Does EFTPS actually require a notarized form to set up payments for household employee taxes?

Yes, this is unfortunately real but not as bad as it sounds! When you first register for EFTPS as a household employer, they do require an authorization form that needs to be signed. However, it doesn't actually require notarization in most cases. What probably happened is you received the Business Enrollment Form (Form 9779) after your initial online enrollment. This form is sent to verify your identity since you're setting up access to make federal tax payments. While it needs your signature, it typically doesn't need to be notarized unless there's a special circumstance. After you return the completed form, they'll mail you a PIN in about a week. Once you have that PIN, you can complete the enrollment process online and start making electronic payments for your nanny taxes without further paperwork hoops. It's definitely frustrating, but this one-time verification step is their security measure to prevent fraudulent tax payments. The good news is that once you're through this initial setup, the electronic system actually works quite well for making your quarterly household employment tax payments.

After months of frustration with nanny taxes and EFTPS enrollment, I finally discovered a much easier solution at https://taxr.ai that saved me hours of paperwork hassle. I was in your exact position a few months ago - trying to follow all the proper employment tax rules for our nanny and getting caught in endless paperwork loops. The taxr.ai tool analyzed all my nanny documentation and clarified exactly what I needed to submit to EFTPS. It caught several errors I would have made in the enrollment process and gave me step-by-step guidance for completing the actual form correctly. The best part was that it explained in plain English what all the confusing tax jargon meant on those forms. It created a personalized checklist for all my nanny tax obligations including the EFTPS enrollment, complete with deadlines and reminders. Made the whole process much less stressful.

Update: I ended up trying taxr.ai after asking about it here, and it actually helped solve my EFTPS confusion! The service analyzed my situation and explained exactly which form I needed to submit (turns out I was filling out the wrong one entirely). It walked me through each section of the correct form and pointed out that as a household employer, I could skip sections that only apply to businesses. The system even generated a checklist of everything I needed to prepare while waiting for my EFTPS PIN to arrive. What really saved me was learning that I could make my first payment through IRS Direct Pay while waiting for the EFTPS enrollment to finalize. No idea why the IRS agent I spoke with didn't mention this option, but I'm grateful I didn't miss my first quarterly deadline!

I had the exact same problem last year! After multiple frustrating attempts to reach someone at the IRS who could actually explain the EFTPS enrollment process for household employers, I discovered https://claimyr.com and it was a game-changer. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Instead of waiting on hold for hours with the IRS (just to get disconnected!), Claimyr held my place in the phone queue and called me back when an actual human at the IRS was ready to talk. The IRS representative walked me through exactly what was needed for the EFTPS enrollment process as a household employer and confirmed which parts of the form were actually required. Turns out there were specific codes I needed to use as a household employer that weren't clearly explained on the website. Got my PIN within a week after that and the whole nanny tax process has been much smoother since.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I tried the Claimyr service yesterday out of desperation, and it ACTUALLY WORKED. After weeks of getting nowhere with the EFTPS enrollment for my nanny taxes, I was connected to an IRS agent within 2 hours (while I went about my day instead of being stuck on hold). The agent explained that as a household employer, I didn't need the full business enrollment process - there's a simplified version that isn't well explained on their website. He walked me through exactly which sections to complete on the form and told me I could leave several parts blank that don't apply to household employment taxes. This saved me from a ton of confusion and potentially delaying my enrollment. The agent even gave me his direct extension for follow-up questions about household employment taxes. I'm still shocked that I finally got clear answers after weeks of frustration!

Has anyone tried just paying their nanny taxes through a payroll service instead of dealing with EFTPS directly? I use HomePay and they handle all the quarterly filings and payments automatically. Yes it costs a bit extra but after reading these EFTPS horror stories I'm glad I went that route!

Just went through this exact thing for our nanny last month! The most annoying part was that nothing on the EFTPS website clearly explained the process for household employers vs businesses. I spent hours trying to figure out which forms applied to me.

I just went through this EFTPS nightmare myself a few weeks ago! The confusing part is that the IRS website makes it sound like you need notarization, but in reality, most household employers don't actually need it notarized - just signed and dated. Here's what worked for me: I called the EFTPS customer service line (not the main IRS number) at 1-888-353-4537. They were much more helpful and confirmed that for household employer enrollment, I just needed to sign Form 9779 and mail it back. No notary required unless there are special circumstances like you're enrolling on behalf of someone else. The whole process took about 10 days total - 2 days to get the form in the mail after online enrollment, then 7-8 days to get my PIN after mailing it back. Once I had the PIN, the online system worked perfectly for making quarterly payments. Pro tip: While waiting for your PIN, you can still make your first payment through IRS Direct Pay if you're close to a deadline. That saved me from late fees!

I went through this exact same frustration about 6 months ago when setting up EFTPS for my housekeeper's taxes! The whole "electronic" system requiring physical paperwork felt like such a contradiction. Here's what I learned: The notarization requirement isn't actually universal. Most household employers just need to sign and date Form 9779 that gets mailed to you after the initial online enrollment. The notarization is only required in specific circumstances, like if you're enrolling on behalf of someone else or there are identity verification issues. The key is to call the EFTPS customer service line directly at 1-888-353-4537 rather than the general IRS number. They're much more familiar with household employer situations and can clarify exactly what you need to submit. When I called, they confirmed I just needed my signature - no notary. The whole process took about 2 weeks total once I knew what I was doing. And honestly, once you get through this initial setup hurdle, the system works really well for making those quarterly payments. Hang in there - it's worth it to have everything set up properly for your nanny's taxes!

