{"slug":"care-com","name":"Care.com","category":"local-services","workerTerm":"caregivers (care providers)","classification":"Care.com doesn't employ caregivers, except Backup Care providers employed by its subsidiaries; families hire caregivers directly. Under IRS rules, a caregiver is the family's household employee if the family controls what work is done and how it's done, while a worker who controls how the work is done, or who provides childcare in their own home, is generally not the family's employee.","taxForms":"Care.com issues no wage form or 1099 for job pay because jobs now pay outside the platform. A family that pays a household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages in 2026 must withhold Social Security and Medicare and give a W-2 by February 1, 2027. Self-employed caregivers usually get no 1099-NEC from families, because personal payments aren't reportable. A business client paying $2,000 or more in 2026 would file one.","platformFees":"Care.com doesn't handle job pay (jobs pay off-platform since March 1, 2026), so it takes no cut of earnings. Every individual caregiver must complete the Care.com Background Check, which carries an annual fee; a Premium membership includes the check (billed in full upfront and renewing automatically until canceled). The help center doesn't publish the dollar amounts.","payouts":"As of March 1, 2026, all Care.com jobs pay outside the platform, by whatever method the caregiver and family choose (cash, a payroll service, etc.). Direct deposit through Care.com is not available.","deductions":["Care.com annual background-check fee or Premium membership (self-employed caregivers only)","Mileage between clients' homes, not regular commuting (72.5 cents per mile through June 30, 2026; 76 cents from July 1, 2026)","CPR, first-aid, and other job-related certifications and training","Supplies, activities, and materials bought for clients' care","Liability insurance and any required local licenses","Part of your home used for in-home childcare (business-use-of-home rules)"],"watchOuts":["Many nannies and in-home caregivers are household employees, not contractors. If a family controls how the work is done but pays you on a 1099 or in cash with nothing withheld, ask for a W-2 so you don't pay the full 15.3% self-employment tax yourself.","W-2 household employees can't deduct unreimbursed job costs like mileage or the background-check fee; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the suspension of these deductions permanent. Ask the family to reimburse those costs instead.","Caregiving income is taxable even if no form is issued and you're paid in cash.","Nannies, babysitters, tutors, and pet sitters are on the IRS tipped-occupations list, but tips are deductible under No Tax on Tips only if they appear on a W-2, 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-K, or Form 4137."],"competitors":["sittercity","urbansitter","bambino","wyndy","nanny-lane","rover"],"sources":["https://help.care.com/caregivers/s/article/How-do-I-get-paid?language=en_US","https://help.care.com/caregivers/s/article/Is-Care-com-free?language=en_US","https://help.care.com/caregivers/s/article/What-is-the-difference-between-a-basic-and-premium-membership-caregiver?language=en_US","https://help.care.com/caregivers/s/article/Why-does-Care-com-charge-caregivers-a-background-screening-fee?language=en_US","https://www.care.com/terms-of-use-p1012.html","https://www.irs.gov/publications/p926","https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099mec","https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-26-10.pdf","https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/occupations-that-customarily-and-regularly-received-tips-on-or-before-december-31-2024","https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/treasury-irs-issue-final-regulations-listing-occupations-where-workers-customarily-and-regularly-receive-tips-under-the-one-big-beautiful-bill","https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/tip-recordkeeping-and-reporting","https://www.calt.iastate.edu/post/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-implements-significant-tax-package"],"notes":"Payout and fee pages confirmed on help.care.com (articles dated Feb 27, May 20, Aug 3, and Sep 23, 2026). The OBBBA permanence of the employee-expense disallowance is sourced to Iowa State's Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation (secondary; IRS has not updated Pub 529 since 2020).","asOf":"2026-10-07","url":"https://gigaverse.ai/platforms/care-com","affiliated":false}