Is your household worker considered your employee?
What is a household employee?
A household employee is anyone you hired to do household work and that worker is considered an “employee”. The worker is considered an employee if you control what work is done and how the work is done. If they are an employee, it doesn’t matter if they are full- or part-time, or the frequency and schedule you pay them.
What positions are considered household work?
- Babysitters
- Butlers
- Caretakers
- Cooks
- Domestic workers
- Drivers
- Health aides
- House cleaning workers
- Housekeepers
- Maids
- Nannies
- Private nurses
- Yard workers
What positions are not considered household work?
Household work only includes services performed in and around your private home or a separate dwelling like an apartment, hotel room, or the like. Positions not considered household work:
- Tutor
- Librarian
- Private secretary
- Personal Assistant
Is your household worker an Independent Contractor?
If the worker, not you, is the only one who controls how the work is done, he/she is self-employed, not your employee. If an agency provides the worker and controls what work is done and how it’s done, they are not your employee. Some examples of this type of worker:
- A landscaper working through a lawn-care business
- A worker who performs childcare services in his/her home
Do you need to pay employment taxes? Find the answer and more information here!