Monthly Archives: March 2014

Taxes – Due April 15th

Here are some of the basic questions:

Who is supposed to file taxes? – All au pairs who made $3900 or more in the calendar year (Jan 1 – Dec 31.) Au pairs who made less than $3900, are not required to file a tax return for 2013.

Will all au pairs have to pay something? – No, it depends on when you arrived and how much money you earned last year.

When are 2013 taxes due? – April 15, 2014

Where can I get the tax form? –  1040NR-EZ Form

Where can I get the instruction booklet? – 1040NR-EZ Booklet

Where can I get detailed information and see a sample au pair tax form? – APIA Tax Info for Au Pairs

Where should I mail my tax return form?
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 1303
Charlotte, NC 28201-1303

How do I write a check or money order? – Check here

Celebrate the start of spring with a free Italian Ice at Rita's!!

Photo by Robert Neff

Photo by Robert Neff

Thursday, March 20th, Rita’s will be dishing up FREE Italian ice for customers! Italian ice is the PERFECT treat for the start of spring!

There are several locations in tri-county area check out the following links for one close to you and make it a point to celebrate!

St. Mary’s 21719 Great Mills Road 12-8p.m.

Calvert (Solomons) 13450 H.G. Truman Rd. 12-9p.m.

Calvert (Prince Frederick) 738 North Prince Frederick Blvd. 12-9p.m.

St. Patricks Day – March 17th

190341_1746669957864_545715_nSt. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner! Looking for some fun ideas to celebrate with your family? Check out the APIA Pintrest board for some great ideas!

In my home, the leprechauns visit and create all kinds of mischief! A few drops of green food coloring in the cereal bowls, pour some dry cereal on top to hide the food coloring. When the kids pour milk into their bowl the milk will turn green!  Chairs might be turned away from the table while we are sleeping. Once we even discovered the Wii on when we got home from school, snacks strewn about and a new character had been playing the Wii, Sean was his name. A very suspicious Irish leprechaun perhaps? Paper shamrocks have been discovered around the house and gold coin chocolates have been left behind as well.

For our family meal on St. Patrick’s Day, you will find us having corned beef as the main dish. Often accompanied by mashed potatoes with a sprinkling of chives, a tossed salad full of spinach, silvered mushrooms, and shredded carrots. All of the colors of the Irish flag! We might even have a special green beverage to drink. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is always a hit!

Whatever you do, don’t be caught without something green on and visible. I wouldn’t want to see you get pinched!

The Au Pair Educational Requirement Explained

Au pairs are required to complete 6 credits or 8 CEUs or 72 or more hours.

EduCare Companions are required to complete 12 credits or 16 CEUs or 144 or more hours.

You may take credit or non-credit classes from an accredited college. Look on the right side of this page under “Education Options” for accredited schools in our cluster area. If you want to take a class at a school not listed here on my blog, please check with me first to make sure it is accredited. Otherwise, it would not count toward your education requirement.   education-icons

Your host family will pay an education allowance to assist you in completing your education requirement. They will also ensure your transportation o class (access to a car and gas expense will be covered). Au Pairs education allowance – $500, EduCare education allowance – $1000

There are ways to get your credits for just your education allowance, but it will not give you a lot of choices. Normally au pairs will contribute some of their own money ($200+) towards their education. I can help you plan out your year of classes to make it fun, interesting and educational!

The APIA Advantage UCLA Course is the only State Dept. approved class with an online component. No other online classes are accepted.

Note: Au pairs should only take one weekend course for their education requirement. Using only weekend courses to meet your education requirement could result in the denial of your extension application (should you decide to extend.)