I have thought a lot about this as well, as I stayed home for 7 years to care for my children until they all started school. Not only did I miss out on 7 yrs counting towards my SS, but also upon trying to go back into the workforce my “break” was often questioned and looked upon negatively. I wish I had the forethought to have come up with this idea back then, but what I would have done differently was this: I would have registered myself as a “Day Care” and started an LLC, and make my husband pay me weekly for childcare. Even though it would not have changed the amount of money brought into our household, it would have allowed for us to claim the “dependent care” amount on our taxes and would have been 7 years of employment for myself (thus continuing to contribute time towards SS and removing that work gap from my resume).
To take that one step further after reading some of these comments, it would be beneficial to see what steps would need to be taken to receive the same stipends that child care facilities are able to receive as well.
But alas, hindsight is always 20/20 
And what about from birth to 5 when homeschooling happens
These years are critical for early childhood development and have a direct impact on future mental wellness of the child including happiness, emotional stability and intelligence. We have a mental health crisis in our youth and this could benefit that if the parents are capable
Besides asking who pays for this, consider the abuse that would certainly occur. For example, there is a woman in my neighborhood who brings foster childeren into her home. She gets paid by the state for each child. She has never held a job. Unfortunately, she is not a good parent to these foster children and simply takes the money but does not take care for the children beyond the minimum. Thus, the local churches mostly bear the support. Children are a blessing and should not become a paycheck under abuse of the system.
And who do you think would pay the salary. Working people will not want to pay for someone else to stay home! And the governments money comes from the pockets of working people.
What needs to be looked into is the dependant tax credit. It has not kept pace with the current economics. We should increase that amount to encourage larger families. We can adjust that amount in the future either up or down depending on the rate of child birth over a given period of time. If we see an increase in child births then we will not have to rely on immigration to increase our population. Also we should look to including tax credits/deductions for fertility medicine and services.
As much as I would like to agree with this, I think there are better ways to handle this issue:
- structural change to the economy itself to lower the cost of living to allow for a single working adult to support a family
- removal of tax burden on married couples with children
As great as this sounds, i feel like there will be SOME mothers who abuse this . Also where would the $ come from?
Great take! Our population is rapidly declining because both parents must work. There is no regulation for maternal leave and putting an infant in a daycare is terrifying. There should be an option for ATLEAST minimum wage for stay-at-home moms or help with daycare costs. The amount you cannot make over for single or married couples is pennies to get daycare assistance.
I don’t know about an actual income, but what if there were tax breaks? Maybe a way to offer these families a small amount of ebt/snap benefits? Also, once the children are of school age (unless homeschooling) these benefits dissolve?
I have been at home for four years with three babies, now toddlers. We do not qualify for any state help (WV) because they look at gross pay, not take home amount. Husband is in construction so OT raises his gross but are taxed and see a small amount of that. Now, if those taxes were to be eliminated, we would be good. I would never accept an income I did not work for. But a tax break? Yes. A bigger one until they are school age? Yes.
It is our choice for me to stay home. Tax payers should not pay for that choice. But tax breaks would be a good start. Especially if our income bracket exceeds the state guidelines. Mind you that WV is basically the poorest state, if we are struggling when he makes “too much money” I know others are hurting that are worse off. Change gross pay to net pay and it’ll change for most people. And if we don’t have tax on OT, you’ll see these state benefits won’t take such a hit.
Right? Where is that money going to come from? Its a lovely idea, but really not at all possible.
As a stay at home mother it can be really hard not having an income unless I am selling my stuff or trying to find some type of side work. I would like to see a tax credit for stay at home parents! Our job is just as important and the best form of childcare, however living off of one income it can be challenging, so if stay at home parents could make a form of income to contribute to the household, that would be so beneficial!
This is a great idea. As far as who foots the bill - taxation - that should be reserved for other parents (married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household), however, for those filing as Single, then the compulsion to pay into this tax should be optional on their W-4.
That said, SAHMs being compensated and relieved for the very important work of raising healthy, happy, thriving children is critical to the advancement and prosperity of our next generation. Financial stresses that single-income families experience especially those who don’t have the sort of income that is needed to support themselves, is a cause for divorces and - I would bet - a very huge contributing factor behind the astronomical divorce rate we have here in America.
In order to prevent abuses of this sort of financial relief, the SIM benefits need payment tables for the benefits, with consideration of age of the SAHM, number of children and their ages, gross income of the home.
Also, this benefit should only be reserved for SAHMs for a set period of time, per child. For example, if there is mother with 4 children ages 1, 2, 3, and 7, then the benefits should drop off based on a formula with the age of benefits decrease as the main focus.
