Free household employer tax calculator

Free Nanny Tax Calculator

A nanny tax calculator estimates the payroll taxes a household employer and nanny may owe on annual wages. This free tool shows Social Security, Medicare, FUTA, and estimated state unemployment taxes so you can budget nanny payroll taxes before you hire or run payroll.

Use it as a fast household employer tax estimator when you want to compare nanny payroll taxes, budget your employer share, and see what would typically be withheld from the employee's wages for FICA.

Social Security

6.2% employer and 6.2% employee.

Medicare

1.45% employer and 1.45% employee.

FUTA

0.6% on the first $7,000 of wages.

State unemployment

Editable estimate based on state rate and wage base.

Build your estimate

Enter wages, pick the work state, and review an annual breakdown of employer payroll cost and employee withholding.

Annual gross wagesGross annual wages paid to the nanny before withholding.State where the work is performedThe state controls the default unemployment tax estimate.

Filing statusFiling status does not change the FICA or unemployment taxes shown here, but it can still help when you plan optional income-tax withholding.

Fine-tune state unemployment

The calculator preloads a budgeting rate and wage base for New York. Update them if you already know your household employer rate notice or state wage base.

Estimated state unemployment rateEnter a percent such as 2.70 or 3.40.State unemployment wage baseThe estimate applies your state rate only to wages up to this amount.

This simplified calculator focuses on the payroll taxes listed above. It does not estimate optional income-tax withholding, local payroll taxes, year-specific wage thresholds, or any state-specific credits or surcharges that may apply to your household.

Annual tax summary

Based on $45,000 in annual wages paid in New York.

Employer tax cost

$3,919.70

About 8.71% of annual wages in this estimate.

Employee withholding

$3,442.50

Social Security and Medicare withheld from wages.

Total payroll taxes

$7,362.20

Employer taxes plus employee-side FICA withholding.

Estimated employer cash outlay$48,919.70

That equals annual gross wages plus the employer share of payroll taxes.

Social Security

6.2% paid by the household employer and 6.2% withheld from the employee's wages.

Employer: $2,790.00
Employee: $2,790.00

Medicare

1.45% paid by the employer and 1.45% withheld from the employee for basic Medicare tax.

Employer: $652.50
Employee: $652.50

Federal unemployment (FUTA)

0.6% applied to the first $7,000 of annual wages as a simplified federal unemployment estimate.

Employer: $42.00
Employee: $0.00

New York unemployment

3.40% on the first $12,800 of wages using an editable state unemployment estimate.

Employer: $435.20
Employee: $0.00

How to calculate nanny taxes

These are the same practical steps most household employers walk through before deciding whether to run payroll themselves or hand it off to a payroll provider.

Step 1

Enter annual wages

Start with the gross wages you expect to pay the nanny or household employee over the full calendar year.

Step 2

Choose the state and filing status

Select the work state to load an estimated state unemployment setup and keep the employee's filing profile on hand for payroll planning.

Step 3

Review employer payroll taxes

The calculator applies Social Security, Medicare, FUTA, and estimated state unemployment taxes to show the household employer's annual cost.

Step 4

Compare employee withholding and totals

Use the side-by-side breakdown to see what the employer pays, what the employee typically has withheld for FICA, and the total annual tax obligation.

Frequently asked questions

Common answers for household employers comparing nanny payroll taxes and cash-flow impact.

What does a nanny tax calculator estimate?

A nanny tax calculator estimates the payroll taxes tied to household employment, including employer and employee Social Security, Medicare, federal unemployment tax, and a state unemployment estimate based on where the work is performed.

Who pays Social Security and Medicare for a nanny?

In a standard household payroll setup, the employer pays 6.2% for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare, and the employee generally has the same percentages withheld from wages. This tool shows both sides so the full payroll picture is easy to budget.

Why is state unemployment shown as an estimate?

State unemployment tax usually depends on a state-specific wage base and the employer's assigned rate. New-employer rates, experience ratings, and local surcharges can vary, so this calculator uses editable budgeting assumptions instead of presenting the result as a final tax filing figure.

Does filing status change nanny payroll taxes?

Not for the payroll taxes shown here. Filing status does not change Social Security, Medicare, FUTA, or employer state unemployment calculations, but it can still matter if you later choose to withhold federal or state income tax by agreement.

Looking for the core CarePaycheck experience instead of a household employer tax calculator?

Try the main CarePaycheck product