Welcome To NannyPay News
NannyPay News is a periodic newsletter of Essentia Software Corporation. It is intended to provide household employers and NannyPay users with information about employment issues, tax tips, NannyPay® software tips, and other items of interest in a brief, easy-to-read format.
If you have any comments or suggestions about our newsletter, please let us know by emailing us at: newsletter@essentia-soft.com. We look forward to your feedback.
Federal Minimum Wage to Increase to $5.85 per Hour on July 24, 2007
As you should know, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which mandates a national minimum wage, is applicable to household employers. The minimum wage, which has not been raised since 1997, will increase to $5.85 on July 24, 2007 pursuant to legislation signed by President Bush on May 25, 2007, which amends the FLSA. Under the Act, the minimum wage is scheduled to increase according to the following schedule:
- $5.85, effective July 24, 2007;
- $6.55, effective July 24, 2008; and
- $7.25, effective July 24, 2009
Many states also have a state-mandated minimum wage. In cases where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages. Some states have a minimum wage rate that is tied to the federal rate. Five states have no minimum wage law at all, including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
It is very important for all household employers to check how this federal minimum wage increase affects you, and to make sure you are complying with both the federal and state laws.
You can visit the US Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division website for more information. An overview of state minimum wage laws is also available at the Department of Labor website. Please keep in mind that the Department’s Wage and Hour Division enforces the FLSA without regard to whether an employee is documented or undocumented.
Tip — Show Your Nanny That You Appreciate Her
Showing your Nanny that you appreciate her is not only a kind gesture, but it helps her build a rapport and sense of satisfaction with you and your children. When considering a gift to give your nanny for a special occasion, such as her birthday, consider a gift membership in the National Association for Nanny Care (www.nannycredential.org), the International Nanny Association (www.nanny.org), or in some other local nanny support group. These organizations provide support and information specific to the nanny professional.
NannyPay Tip — Transferring Your NannyPay Application And Payroll Data To A New Computer
We receive a lot of inquiries about how to transfer NannyPay and its data files to a new computer. The procedure is relatively easy.
Like most Windows software, NannyPay requires certain associated application and system files to be installed and registered with your operating system. The NannyPay installation program does that automatically. Therefore, if you are changing systems you will need to do a full reinstallation of NannyPay on your new computer. If you don’t have the full installation package, you can download it from our web site at www.nannypay.com. Do not download the update file. The updater is designed for users who already have NannyPay installed on their systems.
To move your payroll data to your new computer, you will need to move your data files. If you’re using NannyPay standard software, each employee is associated with two data files, one with an “.ndf” extension and the other with an “.npf” extension. If you’re using NannyPay Staff Edition, there is only one data file, which has an “.rdx” extension. The exact name and location of your file will depend upon how you set it up when you first installed NannyPay. If you don’t remember the name or location of your data files, try doing a search on your old computer for files with the above-mentioned extensions. Once you have located your data files, copy them to a CD-ROM or other media and then copy them to your new computer in an easy to remember location. We often suggest creating a “My Payroll” folder in your “My Documents” directory. Locating your data files there will permit you to include them with your normal data backup, which I’m sure you regularly do…right?
After you have installed NannyPay on your new system and run it for the first time, NannyPay will think you are a new user. Simply choose the “open existing file” option when NannyPay launches the setup wizard, locate and open the data files copied according to the above directions, and you should be good to go.
When you have completed the installation on your new system, you may need a new registration key. If so, please send us a request for a key and we will promptly reply.
If you need any further information or have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at techsupport@nannypay.com.