Some Thoughts about Employing Your Children in Your Dental Practice

Over the years, we have worked with dentists many times to help properly employ their children and realize some potential tax benefits while doing so. Here are a few of the suggestions we generally make.

Have an employee file for your child complete with a job description. Ghost employment is illegal. Your child should be doing something for your practice if he or she is receiving a paycheck from it. It can be a good exercise to talk with your son or daughter about the duties he or she would want to undertake. A few common ones include modeling for marketing materials to promote a family practice, filing, helping with office mailings, cleanup around the office, and landscaping help. Whatever duties you decide your child will help with should be documented in their employee file.

Issue a regular paycheck. Your child should be paid more than once or twice a year and should receive an actual paycheck. If you are a sole proprietor and your child is under 18, you do not need to withhold any payroll taxes. If you operate as a corporation, you will need to withhold payroll taxes, no matter your child’s age. Your child’s net paycheck should be deposited into an account in his or her name.

Help determine how your child will use the funds. With earned income, your child has the opportunity to fund a Roth IRA. The contribution limit in 2019 is the lesser of two amounts, either earned income or $6,000. The funds could be used to offset your child’s current expenses – whether that means the cost of schooling or after-school activities. Your son or daughter could also use their net paycheck to help save for future education. These are just a few options for ways to utilize a child’s pay from the practice.

Each state has their own child labor laws, and these laws determine at what age a child can have a job. Your state may also dictate the number of hours a child can work during the school year. Some states are more lenient when the child is working for a family-owned business. You should talk with your accountant about the rules in your state and how they apply to your situation. As I previously mentioned, you should also discuss with your accountant whether they are comfortable with you employing your child(ren) and at what pay.

This commentary originally appeared June 19 on DentalTown.com

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