Just got a call about babysitting an infant...

[Mermaid02]

What does that mean?
Does it mean your husband thinks it's not happening?
Does it mean the baby's parents think they have a new sitter?

How long are you going to let it ride? I'd be extremely ticked off if I thought I had a new sitter lined up and found out at the last minute that that wasn't the case because she didn't work it out with her family and didn't have the courtesy to let me know right away that there was an issue.

I would NEVER do that. What kind of idiot do you think I am??

The child's Grandmother actually called me last night. She spoke with me, I said I would be interested but I am recovering from surgery so I'm not sure exactly when I would be available etc. She is going to give her daughter my information and IF she calls me we will discuss it. We haven't talked hours, salary, rules etc. And I'm pretty sure she'd want to meet me and see where we live.

What I meant by "let it ride" is just let my dh "digest" the idea. I have mentioned it before but I guess he didn't think I was serious.

The baby's Mom is an Optometrist here in town and it would me M-T-TH and FRI with Wednesdays off. That much I do know.

 

[hentob]

What I meant by "let it ride" is just let my dh "digest" the idea.

Digest the idea of you doing what you want to do for a living

Oh, girlfriend, if this is what you want to do (and you can swing it financially and it allows you to be with your 13 year old)....Go for it!

I am amazed your DH thinks he can actually tell you "no" like he is your superior. You really want to do this? So do it!

You seem like you would be a wonderful caregiver

 

[golfgal]

I guess (and it's only a guess) he wants me to go back to "work" ya know, get up and leave the house. I worked part time, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings. I would never find a job with those hours again. If you figured in our daycare costs, gas, clothes, lunches out etc. I only made about 125 per week give or take. Plus if you have a daycare (even just one child-not licensed) you can write off your heating for your home, your electricity, your water etc. I think we would make out better in the long run.

If you start doing this you will need to start paying taxes on the money you make. Now, since you will be self-employed you will need to pay both the employer tax and the employee tax, which will eat up about oh 40% of what you make.

For one child we don't need a license or extra insurance. My son's former daycare provider is kind of mentoring me..... LOL

I went up and talked to my dh a bit- it's not enough money. That's it. Period. He can be a bit like his Dad, change is bad. I think he will warm to it after a while. For now, I'm just going to let it ride.

You mentor is VERY WRONG. You do need extra insurance unless of course you don't care about losing everything you have. Say something happens to that child while in your care and they sue you? What is going to pay for that. Not only do you need a day care rider on your homeowners insurance you will also want to make sure you take out a VERY GOOD umbrella policy of at least $2,000,000. Now, these aren't all that expensive (and you should have the umbrella anyway) but it will probably add another $30 or so to your insurance bill.

Before you agree to anything, talk to an accountant to see how this will effect your taxes, etc.

 

[Mermaid02]

Digest the idea of you doing what you want to do for a living

Oh, girlfriend, if this is what you want to do (and you can swing it financially and it allows you to be with your 13 year old)....Go for it!

I am amazed your DH thinks he can actually tell you "no" like he is your superior. You really want to do this? So do it!

You seem like you would be a wonderful caregiver

I like you!

I took care of an infant when my son was small. When the baby turned 2 his Mom and I decided he would do better in a daycare with more kids. There were tears on both sides but it was the right time. His Mom and I are still friends. Anyway- 4 years later she had a second baby and called me in tears asking me to take her... she wasn't getting much one on one at the daycare she was at..... I couldn't as I was in school. I have always been very proud that Sharon was so happy with the way I took care of her son that she wanted me to take her new baby.

 

[hentob]

The problem is that you never know what you are getting with some parents. I had one little girls who I watched while my ex was deployed one year while her parents worked the evening shift. I wasn't doing anything anyway so I went ahead and said I would watch her from 3-11. Not only did I rarely get paid but sometimes they didn't show up until 3 in the morning. A few times at 8 a.m. The end was when dad showed up drunk at 3am and I would not let him drive the baby home.

Meh. I would know what I was getting if any of that happened just once And I would never babysit that child again.

You didn't get paid? They didn't show up until 3am? Sometimes wouldn't come until the next day Drunken pick ups? They knew they could walk all over you and they did.

