Everyone who keeps your home running — paid on the books.
A housekeeper, house manager, or personal assistant you direct is a W-2 employee — not a 1099 contractor. House keeps them on the books for free: withholding, pay stubs, and year-end forms, all paid from your own account.
The most expensive mistake here is a 1099.
If you control how and when the work gets done — set the schedule, the tasks, the way it's done — the person is your employee, not an independent contractor. Handing regular household help a 1099 is exactly the misclassification the IRS looks for. House keeps it correctly on the books.
Made for how a employee really works.
W-2 vs. 1099, settled
The one that trips up most homes. House treats directed household help as the W-2 employees they are — withholding and forms included — so you're not exposed at audit time.
More than one on staff
Housekeeper and a gardener? A whole estate team? Set up each person with their own rate and schedule, all under a single household account.
Custom rates & overtime
Set custom and overnight rates, and let overtime apply automatically past 40 hours for non-exempt staff — no manual math.
Reimbursements
Add non-taxable reimbursement lines for supplies, mileage, or materials so they stay off taxable wages and on the record.
Offer letters & agreements
Put the terms in writing with a clean, signable agreement covering pay, duties, hours, and confidentiality.
Records that last
Pay stubs, tax forms, and payroll history stay organized and exportable — the paper trail that turns a quiet risk into a clean one.
Paying on the books pays off.
For your employee
A legitimate income record for renting, mortgages, and loans — plus Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment protection they'd lose off the books.
For your household
Sidestep the 1099 misclassification trap and the back taxes, interest, and penalties that follow it. Clean records, kept for years.
Peace of mind
No monthly subscription and nothing to reconcile at tax time — just correct pay stubs and the year-end figures ready when you need them.
Started late? We'll get you caught up.
Paid off the books earlier this year? You can import your year-to-date wages so your W-2 and Schedule H cover the whole year. House reconstructs the withholding into clean records — no penalties to us, because you file and pay yourself.
What you can count on.
The math, done right
Every withholding follows current-year IRS, SSA, and state rules. Overtime, caps, and thresholds are handled — no spreadsheets to get wrong.
Real forms, ready
Pay stubs, W-2 and W-3, and Schedule H figures generated straight from the payroll you've run. You review and file — nothing to re-key.
You keep the money
House never touches your bank account. You pay your employee your own way, which is exactly why the core plan stays free.
Free, and private
No per-employee fees, no monthly bill. Sensitive data like SSNs is encrypted and never sold. Upgrade to Plus only if you want the extras.
The honest answers.
My house cleaner comes weekly — aren't they a contractor?
Usually not. A cleaner you direct — you set the schedule and how the work is done, and it's not their own independent business serving many clients — is a W-2 household employee. A one-off service company you hire is different.
Do part-time or occasional staff count?
Once you pay any one household employee $3,000 in a year, you owe household employment taxes on their wages — part-time included. The 60-second quiz will tell you where you stand.
Does House move the money?
No. It computes exact net pay and taxes and generates the forms; you pay from your own account and file yourself. That's why the core plan is free.
Pay your employee the right way.
Right withholdings, printed pay stubs and year-end forms — then you send the pay your own way. Free, with no monthly bill.
Get started free