Paying a live-in caregiver,without the guesswork.
When a caregiver lives in your parent's home, the day-to-day looks different — but for taxes, a live-in aide you hire directly is generally still a household employee. KinPayroll handles the withholdings, pay stubs, and year-end W-2 and Schedule H the same way it does for hourly care. Estimates only — confirm your situation with a tax advisor.
Built around IRS Pub 926~10-min setupNo credit card
Live-in care looks different. The tax rules mostly don't.
Room and board, long days, someone in the home — a few specifics are worth knowing, but the household-employer basics still apply.
Still a household employee
If your parent hires the caregiver directly and controls the work, living in the home doesn't change the basic picture — the usual household-employer rules generally apply. Confirm your case with a tax advisor.
Room and board vs. cash wages
Lodging provided for the employer's convenience is often treated differently from cash wages — but the cash you pay is still wages. The specifics depend on your arrangement.
Hours and overtime have their own rules
Which hours count as paid work and how overtime applies are governed by federal and state labor rules, separate from taxes. Agree paid hours in writing; an employment attorney can help with the edge cases.
Same year-end forms
Once wages reach about $3,000 in a year, FICA generally applies and FUTA may apply — with a W-2 and Schedule H at year-end, exactly as for hourly help.
Not sure what you'll owe — or save?
Estimate the employer taxes and the medical-expense deduction you may qualify for — about two minutes, no account.
Estimates only — confirm with your tax advisor.
It's not just senior care.
Anyone you pay to work in your parent's home is a household employee — and the tax rules are the same. Pick yours and we'll walk you through it.
Senior caregiver
Paying an in-home aide for your aging parent — the case KinPayroll is built around, start to finish.
Family member
A relative you pay to provide care. Some family wages are treated differently — the calculator helps you see your situation.
Learn moreNot sure? The tax calculator works no matter who you employ.
Common questions
If your parent hired them directly and controls the work, a live-in caregiver is generally a household employee (W-2), not an independent contractor — the same as hourly in-home help. Agency-placed caregivers are usually the agency's employees. Confirm your case with a tax advisor.
Pay your live-in caregiver right — start free in about ten minutes.
Start free, log every payment, and have the W-2 and Schedule H ready at year-end.
Free accountNo credit card50-state tax estimates