§ 31.3506-1 Companion sitting placement services.

(a) Definitions—(1) Companion sitting placement service. For purposes of this section, the term “companion sitting placement service” means a person (whether or not an individual) engaged in the trade or business of placing sitters with individuals who wish to avail themselves of the sitters' services. (2) Sitters. For purposes of this section, the term “sitters” means individuals who furnish personal attendance, companionship, or household care services to children or to individuals who are elderly or disabled. (b) General rule. For purposes of subtitle C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (relating to employment taxes), a companion sitting placement service shall not be treated as the employer of its sitters, and the sitters shall not be treated as the employees of the placement service. However, the rule of the preceding sentence shall apply only if the companion sitting placement service neither pays nor receives (directly or through an agent) the salary or wages of the sitters, but is compensated, if at all, on a fee basis by the sitters or the individuals for whom the sitting is performed. (c) Individuals deemed self-employed. Any individual who, by reason of this section, is deemed not to be the employee of a companion sitting placement service shall be deemed to be self-employed for purposes of the tax on self-employment income (see sections 1401-1403 and the regulations thereunder in Part 1 of this chapter (Income Tax Regulations)). (d) Scope of rules. The rules of this section operate only to remove sitters and companion sitting placement services from the employee-employer relationship when, under §§ 31.3121(d)-1 and 31.3121(d)-2, that relationship would otherwise exist. Thus, if, under §§ 31.3121(d)-1 and 31.3121(d)-2, a sitter is considered to be the employee of the individual for whom the sitting is performed rather than the employee of the companion sitting placement service, this section has no effect upon that employee-employer relationship. (e) Examples. The provisions of this section may be illustrated by the following examples: (f) Effective date. This section shall apply to remuneration received after December 31, 1974.