Tag Archives: expenses

Handling Expenses

Host parents often ask for suggestions on how best to handle common expenses that occur as au pairs are caring for the children.

Miscellaneous Expenses

There are different ways to handle the little day to day expenses that come up.  Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk.  Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for these types of expenses. Others give their au pair a prepaid debit card for this purpose. Below are some suggestions for avoiding problems with expenses.

Host Families

  • It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
  • Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.

Au Pairs

  • Only spend the money on approved expenses.
  • If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
  • Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.

Gas and Fare Cards 

Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs: to and from classes, cluster meetings and when driving the kids.

It is a good idea to figure out how much gas an au pair will use for these trips and either put gas in the car or give a gas allowance.   If your au pair is riding to classes or cluster meetings with another au pair, you should offer to share the cost of gas.

Au pairs are responsible for their own transportation at all other times.  You should replace the amount of gas used for personal use.

Photo: Andrea Travillian

What To Do If You Have A Care Accident.

 

Having a car accident is a very upsetting, stressful situation. Being prepared and knowing what to do can make things a little bit easier. Make sure you know which host parent to call in case of an accident.

Make sure you have all the necessary documents in your car glove box. Read this post on What to Keep in the Car Glove Box for a detailed list.

If you have an accident: (from Edmunds.com)

  1. Keep Safety First. Drivers involved in minor accidents with no serious injuries should move cars to the side of the road and out of the way of oncoming traffic. Leaving cars parked in the middle of the road or busy intersection can result in additional accidents and injuries. If a car cannot be moved, drivers and passengers should remain in the cars with seatbelts fastened for everyone’s safety until help arrives. Make sure to turn on hazard lights and set out cones, flares or warning triangles if possible.
  2. Exchange Information. After the accident, exchange the following information: name, address, phone number, insurance company, policy number, driver license number and license plate number for the driver and the owner of each vehicle. If the driver’s name is different from the name of the insured, establish what the relationship is and take down the name and address for each individual. Also make a written description of each car, including year, make, model and color — and the exact location of the collision and how it happened. Finally, be polite but don’t tell the other drivers or the police that the accident was your fault, even if you think it was.
  3. Photograph and Document the Accident. Use your camera to document the damage to all the vehicles. Keep in mind that you want your photos to show the overall context of the accident so that you can make your case to a claims adjuster. If there were witnesses, try to get their contact information; they may be able to help you if the other drivers dispute your version of what happened.

Important Reminder: You may always phone the police (911) to ask for help, if you feel unsafe because of how the other person is behaving. Your safety is the most important thing.

Image: cygnus921 (Flickr)

Winter Sports and Sports Insurance

Is it risky to do winter sports without the sports insurance?
ice-skate

Yes. If you have to pay your own hospital bills for a broken bone, you might be shocked at how much that would cost. I checked this website for some cost estimates.

Here are a couple examples:

  • Without medical coverage, to treat a broken arm or leg (that does not require surgery) it could cost up to $2,500.
  • Without medical coverage, to treat a broken arm or leg (requiring surgery) it could cost $16,000 or more.
  • I wanted to make sure everyone understands how the medical coverage works for sports related injuries. There is a list of “high-risk sports/activities” that are not covered with the basic or upgrade medical insurance plans. Those activities are only covered with the Sports Insurance Package (also known as Option A.)

    The Sports Insurance Package was available pre-departure and may also be purchased at any time during your year. It takes effect within 48 hours of your enrollment and it is good for 12 months. The cost will be the same ($75) whether you have a month left or your whole year ahead of you. I recommend you pay for it early on, if you didn’t already purchase it. You never know when an opportunity might present itself and you don’t want to miss out on an adventure. You also don’t want to take a risk on getting injured and being responsible for the bill on your own.

