Year-End Household Payroll Checklist
At year-end, household employers typically need to total up the year's wages and taxes, give their employee a W-2 by January 31, and prepare to file Schedule H with their federal tax return by the regular April filing deadline — using numbers that should already be tracked from each payday, not reconstructed from memory.
The year-end checklist
- Total gross wages paid for the year, and confirm you crossed (or didn't cross) the $3,000 FICA threshold
- Total Social Security, Medicare, and any federal income tax withheld
- Total federal unemployment (FUTA) tax owed, and any state unemployment tax
- Prepare and deliver a W-2 to your employee by January 31
- File Copy A of the W-2 (with Form W-3) with the Social Security Administration
- Attach Schedule H to your Form 1040 by the regular filing deadline
Why this is easy if you tracked all year, hard if you didn't
Every number above is just a sum of what happened at each individual payday during the year. If you recorded hours and pay accurately each time, year-end is a summary, not a research project. If you didn't, you're reconstructing months of history from bank statements — see our catch-up guide if that's where you are.
What changes if your employee's situation changed mid-year
If your employee's withholding choice changed, they moved, or employment ended partway through the year, your year-end numbers should reflect what actually happened in each period — not what was true at the start or end of the year.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly is the W-2 due?
January 31 of the following year, both to your employee and to the Social Security Administration.
Does Sadie generate the actual W-2 and Schedule H forms?
Sadie generates the actual W-2 and W-3 forms, filled in with the numbers from your recorded paydays — download them from Tax Center, then sign and send them yourself. Schedule H's official form unlocks once we've verified that tax year's rates; until then, the numbers are ready for you or your tax preparer to enter by hand.
Related guides
Schedule H Explained: The Household Employment Tax Form
Schedule H is the IRS form household employers attach to their personal federal tax return…
How to Issue a W-2 to Your Nanny or Household Employee
If you paid a household employee enough to owe Social Security, Medicare, or federal unemp…
Social Security and Medicare (FICA) for Household Employees
Once you pay a household employee $3,000 or more in a calendar year, Social Security (6.2%…
Don't reconstruct a year of payroll from memory.
Sadie keeps your W-2 and Schedule H numbers ready from every payday you record — $12.99/month for your first active employee, plus $4.99/month per additional one, first payday free.
This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rules vary by state and change over time — confirm anything specific to your situation with a licensed professional or your state's labor department.