You handle the caregiving. We'll handle the payroll.
Paying a caregiver for a parent or loved one makes you a household employer. House runs the withholding, tracks overnights and live-in hours, and generates the year-end forms — free. You pay your caregiver directly.
Hire a caregiver directly and you're a household employer.
If you found and hired the caregiver yourself — not through an agency that employs them — and pay $3,000 or more a year, the same household-employer rules that apply to a nanny apply to you. House keeps it compliant so your caregiver is protected and you avoid costly mistakes.
Made for how a caregiver really works.
Overnight & live-in hours
Set custom rates for overnights, live-in care, and variable shifts. House handles the calculations so hard-to-track hours land correctly on every stub.
Multiple caregivers
Rotating aides or a day/night split? Set up each caregiver separately, with their own rate and schedule, all under one household.
Reimbursements, kept clean
Add non-taxable lines for mileage or groceries so they never inflate wages or payroll taxes — and stay documented for your records.
Records for medical deductions
Wages you pay for a chronically-ill loved one's care may count toward medical-expense deductions. House keeps the clean wage records you'd need to claim them.
Every withholding, handled
Social Security, Medicare, unemployment where it applies, and state and local taxes — computed automatically so your caregiver is covered and you stay compliant.
Split the cost with siblings
When siblings share a parent's care, one person is the household employer of record. House keeps that clear, with one clean payroll and shareable records.
Paying on the books pays off.
For your caregiver
Depending on wages and state, they earn Social Security and Medicare credits, unemployment insurance, and in some states disability or paid-family-leave coverage.
For your family
Avoid penalties and keep payroll organized during an already-stressful time — with records you can hand to an accountant or share among siblings.
For your budget
Reported wages may unlock a medical-expense deduction or the Child & Dependent Care Credit when the person you care for is your qualifying dependent. Ask your tax pro — the records will be ready.
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.
Isn't my caregiver a 1099 contractor?
If you hired them directly and direct their work, no — they're your W-2 employee, just like a nanny. A caregiver is only a 1099 contractor if they run a genuinely independent business and set their own terms, which is rare for private in-home care.
What if I hired through an agency?
If a home-care agency employs and pays the caregiver, the agency handles payroll — you owe nothing here. House is for caregivers you hire and pay directly.
Can I deduct the wages I pay?
Sometimes. Wages for care of a chronically-ill or disabled family member can count toward medical-expense deductions, and dependent-care benefits may apply. House keeps the records; confirm eligibility with a tax professional.
Pay your caregiver 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