Paying a housekeeper or house cleaner
A housekeeper or cook you hire and pay directly is usually a household employee — even though it's easy to assume otherwise. If you're paying someone regularly to help around a parent's home, here's how the rules generally apply.
Direct-hire cleaners are usually employees, not contractors
If you hire a house cleaner directly and control how and when the work is done, that person is generally a household employee — not an independent contractor — even if they clean other homes too. A 1099 usually isn't the right form for a privately hired housekeeper.
A cleaning company you hire is different: its workers are typically the company's employees, not yours. The direct-hire case is the one the household-employer rules cover.
When taxes kick in
Once you pay a household employee about $3,000 or more in a year, Social Security and Medicare taxes generally apply, and federal unemployment tax can apply above a separate amount. Occasional or very low-dollar help may fall under the threshold — the calculator can show you where you stand.
Some states have their own thresholds and filings, so the state piece is worth confirming for where the work happens.
Paying on the books
On-the-books payroll for a housekeeper looks the same as for any household employee: withhold correctly, provide pay stubs, and file a W-2 and Schedule H at year-end. It protects you if a question ever comes up and gives your housekeeper proof of income.
KinPayroll runs this for a housekeeper exactly as it does for a caregiver — the tax rules are the same.
This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Tax and Medicaid outcomes depend on your specific situation and your state's rules — confirm with a qualified tax advisor or elder-law professional before acting.