• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

  • About
  • Liz’s Books
  • Speaking
  • Disclosure
  • Contact

caregivers

Q&A: An aging relative is spending her nest egg on round-the-clock care. What happens when the money runs out?

October 22, 2024 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: A family member is 90 and lives by herself at home. She has around-the-clock caregivers paid for by her investment accounts. Her teacher pension pays for all everyday expenses. She is high maintenance and unwilling to accept she will one day run out of money for caregivers. What would you suggest?

Answer: That depends on how much money she has, and why you’re asking.

In-home, round-the-clock care can be mind-bogglingly expensive. The median cost nationally for 24/7 at-home caretaking was about $24,000 a month in 2023, according to Genworth’s latest “Cost of Care” survey. By contrast, the median cost for a private room in a nursing home was closer to $10,000 a month.

Not many people could pay for around-the-clock care for long, but your relative may be one of the exceptions. If she has enough savings to pay for care for a few years, then perhaps she’s making the calculated gamble that she’ll run out of breath before she runs out of cash. (And if she’s the suspicious type, she may be convinced your concern is more for your potential inheritance than her well-being.)

Once her resources are depleted, though, her situation could become pretty bleak. Her income may be too high to qualify for Medicaid, the government program that otherwise might pay for nursing home care. (In California, the program is known as Medi-Cal.) Perhaps her home could be sold to pay her care. If not, she might have to turn to relatives for financial help.

If you’re one of the relatives she would turn to, then you can certainly let her know how much help you could afford to give her, if any. But first, suggest a session with an elder law attorney who can review her situation, calculate how long her resources might last and offer suggestions for managing her care bills. She may be more willing to listen to a professional third party than to her family. You can get referrals from the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys at www.naela.org.

Filed Under: Elder Care, Q&A Tagged With: caregivers, long term care, Medi-Cal, Medicaid

Q&A: Reporting caregivers’ pay to the IRS

March 14, 2022 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: We have a gardener, pool man and caregivers. We pay the gardener, pool man and some of the caregivers directly, while we pay an agency for the other caregivers. Do we have an obligation to report payments to the IRS?

Answer: As an individual taxpayer, you typically don’t have to report payments to businesses. Your gardener and pool cleaner probably either are self-employed or work for a company that takes care of reporting requirements for its workers. Likewise, the caregiving agency should handle reporting requirements for its employees.

The caregivers you pay directly, however, are generally considered your household employees. That means you may be responsible for reporting their wages to the IRS and paying their employment taxes. That responsibility kicks in if a caregiver receives at least $1,000 in any calendar quarter or at least $2,400 per calendar year for 2022 (or $2,300 per calendar year for 2021), says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting. IRS Publication 926, Household Employer’s Tax Guide, has details.

Filed Under: Q&A, Taxes Tagged With: caregivers, IRS

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

January 24, 2018 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: How to max out your Roth IRA in 2018. Also in the news: Why smarter cars aren’t saving us money on car insurance, 4 tax breaks that could help those caring for elderly parents, and 5 money moves that will help you retire early.

How to Max Out Your Roth IRA in 2018
Tips to keep you on track.

Why Smarter Cars Aren’t Saving Us Money on Car Insurance
Need a little more time.

If You’re Caring for Elderly Parents, 4 Tax Breaks May Help
See what’s available to you.

5 Money Moves That Will Help You Retire Early
Strategic planning.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: car insurance, caregivers, early retirement, money moves, Retirement, retirement savings, Roth IRA, smart cars, tax breaks, tips

Primary Sidebar

Search

Copyright © 2025 · Ask Liz Weston 2.0 On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in