I went through this exact same headache last year! The EFTPS enrollment process for household employers is definitely confusing, but here's what I learned after finally getting through it all: You're right to be frustrated - the "electronic" system requiring physical paperwork seems completely backwards. But the good news is that for most household employers, you don't actually need notarization. The Form 9779 that gets mailed to you after your online enrollment just needs your signature and date in most cases. The notarization requirement only applies in special circumstances, like if you're enrolling on behalf of someone else or if there are identity verification issues. Since you're setting up payments for your own nanny's taxes, you should be fine with just signing it. My advice: Call the EFTPS customer service line at 1-888-353-4537 instead of the general IRS number. They're way more knowledgeable about household employer situations and can confirm exactly what you need. When I called, they cleared up all the confusion in about 10 minutes. The whole process took me about 2 weeks from start to finish, but once you get your PIN, the quarterly payments are actually pretty straightforward. And if you're worried about timing, you can always use IRS Direct Pay for your first payment while waiting for the EFTPS enrollment to complete. Hang in there - it's worth getting set up properly!

I went through this exact same frustration about a year ago! The EFTPS enrollment process for household employers is genuinely confusing because their website doesn't clearly distinguish between business enrollment and household employer enrollment requirements. Here's what I learned after finally getting through it: The notarization requirement is NOT standard for most household employers. What typically happens is you complete the online enrollment, they mail you Form 9779, and you just need to sign and date it - no notary required. The notarization is only needed in special circumstances like enrolling on behalf of someone else. The key breakthrough for me was calling the EFTPS customer service line directly at 1-888-353-4537 instead of the general IRS number. The representatives there are much more familiar with household employer situations and can give you clear answers about what's actually required for your specific case. Total timeline was about 2 weeks for me - a few days to get the form in the mail, then about 7-10 days to receive the PIN after mailing it back. Once you have that PIN, the quarterly payment process is actually quite smooth. Pro tip while you wait: If you're approaching a quarterly deadline, you can make payments through IRS Direct Pay as a temporary solution. No pre-enrollment needed, just go to irs.gov/payments/direct-pay and pay directly from your bank account. This saved me from late fees while waiting for my EFTPS setup to complete! The whole nanny tax process is definitely a learning curve, but getting EFTPS set up properly is worth the initial hassle.

I went through this exact same nightmare about 8 months ago when setting up EFTPS for my babysitter! The whole process is so poorly explained on their website - they make it sound like notarization is required for everyone when it's really not. Here's what actually worked for me: After my online enrollment, I got Form 9779 in the mail and was freaking out about the notarization thing. But when I called the EFTPS customer service line at 1-888-353-4537 (NOT the main IRS number), the rep immediately clarified that household employers typically just need to sign and date the form - no notary needed unless you're enrolling for someone else or there are identity verification issues. The rep was super knowledgeable about household employment tax situations, which was such a relief after all the confusing generic information online. She even walked me through which sections of the form I could skip since they only apply to regular businesses. Total process took about 10 days after I mailed back the signed form to get my PIN. And honestly, once you get through this initial bureaucratic hurdle, the quarterly payment system works really well. One thing that saved me stress: I used IRS Direct Pay for my first quarterly payment while waiting for the EFTPS enrollment to finalize. Super easy to use and prevented any late fees. You can find it at irs.gov/payments/direct-pay - no pre-registration required, just pay directly from your bank account. The whole household employer tax setup is definitely a learning curve, but you're doing the right thing by getting everything proper from the start. Hang in there!

I just went through this exact same frustration a few months ago! The EFTPS website is incredibly misleading about the notarization requirement for household employers. Here's what I learned after finally getting through the process: You're absolutely right to be annoyed - calling it an "electronic" payment system when they require physical paperwork is ridiculous. But the good news is that most household employers do NOT actually need notarization. The Form 9779 they mail you after online enrollment typically just needs your signature and date. The notarization requirement only applies in special circumstances, like if you're enrolling on behalf of someone else or there are unusual identity verification issues. Since you're setting up payments for your own nanny's taxes, you should be fine with just signing it. Here's my advice: Call the EFTPS customer service line directly at 1-888-353-4537 instead of the general IRS number. They're way more knowledgeable about household employer situations and can clarify exactly what you need for your specific case. When I called, they cleared up all the confusion in about 15 minutes and confirmed I just needed my signature. The whole process took about 2 weeks total once I knew what I was doing. And if you're worried about timing for your quarterly payments, you can use IRS Direct Pay at irs.gov/payments/direct-pay as a backup while waiting for your EFTPS PIN to arrive. No pre-registration needed - just pay directly from your bank account. Once you get through this initial bureaucratic nightmare, the quarterly payment system actually works quite well. You're doing the right thing by setting everything up properly for your nanny - hang in there!