APNA Approved Agencies Blog

Whether it be purchasing a new television or hiring a new Nanny, you want to make sure you’re getting the best. Searching for a Nanny on your own can be a rigorous and stressful process, so using a company like Seaside Staffing Company can help alleviate a lot of the hassle.

APNA stands for the Association of Premiere Nanny Agencies. This association’s mission is to ensure that you will be working with the best of the best in the Nanny industry. In order for a nanny agency to get the stamp of APNA approval, they must go through arduous background searches. APNA even goes to the lengths of creating a personal relationship with the nanny agencies in order to get a better understanding of their company and establish a lasting connection.

When choosing a nanny agency to correspond with, it’s always a good idea to double-check that they are APNA certified. This should give you peace of mind, and allow you to find the nanny of your dreams with ease! 

~ Sara Luckham

Seaside Staffing Company 

Social Media Specialist

Creative Crafts With Cardboard Tubes!

We all know they are everywhere! So, why not make a creative use out of them? Parents are always looking to use regular household products to create inexpensive, fun and entertaining projects for their children. Thanks to our good friends over at Happy Hooligans we have found this list of 22 ways to use these otherwise disposable products! 

22 Things to Make with Cardboard Tubes:

Click on the highlighted descriptions to see a full tutorial for each craft or activity.

Fall Decorations with Cardboard Tubes:

Use a cool paint process to make some fall napkin rings.

Make a turkey table topper for your Thanksgiving table.

Round up some fabric scraps and a few crafty odds and ends for some adorable toilet roll owls.

Crafting for Halloween:

The kids will love making a quirky monster mobile out of cardboard rolls.

A spooky crow or owl is a very fitting decoration for Halloween.

Our toilet roll mummies help little ones develop their winding and wrapping skills.

Winter Toilet Roll Crafts:

These cardboard roll snowmen are just the cutest little things, aren’t they?

The hooligans LOVE playing with our toilet roll Nativity set.

Cardboard Roll Christmas Crafts:

Fleece, batting and a cardboard roll makes an adorable Santa Claus.

Make a set of cute reindeer ornaments for your Christmas tree.

This snowman ornament would be great for the tree or as a gift topper.

Spring Crafts:

Summons up some April showers with a colourful rain stick.

These Easter chicks in paper nests are just too sweet.

Peeps!  Everyone loves Easter peeps, right?

And don’t forget about the Easter bunnies!  Check out our paint chip bunting too!

Bracelets and Cuffs:

Make some simple toilet roll cuff bracelets.

Anklets can be made using cardboard rolls and colourful duct tape.

Skill Building Activities:

Make some cool 3-D structures with tubes and a low-temp glue gun.

Toddlers love to drop things through our cardboard Drop Zone.

Arts and Crafts:

Create a unique piece of art for a kid’s room, toy room or classroom.

Turn a long cardboard tube into a torch.

Cardboard Tubes for Play:

In a pinch, a sturdy kitchen roll, makes an excellent bubble wand.

Make a set of simple “stand up” paper dolls.

Well?  What do you think?  Did we inspire you?  Now, it’s your turn to inspire me!  If you have a favourite cardboard roll craft or activity, I’d love to hear about it!

Now, I’ll bet you’re wondering how you can re-use all those Keurig K-cups you have stashed too!  Don’t worry!  We’ve got you covered: 25 Ways to Re-use Your K-cup pods.

The Legal Review by Breedlove and Associates - Employment Taxes

A Complimentary Resource from © 2014 Breedlove & Associates, LLC. Breedlove & Associates

When it comes to taxes, the tiniest of details can be the difference between smooth sailing and a giant headache. With the back-to-school hiring rush in full swing, now is a great time to familiarize yourself with a few household employment details (also known as the "nanny taxes," although the payroll, tax and labor laws apply to all types of domestic workers employed by a family). This particular household employment case highlights how a family's personal income tax return became much more complicated after the wrong tax returns were filed.

The Mistake

The Richmond family hired a nanny last year and utilized a local CPA to handle their tax return filings. The CPA made all the family's quarterly state tax payments on their behalf and prepared their year-end documents, but also made quarterly federal tax payments for the family using Form 941.

The Law

The use of Form 941 is for remitting federal quarterly tax payments for commercial businesses. But household employers are not commercial businesses, and according to IRS Publication 926, they should make estimated tax payments using the federal 1040 Estimated Payment schedule. The only exceptions to this rule are if the family already owns a business as a sole proprietor or if they operate a for-profit farm. These estimated payments cover the Social Security & Medicare (FICA) and federal income taxes withheld from an employee as well as the employer's share of FICA and federal unemployment insurance taxes. The taxes are remitted to the IRS in mid-April, mid-June, mid-September and mid-January using Form 1040-ES.

The Mess

When the Richmond's CPA filed their personal income tax return and Schedule H this year, the IRS showed the family owed additional taxes coincidentally equaling the amount of the taxes they sent in on their 941 returns. The family contacted the IRS and an agent informed them of their error in using Form 941. Unfortunately, the Richmonds were already past the 1st quarter of 2014 when they spoke to the agent and their CPA had filed another Form 941 on their behalf. 

The Outcome

The family ultimately had to file amended 941 returns for all of 2013 and the 1st quarter of 2014 with instructions to transfer those tax payments to their personal taxes using their Social Security number. This allowed the Richmonds to amend their 2013 personal income tax return and get on the 1040 Estimated Payment schedule for the rest of the 2014. While ultimately the family's CPA had all the family's payroll and tax information correct from the beginning, the mistake of filing a Form 941 instead of Form 1040-ES resulted in hours of additional work and a frustrated client. 

Household employment is a highly-nuanced section of the tax code with numerous exceptions and exemptions that don't apply to commercial enterprises. The state and federal complexities, combined with the unique labor law obligations, can create risk for families and liability for their advisors. That's why we were created as a comprehensive "nanny tax" specialist. Founded in 1992, we provide families in all 50 states with an affordable, "no-work, no-worry" solution to household employment payroll, tax and HR obligations.

Quick Tax Facts:

$1,900: Annual wage threshold for Social Security & Medicare (FICA) reporting in 2014

$1,000: Quarterly wage threshold for Unemployment reporting (some state thresholds are lower)

$2,500: Total childcare tax breaks available for families

1.5: Overtime rate of pay when work exceeds 40 hours

$0.56: Federal mileage reimbursement rate in 2014

$7.25: Federal minimum wage (some state rates are higher)

$2: Approximate daily cost to have HomePay by Breedlove handle all payroll and tax compliance duties with no work and no worry.