GTM’s “State of Household Employment” – by Guy Maddalone
I hope things are off to a good start for you and your agency in this new year. With some potential changes to the tax and payroll landscape ahead in 2017, I wanted to take a minute to share with you our outlook on those changes, and what GTM has planned to support agencies and your families this year.
Potential Changes Ahead
One of the biggest issues we are keeping an eye on is how families who pay for child care will be affected by the proposals of incoming president Donald Trump. Trump has recognized that child care expenses are exorbitant, and are a big piece of an average family’s budget. He has made recommendations on how to expand tax deductions for those families, which is good news for our industry. If what he is proposing occurs, many families will save money and caregivers could see their pay go up. Plus it may provide more of an incentive for families to pay their employees legally. You can read more about this on our blog.
Another issue that could see many changes in the near future is the Affordable Care Act (also known as “Obamacare”). There has been a lot of talk from both Trump and Congress of repealing the ACA; as of the date of this publication, both the Senate and the House have voted to repeal it, but as yet there are no definite plans to replace it with anything. GTM will be monitoring this issue closely and updating our clients and partners as new information comes to light.
GTM’s Focus Points
In 2017, we will continue to make things as easy and convenient as possible for our clients. We’ll keep helping them comply with the complex employment laws as conveniently as possible, and provide a great experience both online and on the phone. We are continuously enhancing our Client Portal on the web, addressing the numerous ways our clients interact with us online. We are also streamlining our online sign-up process for an even easier method of getting your families on board with us.
We will also continue to invest in our team to ensure both you and your families have expert advice and a wonderful experience. We always have and will continue to recognize that when you refer a family to us, our level of service is a reflection on your agency, so we will keep striving to make it easy to do business with us, and make your families feel that you referred them to the right company by simplifying the process and possibly saving them money.
Agency & Industry Support
We highly value our agency partnerships, and will continue to do all we can in this regard in 2017. We enjoy sharing best practices for household payroll and HR among our peers, and recognize the importance of the free consultation calls we have with both you and your families. We will continue to provide timely, informative content that impacts your families and your agency. Plus we will keep finding innovative ways to help you be more successful; we are planning to host a webinar this quarter exclusively for our agency partners. Also, many of you have seen the Agency Spotlight article we’ve been featuring in our monthly newsletter (click here to view last month’s article). We’ve had a very positive response and will continue to highlight the unique and talented agency partners we enjoy working with from all over the country.
Our Channel Partner Manager Robert Lee is always available to answer any questions, provide information, and discuss agency referral incentives. Feel free to email him at [email protected] or call (800) 929-9213 ext. 7248. You can see him and other GTM staff at the upcoming INA conference in May and the APNA conference this fall, as GTM continues to support this industry and the amazing professionals that make it run.
2017 Outlook
Last November I discussed ideas and best practices for creating a strategic plan for 2017; hopefully you are happy with your plan and are off to a good start this year. I’m always interested in hearing about your goals, and I’m happy to share any advice with you.
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has reported that small business confidence and morale are up, and the outlook is more optimistic now than it has been in the past twelve years. I hope you are feeling that way and are excited about growing your business this year for a successful 2017.
Remember that GTM is here for you and your families as a resource for all things concerning household payroll. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or to request information.
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