Get your taxes done using TurboTax

This is likely a very old thread that migrated over from the old user forum when the user forum changed in June of 2019 to Real Money Talk, and many threads migrated over with 2019 dates even if they were much older.

But it has been brought up again because of a recent post.  So....for anyone reading this thread.....if you work as a nanny or babysitter and are NOT a household employee-----if you make $400 or more, you are considered to be an independent contractor and must pay self-employment tax on your earnings for Social Security and Medicare, and may also owe ordinary income tax.  The person who you provide childcare for wants.needs a Social Security number or a Tax ID number from you so that they can claim the childcare credit on their own tax return.  You are obliged to provide either your SSN or a Tax ID.  If you prefer not to give out your SSN, then it is simple to obtain a Tax Identification Number   (TIN) from the IRS.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayer-identification-numbers-tin

The person you babysat for can use that number when they report the amount they paid for childcare.  And you are required to report self-employment income of $400 or more to the IRS on a tax return---the IRS will match up the amount reported by the person who paid you with the tax return you file.

If you incur expenses --such a mileage for driving a child to school, after school activities, etc. or if you babysit in your home, there are expenses you can claim on a Schedule C when you prepare your own tax return.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/self-employed/help/what-is-the-self-employment-tax/00/25922

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2902389-why-am-i-paying-self-employment-tax

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2903027-how-do-i-report-income-from-self-employment

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901340-where-do-i-enter-schedule-c

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3398950-what-self-employed-expenses-can-i-deduct