Old State Staffing

10 Ways To Tell If A Candidate Will Be A Good Fit

Hiring the right person for a role that works directly with you or your family can be a challenging task. You want someone who has the skills, experience and personality to fit your needs, but they also need to be capable of developing a strong rapport with you and your family, and contributing to your overall success. So how can you tell if a candidate is a good match for your role? Here are 10 effective ways to evaluate a candidate to ensure that you ultimately hire the right person: 1. Assess Their Skills If you work with a professional referral agency, each candidate you are introduced to will be qualified for the role. That

How To Set Up Payroll In 7 Easy Steps

Setting up payroll as a private employer may seem like a task that will take enormous time and effort, but Old State Staffing’s employment experts are here to break it down into 7 simple steps. Before you get started though, there’s a few things you’ll want, such as an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and an employee agreement and/or employee handbook, outlining the terms of your employment relationship with your employee. Once you have these basics covered, you can then move forward with setting up your payroll system. While there are many vendors who handle payroll for private employers and small businesses, many employers prefer to manage payroll themselves. If that sounds like you, here are

Household Employer Calculating & Filing Taxes

What To Know About Taxes As A Household Employer

When it comes to working in someone’s home, working arrangements can often be casual and an employer may prefer to pay an employee’s wages in cash to avoid the effort of setting up a formal employment relationship and paying taxes. This grey area can lead to confusion for both parties, but determining if a household worker is considered an employee can lead to many benefits to the employer, as well as the employee. Most private employers hire through an employment agency that formalize your employment relationship, and utilize a payroll service company to handle paying an employee’s compensation, keeping track of financial documents and filing taxes on behalf of the employer. However, some employers wish

Everything You Need To Know About Mileage Reimbursement

For many household, executive/personal assistance or child/family-care employees, driving may be an integral part of your role. If you do have a vehicle, and are asked by your employer to drive your own car on the job, mileage reimbursement is a topic you’ll soon want to become familiar with and address with your direct report. For inexperienced staff, formalizing something like this may seem awkward or unnecessary, especially if you have a great relationship with your future or current employer, but any experienced nanny, assistant, house manager, etc. will tell you that this is an important employment factor to address as early in your employment relationship as possible. The federal mileage reimbursement rates are set

How To Protect Yourself With A Non-Disclosure Agreement

If you’re hiring a household manager, a nanny, a personal assistant, or any other domestic staff, you may want to consider having them sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). An NDA is a legal document that prevents the person who signs it from disclosing any confidential or sensitive information that they may learn or access while working for you. This can include personal, financial, medical, or business information, as well as any trade secrets, photos, videos, or other media that belong to you. Why You Need An NDA You may think that an NDA is only necessary for celebrities, politicians, or wealthy individuals who have a lot of secrets to hide. However, in today’s digital age,

The Importance Of An Estate Manager

Do you own a large home or estate that requires a lot of work and attention? Do you often feel overwhelmed by the many tasks and responsibilities involved in maintaining your property? Do you wish you had more time to enjoy your life and focus on your business ventures? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might benefit from hiring an estate manager. An estate manager is a professional who supervises and manages the day-to-day operations of your home or estate. They can handle everything from staff hiring and training, to maintenance and repairs, to event planning and coordination. They can also help you with budgeting, marketing, and administrative tasks related

What Is A Domestic Couple & Why Do You Need One?

If you own a large estate, you know how challenging it can be to keep everything in order. You need to take care of the housekeeping, the cooking, the laundry, the maintenance, the gardening, the entertaining, and more. You may have hired several staff members to handle these tasks, but that can also be costly, time-consuming, and stressful. You have to interview, train, and supervise each individual, and hope that they work well together as a team. You also have to deal with the increased traffic, noise, and privacy issues that come with having more people on your property. What if there was a better way to run your estate? A way that would save

Why Workers’ Compensation Insurance Is Important For Employers Of Private Staff

Preparing an employment agreement, setting up payroll and tax withholdings, making sure your staff are prepared to excel in their future role. All of these tasks are at the top of your to-do list when you hire private staff to work in your home or within your family office. Getting worker’s compensation insurance? That may not be as obvious a “to do” but a lack of coverage can be a critical and costly mistake for families. What Is Workers’ Compensation? Workers’ compensation insurance coverage provides medical and wage benefits for employees who are hurt or become ill on the job. Workers’ compensation can help cover your employee’s medical bills and a portion of their lost

Which Household Staff Should You Consider Hiring First?

Keeping your household running smoothly requires overseeing many moving parts. Families, large estates, and property owners have the option of hiring staff who can support them and ensure that their property are well cared for. Not sure where to begin? House Manager / Estate Manager If you plan on hiring more than one person to work in your home, hiring a house manager is a good place to start. This person will manage other staff while also performing their own duties around the home. They are integrally involved in stepping in to assist other staff members in their work should they be absent. An estate manager is a professional with experience running larger estates or

Couple reviewing information on computer

Intro To Tax And Employment Laws Affecting Families That Hire Private Staff

Anyone who hires private staff to work for their household, estate or family should be aware of the tax and employment laws that apply to you as an employer. Hiring household employees comes with certain responsibilities and obligations that you should consider before deciding to move forward with hiring staff. Payroll Taxes As an employer of household employees, you are required to withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes (FICA) for your employees if you pay them more than $2,300 in 2021. You may also have to withhold and pay federal income tax for your employees if they ask you to do so or if you pay them more than $4,400 in 2021. In

House Manager Or Estate Manager?

The main difference between an Estate Manager and a House Manager is the size of the household or estate that this person supervises. The Estate Manager is generally in charge of a sizable high-end estate, often with property, while a Household manager is in charge of a condo or smaller residence. Both positions require management, organizational skills, a firm budget and project management abilities. However, an Estate Manager will possess more experience as they are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of grounds, management of multiple staff members and project management (like renovations). A House Manager is typically responsible for a smaller residence (in comparison) and organizes hired vendors or part-time staff such as landscapers,

Paying Estimated Taxes If Your Employer Does Not Withhold Income Taxes

If you are working as a household or private staff employee, it is important to understand what taxes you will need to pay. It is easy to feel confused about what you need to pay and when. This is especially true if your employer does not withhold income taxes from your paychecks. Here are some important tips: Determine Your Taxable Income In order to know what you need to pay, you must estimate your taxable income for the year. To get this number, you will need to reduce your gross income by all of the deductions you think you will claim on your taxes. The amount of deductions and tax credits will reduce the amount