Do I have the right to compensation after 10 years of employment?

Just my opinion. You have to know the Labor law. Seems they did the right thing by taking taxes.

You should have had a contract with them stating hours you would work. If you get overtime and what time off you would get. Severance pay is not mandated. They were under no law to provide it.

I think its too late to get compensated for no time off. You should have brought it up while you were working for them.

Vacation time is not required as part of employment to my knowledge. You could have asked for time off, but they weren't required to give it nor pay you for it.

As far as severance pay, the same thing applies. I worked for the Disney Company, for crying out loud, and when several hundred of us were laid off we were told to be grateful we received severance because they weren't required to pay it. (Worst company to work for, by the way.)

You wouldn't get severance pay no matter what -- the job simply ended. It's the nature of the work, I'm afraid.

Why did you never take your annual leave? (How much annual leave were you supposed to get each year?)

The OP said she wasn't paid cash and taxes were taken out of her pay. Sorry about the leave time
and loss of your client. Best of luck

If you were being paid, exactly what pay are you looking for?

Annual leave is negotiated in your contract. If you didn't have a contract, then you are not entitled to any pay besides what you agreed to and accepted for 10 years..

Letting this go for 10 years is actually proof that you knew you didn't get annual leave pay. Being a nice Guy and not dealing with this early on leaves you with zero recourse.

The law looks at what happened and how long it went on to determine if you were in agreement with the pay. I say, yes, you obviously were in agreement or you would not have continued to caregive for 10 years.

Caregivers need to realize that this isn't there forever home and when their client dies they will be expected to leave the premises.

I am sorry for you that you didn't see this coming. Chalk it up to education and know better on your next caregiving assignment.

If you harass this family, they won't be giving you a good reference. How much is that worth to you?

Caregivers are in short supply. Go forward with your life and career. You won't have any problem finding a good position.

I would think that for 10 years not taking a leave should have been discussed. Why did you not take your leave? They must think it was okay with you. You can ask them now for severance pay, but if that is not an agreement in writing, they can decline.

This depends upon labor laws in your area, and whether or not you wish to report this family as having violated the same. Depends upon contracts you may have had, and even sometimes on how well you reported income to the IRS. If you wish to explore your options--and here I assume that you have asked for severance and been refused--you should contact a labor law attorney.
Your message here serves as a warning to families hiring help without an agency. Agencies gobble up so much more money, but hiring without one, and without obeying labor laws, can run one into trouble with the law. A kind of Catch-22 in caregiving.
I myself would choose to move on. You apparently had a job of 10 years that you were satisfied with. You did not lose it to anything but the fates. No one intended so far as I can see to harm you. You will have to make your own decisions for your best interests and I wish you the best.

Are you saying you worked for 10 years without getting paid and now you are looking for compensation? Why did you not ask for compensation while you were caregiving?

Did you have a contract? I'm also curious about -- Were you paid in cash? Did you have taxes taken out?

I think you are out of luck, but please check with an employment attorney.

This is a question for an attorney. If you got paid in cash, or there was never a written contract... this won't help your case. A labor lawyer for your state is who you should now consult. Gather up any proof of wages for this appointment. If you ever take a similar job, make sure to always have a written contract. Never work under assumptions, a handshake or a verbal agreement. Always get it in writing.

You have the “right” as a human being to”ask” for anything, but in terms of legally recovering, be prepared to be disappointed.