I doubt this is a typical scenerio with babysitting

With all of that said, it was nice that you were able to continue watching that baby out of love. I could never be walked upon like that, but I am sure you gave that child a good life for a short while

 

[Mermaid02]

If you start doing this you will need to start paying taxes on the money you make. Now, since you will be self-employed you will need to pay both the employer tax and the employee tax, which will eat up about oh 40% of what you make.



You mentor is VERY WRONG. You do need extra insurance unless of course you don't care about losing everything you have. Say something happens to that child while in your care and they sue you? What is going to pay for that. Not only do you need a day care rider on your homeowners insurance you will also want to make sure you take out a VERY GOOD umbrella policy of at least $2,000,000. Now, these aren't all that expensive (and you should have the umbrella anyway) but it will probably add another $30 or so to your insurance bill.

Before you agree to anything, talk to an accountant to see how this will effect your taxes, etc.

Wow- that makes me NEVER want to have ANYONE step foot on our property.

 

[wdwfan16]

Seems like a good idea to me.

 

[puffkin]

For just one kid I personally wouldn't do anything related to taxes (ie take deductions on your return etc). If you do that you have to claim all the income and it will eat up a lot of your salary. I would just do it under the table on both sides (meaning the babies mom wouldn't get the deduction either) and price yourself accordingly. If you had 4-5 kids I would talk to an accountant!

Another idea is that maybe you could keep the baby during the day and do before/after school care for an older child or two as well. You will be tied at home anyway and older kids wouldn't need as much supervision. There would be some extra income then plus you would get the majority of the day with just the baby.

 

[golfgal]

For just one kid I personally wouldn't do anything related to taxes (ie take deductions on your return etc). If you do that you have to claim all the income and it will eat up a lot of your salary. I would just do it under the table on both sides (meaning the babies mom wouldn't get the deduction either) and price yourself accordingly. If you had 4-5 kids I would talk to an accountant!

Another idea is that maybe you could keep the baby during the day and do before/after school care for an older child or two as well. You will be tied at home anyway and older kids wouldn't need as much supervision. There would be some extra income then plus you would get the majority of the day with just the baby.

Most states would require some kind of a license for taking in 2 or more families though.

 

[rie'smom]

If you start doing this you will need to start paying taxes on the money you make. Now, since you will be self-employed you will need to pay both the employer tax and the employee tax, which will eat up about oh 40% of what you make.



You mentor is VERY WRONG. You do need extra insurance unless of course you don't care about losing everything you have. Say something happens to that child while in your care and they sue you? What is going to pay for that. Not only do you need a day care rider on your homeowners insurance you will also want to make sure you take out a VERY GOOD umbrella policy of at least $2,000,000. Now, these aren't all that expensive (and you should have the umbrella anyway) but it will probably add another $30 or so to your insurance bill.

Before you agree to anything, talk to an accountant to see how this will effect your taxes, etc.

My friend sat for 1 child and didn't even claim the income. It was all cash.

 

[golfgal]

My friend sat for 1 child and didn't even claim the income. It was all cash.

Right but if the OP starts taking deductions on her taxes for daycare use and doesn't claim any daycare income, there is a good chance she will be audited I would think. The point is, if you take the deductions you have to claim the income and pay taxes, which will pretty much net her out at next to nothing for watching this baby.

 

[rie'smom]

Right but if the OP starts taking deductions on her taxes for daycare use and doesn't claim any daycare income, there is a good chance she will be audited I would think. The point is, if you take the deductions you have to claim the income and pay taxes, which will pretty much net her out at next to nothing for watching this baby.

This is true. I guess she would need to compare which would save more money.

 

[HM]

I hired a "nanny" to care for my two kids when they were toddlers/preschoolers. I paid her taxes and SS on a quarterly basis (deducting her portion from her paycheck). It was better for both of this way. She didn't have to set up a business and I still could take child care deductions.
The mother of the infant could do the same thing and then the OP would be all kosher with the gov't and show SS payments for the time she's caring for the child.

 

[Feralpeg]

My friend sat for 1 child and didn't even claim the income. It was all cash.

That's great unless you get caught. It is illegal.