Additionally, certain organization resources should be coordinated to assist these mothers in getting back into the traditional workforce as/if their children transition into the school system.
Also, this tax should be mandatory for any fathers (married or not, regardless of age of father or their children, and should only stop once they can prove they are grandfathers). To have the workforce share the load in this respect, it encourages mothers to consider being a SAHM as a very real option. Unless and until the public school systems can taper down on forced vaccines, transgender agendas, satanic reading days, and unless and until they start teaching more practical skillsets such as financial literacy, sales and persuasion, tax policies, entrepreneurship, THE CONSTITUTION, etc., then a tax-derived investment into and unto Stay-At-Home-Mothers should be voted on in Congress.
NO NO NO this is crazy you are asking for a different form of welfare. We need a strong hearty economy with low taxes so that a MOM can stay home and raise their own kids. I agree a mom should be able to stay home but not at the cost of adding a welfare program. Thats insane to go from one welfare to another. Get rid of income tax, property tax and many other taxes. Use a flat tax and tariff’s. This way if you dont have as much of your income going to taxes you can stay home with your children because your husband will see more of this income. Also we should have a higher tax rebate thresholds for moms who homeschool their kids. This way they may deduct those costs. All of these things will really help, but no more welfare programs.
I am a SAHM not by choice! Because of my husbands income we do not qualify for any daycare assistance. Although his income is over the threshold for any type of help we’re still a six family household so between the $1900 mortgage that has raised from buying our home in 2020 at $1600 a month to the mandatory health insurance, car insurance, electric, gas, water, trash, phone bills, car payments there’s hardly much left over for groceries let alone nothing for daycare to be a two parent working household. It started out as being cheaper for me to stay home instead of me going to work just to make enough to afford the $1500 daycare (the cheapest quote for one child) where I would basically be working just to pay daycare which in turn was pointless. Now that I’ve been a SHAM for 5yrs (kids bday cut off to start kindergarten at age 5 in Ohio is August, bday is Nov so won’t start until 6yrs old). Now trying to return back into the workforce when child goes to school after a six year gap is just as impossible as someone with a felony trying to get hired! As a conservative family we don’t think it’s on the working citizens to pay for parents to stay home with the children they decided to have but rather maybe incentives for employers who will hire us. Maybe looking at the whole picture and breakdown of each families situation when deciding weather or not we can qualify for daycare benefits when there’s so many people milking the system with $50/mo daycare subsidy’s dropping their children off to daycare to go home and sleep pretending they work for a family owned business or what not. On top of this what about the parents who are stay at home parents and stuck bc the government/states look at the married couples income as “shared” and disqualifies them when there’s deeper issues like financial abuse? Who’s to say that parent that stays home see’s any extra money besides a “roof over their head”? I think this is a deep issue that needs to be explored on case by case evaluation bc not everyone wants the “privilege” of being stripped of their independence of being a stay at home parent when the fact of the matter is yes taking care of kids is physical but in todays world it is just as much financially important as well.
So how would that work with getting rid of property taxes when in my state that’s what funds our schools? We bought in our district bc of the school ratings. If we have no property taxes then schools can’t have Levy’s on the ballot every eight years for needed funding. Our roads are paid for by property taxes, snow removal to name a few.
Probably not pay but some kind of tangible credit. Wife stayed home raised kids and literally took care of everything around the house. (Except the heaving lifting). This allowed me to work and provide a quality life for my family.
Why should you never really own your home? Public schools use the fact that it is a group pay to run a board and decide what your school will do with that income. only about 35 percent of my property tax goes to schools. There will be enough money to make sure students can be educated without property taxes once we get rid of government waste. For example in my state anyone who runs and serves as a council at large receives healthcare for the rest of their lives for themselves and family and that is crazy because they are no longer working in that position. There is so much waste. I also believe parents should pay a portion of the school for their kids, this way they can truly have a say. Get rid of the waste, put money where it should be, and put parents in charge.
As a healthcare provider this is an amazing idea. I think that families that decide to take care of there parents and grandparents parents I an amazing idea and no different than being at an assisted living facility you should be able to get payment from Medicare to take care of them. It is so much cheeper than nursing home care at $10k to $13 k a month to pay privately. I am not sure who can afford to even go in a nursing home and it is bankrupting families. It would actually save money in the Medicare system. But there should be regulations and welfare checks made each quarter to make sure families have the support and training they need to be successful. It is so much work caring for the elderly families that I don’t think people understand.
Not a good policy
Nope. This is just a new name for our existing welfare where you are paying people to stay home and make babies.