For Nanny Employers

As a Nanny Employer, you have needs complementary to household payroll and tax services. Savvy Nanny has carefully cultivated a web of partnerships to assist you with those other needs. This is not just a listing of paid referrals but a carefully chosen list of providers who we feel will serve you best. Wherever possible, we have worked out discounts for you.

Workers Comp

Our partner is Bhalu Insurance. Many clients are able to get workers comp through their home/renters policies as an add on. However, the policies offered through home insurance may not provide enough coverage. Homeowners policies also run the risk of cancellation or unavailability. Bhalu Insurance is a great solution here. All they do is workers comp for nannies and caregivers. They will likely be the ones to offer you the best coverage at the best rate. Try them out here: Click here for everything Workers Comp!

Learn More

Health Care Benefits

For overall information on health care benefits see:
- https://savvynannypayrollservices.com/health-benefit-options-for-your-household-employee/
Offering health care benefits for your nanny can feel daunting. The expense and hassle stop many nanny employers from offering it. However, there is a current Federal small business tax credit that may ease some of the financial burden. Find out more here:
- https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/employers/small-business-health-care-tax-credit-and-the-shop-marketplace
If you would like to offer a group health insurance plan to your employee you can start here:
- https://www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/get-coverage/
If you would like to reimburse your employee while they retain their own private insurance policy, then they can start their search for a policy here:
- https://www.healthcare.gov/
If you would like to make predictable health care contributions at an amount you decide, it may be worth your while to consider offering an ICHRA or QSEHRA. The administration of these type of plans is often in the $60/month range, however they may be worth it by lessening some of the insurance hassle and unpredictability. Also, Savvy Nanny now partners with Take Command Health. TCH offers these policies and will help you decide if an ICHRA or QSEHRA is right for you AND they offer a 20% discount to Savvy Nanny Payroll Services Clients. Use checkout code SAVVYNANNY20 to unlock this discount. Click here to get started:
- https://www.takecommandhealth.com/savvy-nanny

Retirement Benefits

For overall information regarding retirement benefits see:
- https://savvynannypayrollservices.com/easiest-most-affordable-retirement-benefit-option-for-your-household-employee/
Check this blog as it has important information regarding tax credits and a link to the IRS webpage that clarifies that this type of IRA may be utilized by household employers, something some brokers may not know.

Retirement benefits are a wonderful way to provide an extra perk that other employers may not. It is a great way to retain and appreciate your nanny The blog above explores one of the easiest and least expensive retirement tools, the SEP IRA.
Savvy Nanny does not have partnership with Schwab Investments, yet our research suggests Schwab as a sound choice as they charge no setup or maintenance fee for their SEP IRA accounts. They also have easy online setup. You can take a look here:
- https://www.schwab.com/small-business-retirement-plans/sep-ira
California Household Employers. California has set up its own retirement program called Calsavers.
- https://www.calsavers.com/
Unlike the SEP IRA accounts above, this program is employee-funded. Employers contribute employee earnings directly to the Calsavers account. The amount is decided by the employee. The investment tool is a Roth IRA that is held by the employee. This program is currently mandatory for almost all employers, including household employers, who have 4 or more employees. Starting January 2026, Calsavers will be mandatory for all employers with 1 or more employees if the employer does not offer another retirement program. California household employers will need to register for Calsavers by December 31, 2025. If you do not have another retirement program in place, why wait? There is no cost, just a little administrative burden. Beat the rush.

Household Employer Background Check Service

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be one national background check service that is best for all household employers in all states. Each state manages criminal records in different ways, and it is hard to know which service is best in your geographic area.

However, California household employers have an outstanding state-run service called Trustline.

For more information see here

Learn More

Household Employment Work Contract

There are many sample contracts available online. Savvy Nanny likes the contracts offered by the Federal Department of Labor as they offer contracts in different languages for different types of work. There are contracts for Nannies available in seven languages. And coming from the Department of Labor, there is a level of assurance that all the areas touched by labor law will be covered.

You can find DOL Household Employment contracts here

Learn More

Finding Childcare

The app for this is Nula. Nula connects parents and sitters through a simple, intuitive interface. Nula offers a suite of features, including finding local verified babysitters, scheduling appointments, task lists, in-app photos and chat, real-time location tracking, and easy payments.

https://nula.com

“Gross-Up” Paycheck Calculator

A gross-up paycheck calculator will tell you the gross paycheck needed to provide a required net amount. Many household employees want to know the net amount they will earn. There are many calculators online, Bankrate has a good one here:

https://www.bankrate.com/taxes/net-to-gross-paycheck-tax-calculator/

Parenting Forums

You may have your own favorites already. We all know the value of wider parenting forums for asking the whole range of questions we have. A number of these forums have sub-forums for nanny and home care employers to ask for advice. Some of our favorites:

Berkeley, CA – Berkeley Parents Network
- https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/
Washington D.C. – D.C. Urban Moms and Dads
- https://www.dcurbanmom.com/
Park Slope, Brooklyn – Park Slope Parents
- https://www.parkslopeparents.com/
Communities Across the U.S – What to Expect United States
This page lists forums you can join all across the United States. So whether you are in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, wherever, there is probably a forum for you.
- https://community.whattoexpect.com/forums/united-states

Other Recommendations

Because we know you, as a nanny employer, we know some resources and services you would appreciate that are not directly related to being a household employer. Sometimes we can even swing a deal for you. So here goes:

Honey Homes is a subscription handyman service that sends vetted handymen to your home to cross off those to-dos on your household fix list— with everything from installing organizational shelving and smart thermostats to performing appliance maintenance checks and upgrading light fixtures. They operate out of the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, and now Chicago. We at Savvy Nanny are happy Honey Homes clients and would like to share the love. Best yet, they offer referral discounts so use our link. Get $150 off their subscription service using link

https://honeyh.me/o3KB