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Employment Of Family Members, C. Robert Holcomb

Rural Tax Education

The use of family labor in the farm or ranch operation can pose a number of challenges for farm managers as they try to sort through the vast quantity of regulations. While the day-to-day human-relations components of managing family members in the farm/ranch operation will differ substantially from that of non-family labor, the focus of this fact sheet will address the income tax and regulatory aspects of employing family members.

Generally, the wages that you pay to family members who are also your employees are subject to social security (FICA) and Medicare taxes, federal income tax withholding, and under certain …