Elderly Care Services
                     Senior Care Online – 
senior home care services 
online
Website – www.seniorcareonline.com
Hiring an Independent Caregiver? 
Here Are the Legalities You Must 
Know About
 These days, we can do everything from our mobile, right from shopping 
and dating to hiring senior home care services online. When you can 
use a senior care online app to easily hire a senior caregiver, working 
with an agency and paying extra seem to be a less-attractive option.
 But when you decide to hire an independent senior caregiver, it 
becomes important for you to know the difference between an 
independent caregiver and a household employee and what it means 
for you. 
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What is an independent 
caregiver? 
 Commonly known as a private caregiver, an independent caregiver is a caregiver 
professional who does not work for an agency. They work independently, find 
clients on their own, or maybe contacted by Care Seekers directly. Careseekers 
can often negotiate their work hours and payment directly.
 According to the IRS, when a privately hired independent caregiver is paid more 
than $2,300 per year (in 2021), they are deemed as a household employee, except 
for situations where the family paying for services can show the caregivers true 
independence.
 Most senior caregivers who are paid by careseekers or the caregiver agencies 
directly are considered household employees, and not independent contractors. 
People who falsely classify a caregiver as an independent contractor might be 
penalized by the IRS. 
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Responsibilities Of Hiring an 
Independent Caregiver
 Employment taxes
 Record keeping
 Insurance Matters
 This stands true for both:
 Senior caregivers who people hire privately
 Senior caregivers who people hire through a registry service that may facilitate payments but is not the employer. 
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How to Choose/Hire an Independent 
Caregiver 
 Create a Job Description that Covers the Level of Care Needed
 Before you contact or hire any private senior caregiver, you should enlist all the duties and 
activities that are needed for the elderly loved one, for instance, whether the elderly person 
just needs companionship or the elderly with Alzheimer's who live alone need light 
housecleaning and assistance with running errands. Or, the elderly loved one needs 
extensive care for a few days.
 Once you determine the level of care, write down a job description as detailed as possible, 
which should include:
 All the responsibilities and duties of the caregiver
 Working hours and days per week
 Any special skills or training required
 Experience
 Personal qualities you prefer
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Decide on the Pay Rate of the 
Senior Caregiver 
 When determining the pay rate for a senior caregiver, you need to keep in mind 
two things - federal law and local market pricing. Caregivers fall under the law of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The federal minimum wage for caregivers is 
$7.25/hour in 2021 (which varies state by state). However, the hourly minimum 
wage is set to go up to $15 in the near future. 
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Find Senior Caregivers Online and 
Interview Them 
 The most easiest and convenient way to find a private caregiver is to install the 
Senior Care Online App, also known as Bloom. You can trust this app as it is implemented 
appropriately with combined rigorous background checks; skill set requirements; educational 
qualification; and various other critical factors. With this easy-to-use app, you can find and 
speak to senior caregivers in the comfort of your home over your phone. 
 Once you narrow down a few senior caregivers, schedule an interview in person or online to 
make the final decision.
 Ask all questions you have in your mind such as previous work experience, training, special 
skills, and availability. You can also ask them what they like about caring for seniors and how 
they would handle a difficult senior with mood. Once you think that they match your needs 
and requirements, you can further talk about policies they need to follow while working, 
such as no smoking in the house. 
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Conduct a Background Check
 When you find the right professional for Elderly Care Online, a background check is 
essential to ensure the safety of the care recipient and the household. For that, you can 
confirm their prior employment, check references, verify license and certifications, check 
credit reports, see their DMV reports, and do a criminal background check.
 To do all this work, you can also hire help from a law office, private investigator, or an online 
company. Remember that you will need to get a signed release from the potential caregiver 
to perform a background check. 
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Create a Contract for Independent 
Caregiver 
 After you have hired a private senior caregiver, you need to prepare a job contract, which 
should include the start date of employment, responsibilities and duties in detail, payment 
amount, vacation days, and anything that the job entails. The caregiver is required to sign 
two copies of the contract - one for the caregiver and the other for you, the employer.
 Hiring independent or private elderly care online usually costs less than paying an agency. 
Besides, you get to choose the caregiver yourself, unlike an agency where the caregiver they 
send might not meet your expectations.
  So, in exchange for a few responsibilities, you can enjoy peace of mind by hiring a private 
senior caregiver and save money as well. Just make sure that when you hire 
Online Senior Home Care Services for your elderly loved one, you analyze your options 
well. 
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Contact Us
Website - https://seniorcareonline.com/ 
Mail us at - [email protected]
Call us (24/7) - 870-222-0457
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