Question: If your nanny or other household employee gets married and asks you to start issuing paychecks in their married name, what are your record-keeping responsibilities?
When an employee officially changes their name for marriage or any reason, the employee needs to:
- Present you with a new signed Social Security card, issued in the correct name. Make a copy of this for your payroll records.
- Fill out a new W-4 Form, reflecting the change in name, marital status and withholding allowances.
It is the employee’s responsibility to provide this information before a paycheck can be issued in their new name. This ensures that taxes are properly credited to the employee’s account, and that quarterly and year-end reports match the records of the Social Security Administration and the IRS.
A newly married employee may also want to make beneficiary changes on a life insurance plan and may need to fill out an enrollment change form to add the spouse to a health insurance plan. You can also remind them to notify the following organizations of a name change:
- DMV
- Post Office
- Voter Registration
- Banks
- Credit Cards
- Doctors
For more information, contact GTM’s Household Employment Experts at (888) 432-7972.
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