through our system, make all the appropriate tax calculations, and submit everything on your behalf.
Under Nevada law, employers must provide domestic employees with a written agreement that includes: (1) the full name and address of the employer; (2) the name of the domestic worker and a description of the duties for which he or she is being employed; (3) each place where the domestic worker is required to work; (4) the date on which the employment will begin; (5) the period of notice required for either party to terminate the employment or, if the employment is for a specified period, the date on which the employment will end; (6) the ordinary workdays and hours of work required of the domestic worker, including any breaks; (7) the rate of pay, rate and conditions of overtime pay and any other payment or benefits, including, without limitation, health insurance, workers’ compensation insurance or paid leave, which the
domestic worker is entitled to receive; (8) the frequency and method of pay; (9) any deductions to be made from the domestic worker’s wages; (10) if the domestic worker is to reside in the employer’s household, the conditions under which the employer may enter the domestic worker’s designated living space; and (11) a notice of all applicable state and federal laws pertaining to the employment of domestic workers.
It is always good idea to have a written employment agreement with your employee.
A written employment agreement spells out the obligations of both parties, including hours, compensation, duties, benefits and PTO. This is really important if the relationship doesn’t work out, and there is ever a dispute. Just as important, it helps you discuss the important issues with your employee at the outset. This way you make sure you have a good relationship and understanding before you even start.
We’ve put together a Sample Nanny Contract and a Sample Caregiver Contract for your reference. This should give you a good idea of the issues that are usually covered.
The Nevada minimum wage is $11.25 per hour or $10.25 per hour for employers who offer qualifying health benefits. On July 1, 2024, Nevada will have a single minimum wage of $12 per hour. Household employees should be paid for all working hours, including sleeping and meal times if they are required to be on duty.
Household employers in Nevada must pay overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate of pay after 40 hours of work in a workweek or more than 8 hours in a day (unless the employee’s scheduled shift is for example 10 hours/day for four calendar days within any scheduled week of work). If your employee lives in your home, you may have an agreement in writing to not pay overtime. Otherwise, even live-in employees are entitled to overtime.
Your employee is entitled to minimum wage and overtime regardless of whether they are paid hourly or salary. If they are paid by salary, it is best practice to document the hours worked (and the pay rate) included in the salary amount.
Nevada household employees have the right to be paid at least twice a month. If paying two times per month, an employer must pay all wages earned and unpaid before the first day of any month not later than 8:00 a.m. on the 15th day of the month following the month in which the
wages or compensation was earned. An employer must pay all wages earned and unpaid before the 16th day of any month not later than 8:00 a.m. on the last day of the same month. Not to worry, Poppins complies with these requirements.
Nevada law requires employers to give employees an itemized paystub with every paycheck. With Poppins Payroll, you can have paystubs emailed directly to your employee every payday.
Nevada household employers are not required by law to have workers' compensation insurance, but you may want to consider obtaining this coverage. Workers' comp insurance provides benefits to your employee in the event of an on-the-job injury. It can also limit an employer’s liability.
We’ve partnered with Bhalu Insurance, because they’re THE experts in Workers Comp Insurance for household employers. In fact, that’s literally all they do. Check out their site for a free quote or give them a shout. We think they’re pretty awesome.
If you choose to reimburse your employee for driving on the job, you can use the current federal mileage reimbursement rate. Mileage reimbursement is not considered taxable compensation. To ensure the amount is not taxed, enter mileage reimbursements as a “Reimbursement” amount on your payroll.
Domestic workers in Nevada must receive at least one day off per week and a minimum of two consecutive days off at least once per month.
Nevada employers are required to pay a discharged employee all wages due immediately at the time of dismissal. When an employee quits, the employer must pay the employee all wages due on the earlier of: (1) the day on which he or she would have regularly been paid the wages or compensation; or (2) seven (7) days after the employee resigns or quits.
If a domestic employer terminates a live-in employee without cause, the employer shall provide written notice and at least 30 days of lodging to the domestic worker, either on-site or in comparable off-site conditions.
There are a number of other notices that Nevada employers must post or provide to their employees.
Household employers must keep accurate records of hours worked by employees and wages paid on an ongoing basis. These records must be kept for at least 2 years. With Poppins, we’ll keep all this information in your online filing cabinet, which you’ll be able to access even after you’re not using us to run your payroll.
THE CONTENT OF THIS WEBSITE IS GENERAL AND INFORMATIONAL IN NATURE AND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES. THE INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH AN ATTORNEY AND/OR TAX PROFESSIONAL.
