The Senior Care Guide: Managing Your Home Care Aide

In this article

• Contract
• Insurance
• Taxes
• Employment Eligibility Verification form I-9
• Communication

What a contract should address

• Terms of payment: the amount as well as the method for paying (each week, each month, cash or check, etc.).
• Hours the home care aide will work. If these hours will vary every week, say so.
• Specific tasks the aide is expected to complete, such as: do laundry twice a week, change the sheets, fold the laundry and put it away, shop for you, clean the house (clarifying exactly what must be done in each room), remind your parent to take her medication each morning.
• Provisions for sick or vacation days.
• How much notice either party requests for rescheduling.
• Terms for ending the contract.
• Taxes and health benefits.

What your homeowner's insurance policy should cover

If you are hiring someone to work in your parent's home on a regular basis, make sure her homeowners' insurance policy covers any accidents or injuries that might occur during work time.

Taxes

You don't have to worry about paying taxes for in-home health-care aides who work for an agency. If your care provider works for others, and provides her own equipment, she is considered a self-employed contractor, and it is her responsibility to pay taxes. But if you pay an employee who is not a self-employed contractor more than $1,500 in wages during a calendar year, you are responsible for reporting that employee's income to the IRS, and for withholding her Social Security taxes and Medicare taxes. Some states also require you to withhold state tax. Check with the IRS and your state's department of revenue about the exact regulations, as they are frequently updated. If you don't follow the tax laws, you could be charged back taxes, plus a penalty.

Employment Eligibility Verification form I-9

You are also required to fill out an Employment Eligibility Verification form I-9, which verifies that your home health aide is legally entitled to work in the United States.

Communication

Once you have agreed on the terms of the contract, clarify how frequently you will discuss how you are each feeling about the job. Regular communication will help ensure that you are both satisfied with your arrangement.

The bottom line

Having a trustworthy, reliable, and caring person to help your parent will be a tremendous relief to your parent and the rest of the family. Establishing ongoing communication and a positive relationship with that person will foster a situation with which everyone is comfortable.

Ronnie Friedland is an editor at Care.com. She has co-edited three books on parenting and interfaith family issues.