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Nanny/Babysitter Costs
xstaticnyclove
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I'd like to gauge what families are paying for nannies and babysitters for a typical workday from around 9am-6pm. I've seen a minimum of $10/hour but what is the average that most ask? Do nannies work under the table? And do families have to pay extra expenses for the nanny to work such as lunch, transportation and healthcare costs? Just curious to hear what is involved when doing cost analysis of whether to keep my job or quit. Do they normally stay at your apartment during this duration? If anyone has experience with any, please share. Thanks!
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Re: Nanny/Babysitter Costs
Are you in NYC? I'm sure the rules are completely different once you are farther outside the city. If you do live in NYC (or in a close suburb), I also think they differ depending on your neighborhood/burough/area. I haven't had a nanny (I'm due with my first in July), but I have been interested in this as well and consulted three friends who do. My friends who live on the Upper West Side pay their nanny $20 per hour for a 40-hour week, 52 weeks out of the year, regardless of whether they are on vacation/don't need her. They don't pay benefits. Overtime is time and a half. The nanny often takes their child to kiddie classes/playgroups, which can mean additional costs. The friends who live in Sunnyside, Queens pay their nanny $15 per hour only for the time needed during the week. The wife works part time, and they don't pay the nanny benefits. The nanny often takes their child to the nearby park. The friend who lives in Great Neck, Long Island pays her nanny $17 per hour for a full 40-hour week. I don't know if this includes weeks when they don' t need her. I think this nanny spends most of the time with the child at their home. All allow the nanny to prepare lunch from whatever is in their kitchens.
I don't know if this helps, but I hope so! This is all anecdotal from a very small pool of friends, and I have no idea whether their choices are within the normal range. I would also love to hear from some additional mamas who have nannies.
I would say that $600-800 a week is about average when I was asking around- which translates to about $15-20 an hour for a 40 hour work week. While no one I know provided benefits, there were definitely a lot of exta costs I didn't see coming. First, was taxes. We paid on the books - most of my friends did because our job required it but I would say overall, most are probably not on the books. But if you are on the books, taxes as well as paying payroll tax is an additional cost - it would all depend on what you pay your nanny so I can't give you a number.
The other costs I remember are 1) food (we did provide lunch), 2) metrocard - (or gas if in the suburbs) most do, some don't provide it), 3) classes for your LO and a way to get there/back from it (if you are in the city- are you ok with your LO taking the subway, will it be walkable?, do you want them in a cab?), 4) worker's compensation - I think it was about $500 a year or so. If your nanny falls in your house/apartment, you want to make sure you're covered for liability.
We ended putting our LO's in daycare- I didn't like depeding on one person- but my nanny called in sick a lot so I'm sure it's different if you find someone reliable. Just look for someone who loves kids AND is reliable. When my son started kindgergarten this year, we decided on an au pair - obviously not suitable for an infant- but just throwing that out there when your LO is older- it's working out great for us so far!
IUI- BFN IVF #1 -BFP! Allie is our 2nd IVF baby. Born at 36 1/2 weeks after pre-e again
I live in Brooklyn and have a nanny for my one, 4-month-old child. We pay $15/hour for 40 hours/week and time-and-a-half for overtime (more than 12 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week). So far, it's ended up being around $2500/month.
My nanny is here from 8a-6p on a typical day; except for when I work from home 1-2 days/week, then it's 9a-3p. We also pay 1 week sick leave, 2 weeks vacation, snacks, and dinner if she works late, but not health insurance, transportation or lunch. I tried to model the compensation after what I got at work when I was first starting out in the city, minus health insurance, which is prohibitively expensive unfortunately.
It's under the table, which is normal here based on all the nannies and friends I've talked to. Since my son is so young and it's been cold, we haven't paid for classes, but we probably will later. There is also a park nearby, and I leave cash in an envelope for incidentals. Mostly she hangs around at the apartment.
I highly recommend signing a nanny contract that outlines all these details and talking through them with the nanny you choose. There's a free one on ParkSlopeParents.com that you can modify. I used Care.com to find my nanny-- it was time-consuming to comb through 80+ applicants, but worked out well for us!