    Below is a partial list of sports that are only covered with the sports insurance package:
    Football, Rugby, Scuba diving, Ski-doo, Wakeboarding, Skydiving, Parachuting, Rock climbing, Zip line, Skate boarding, Rollerblading, Roller skating, Ice Skating, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiles & Snowshoeing. View the full list on page 3 of the insurance brochure HERE (2013 arrival au pairs) & HERE for (2014 arrival au pairs)
    Note: Injuries sustained while partaking in these sports are covered with purchase of the Sports Insurance ONLY.

    How to register for the Sports Insurance
    Download the form HERE and follow the instructions. It takes a few days for your coverage to begin. If you think you will be doing any of these sports, you should get it now.

    Holiday Reminders for Au Pairs and Host Families

    With the holiday season just around the corner, it is important to review this little reminder about program rules for holidays and vacations.luggage malias

    Holidays

    • Host families are NOT REQUIRED to give au pairs any specific holidays.
    • Each host family will make different arrangements on holidays, some au pairs will be off and others will be required to work.
    • Au pairs should NOT make plans for holidays without checking with your host family FIRST.

    Vacation

    • Au pair earns 2 weeks of paid vacation during the course of her year.
    • The host family can pick a week and the au pair can pick a week, if an agreement is not reached.
    • All vacation should be preplanned (at least 4 weeks in advance.)
    • All au pair’s friends and/or family visits/vacations should be pre-approved prior to purchasing a ticket.
    • If an au pair travels with their host family, it should be discussed UP FRONT whether this is the au pair’s vacation or if she is working.
    • If an au pair travels with the host family to work, the host family is required to pay for her transportation, lodging and meals.

    Keep these things in mind as you plan your travel and we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

    Important: An au pair MUST have her DS2019 signed PRIOR to her departure from the US. More info. about this can be found on the right side of this page under “Travel Links for Au Pairs.”

    Au Pair In America partners with AAA

     

    AAA

    The most trusted choice for live-in childcare, Au Pair in America has partnered with AAA, the nation’s most trusted name in driver safety and instruction, to offer a custom course specifically designed for au pairs. This course differs from those offered in your community, in that AAA has taken the best of several of their courses, adapted them to be the most accessible to the au pair population, with special focus on driver and child passenger safety.  Key components of the course include:

    • Driver Safety
    • Child passenger safety (car seats, communication, expectations)
    • Communication and traffic devices
    • Vehicle Awareness (understanding what your vehicle is “telling you.”)
    • Reducing Risks while Driving (includes defensive driving techniques, phone/texting issues, and drinking and driving awareness)

    kids-car-safety-toddler

    This  AAA course designed exclusively for Au Pair In America.  Course includes a combination of lecture, group exercises, video/other media to ensure the maximum understanding to speakers of other languages or newly arrived to the US participants.

     

      young-woman-driving

     

    All Host Families with au pairs arriving into the USA in 2011 will receive more information about this new course and how their au pair can be enrolled!

    Tax Information for Au Pairs

    taxes-pic

     

    We have been talking about taxes a lot lately and there have been lots of questions. I will continue going over tax questions each month at our Coffee Meetings. 

     

    Here are some of the basic questions:

    Who is supposed to file taxes? – All au pairs (even those who don’t owe money)

    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 2010 taxes due? – April 18, 2011

    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

    Handling Expenses

    Miscellaneous Expenses

    There are different ways to handle the little expenses that may come up.  Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk.  Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for this kind of expenses.  Here are some suggestions for avoiding problems with that.

    Host Families

    • It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
    • Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.

    Au Pairs

    • Only spend the money on approved expenses.
    • If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
    • Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.

    Gas and Fare Cards

    Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs:

    • to and from classes and cluster meetings
    • driving the kids

    It is a good idea to figure out how much gas an au pair will use for these trips and either put gas in the car or give a gas allowance.   If your au pair is riding to classes or cluster meetings with another au pair, you should offer to share the cost of gas.

    Au pairs are responsible for their own transportation at all other times.  You should replace the amount of gas used for personal use.