When I operated my gift basket business from my home, I had to get liability insurance plus an umbrella rider on my homeowner insurance on the oft chance that someone might harm them self on an item from one of my baskets. Unless you have a limited liability license, someone suing you can take everything you personally own. I would never operate any type of business (including a day care) without enough insurance to protect my personal assets.

 

[daughtersrus]

If you start doing this you will need to start paying taxes on the money you make. Now, since you will be self-employed you will need to pay both the employer tax and the employee tax, which will eat up about oh 40% of what you make.

Maybe not. There are deductions that a home daycare can take that do not apply to any other home based business. For instance, you can deduct the "time/space" percent of your mortgage, property taxes, utilities, homeowners insurance, toys if your children share theirs with the daycare and and any other shared expense like lawn maintenance, food (you probably wouldn't buy a separate bottle of ketchup just for daycare but would share the family bottle. You can deduct 100% of daycare expenses like food specific for daycare, daycare insurance rider, supplies (craft, paper plates, napkins, toys...). There are other expenses that you can depreciate (furniture, carpet, remodel...Tom Copeland (Redleaf Press) has some very helpful tools when it comes to taxes.

Most daycare providers that I know do still end up with a tax liability(but not nearly 40% of their income) but none of them pay quarterly because they have adjusted the amount that is withheld from their spouse's pay. As a matter of fact, all of them still end up with at least a small refund. I know a lot of people don't like the idea of loaning the money to the government for free, but this is what works for them.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I think what you are doing is a great idea. Your son is older so its not like you have to do the same amount of volunteering at his school as you would when they are younger (I just finished up student teaching with a kindergarten class and it seems we had parents in there every week for one thing or another) and you will be home for him when he is done with school and bringing in a little money. Does it matter that your not "leaving" the house to go to work? Taking care of an infant is plenty of work IMHO. And like you said you wont have to pay for gas, a work wardrobe, etc. Good Luck with whatever happens, keep us posted.

 

[sbell111]

Digest the idea of you doing what you want to do for a living

Oh, girlfriend, if this is what you want to do (and you can swing it financially and it allows you to be with your 13 year old)....Go for it!

I am amazed your DH thinks he can actually tell you "no" like he is your superior. You really want to do this? So do it!

You seem like you would be a wonderful caregiver

You act as if her husband isn't affected by this decision. If he isn't on board with this plan, it should be scrapped.

Too many people on these boards seem to think that a marriage is just two people who live in the same house.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Digest the idea of you doing what you want to do for a living

Oh, girlfriend, if this is what you want to do (and you can swing it financially and it allows you to be with your 13 year old)....Go for it!

I am amazed your DH thinks he can actually tell you "no" like he is your superior. You really want to do this? So do it!

You seem like you would be a wonderful caregiver

And if her husband decided he wanted to run an escort service out of there home she shouldn't be able to object either, right?

 

[Scurvy]

You act as if her husband isn't affected by this decision. If he isn't on board with this plan, it should be scrapped.

Too many people on these boards seem to think that a marriage is just two people who live in the same house.

And if her husband decided he wanted to run an escort service out of there home she shouldn't be able to object either, right?

My husband and I both get a say in the important decisions in our household. If one of us wanted to start a business in our home, the other would certainly have veto power. It's a part of being married - if I wanted to be free to make all decisions without regard to anyone else, I would still be single. The OP and her husband aren't roommates, they are a unit and the decisions that one makes will affect the other. Even if they were only roommates, starting a business in the home they share is something that will affect both of them. Both of them should decide together whether it's going to happen or not.

OP, I agree with previous posters that you need to be absolutely sure you understand the legal ramifications of starting your own home daycare before you make your decision. Things like licensing and taxes can really come back to bite you if you don't have all of that squared away before you start a business.

 

[Mermaid02]

And if her husband decided he wanted to run an escort service out of there home she shouldn't be able to object either, right?

If he would do that I wouldn't need to babysit!

The Mom just called me, she sounded wonderful! We are going to meet next week and discuss their needs and ours and go from there. She is very interested in him getting one on one care and not being in a center right now. After the meeting we will both discuss it with our spouses and see what we come up with.

About licensing, in Maine you don't need a license to watch one child.