How Much Should You Pay Your Sitter?
Figure out how much your babysitter should make.
51 Comments
Babysitters make an average of $10 per hour. This can add up if you're planning a day in the country or a night on the town, but it's a small price to pay for your sanity. (Not to mention the safety of your children).
There are several factors to consider when deciding how much you'll pay:
- Babysitter's Age Pay younger sitters, who generally have less experience, less than you would pay someone older. That said, if a sitter stays with you for many years, increase her wages as her experience increases.
- Location If you live in a big city, expect to pay more for a babysitter than someone who lives in the suburbs. Higher cost of living = higher wages.
- Experience A sitter who knows CPR and has tended to big groups of children will cost more. And rightfully so! Specialized training should always be rewarded.
- Number of Children If you have more than one child, expect to pay $2 to $5 more an hour for each additional child. (So, if you'd pay $40 for one child for four hours, expect to pay $48-60 for two children, or $56-$80 for three children, and so on.)
- Time of Day Pay more if kids will be awake the whole time you're gone. If the sitter will put the kids to bed, lock the doors, and watch TV, you can pay less.
- Activities One child has soccer practice, the other needs to go to the dentist. And they both need to be at the dinner table at 6. Pay more if a sitter will need to venture out.
- Cooking For each meal that is prepared, add $10 to a sitter's wages. You don't have to pay more if you just want her to order pizza, but leave enough money for the pie.
- Transportation If you're not driving a sitter from and to her home, give her some extra money for gas or a cab.
Babysitter Pay Rate Calculator
Care.com has a Babysitter Pay Rate Calculator that will calculate the "going rate" for sitters in your area! If you love the calculator, you can make your own Babysitter Pay Calculator Widget too!
Babysitter Taxes
Many families pay under the table when it comes to babysitting pay and a nanny's salary. However, you still may want to file a nanny-tax form, even for babysitters. Filing taxes for your babysitter can have benefits in the long run -- and it's not as overwhelming as you many think! For more information on tax forms, read our article Nanny Tax Forms and Procedures to help get you started.
In the end, you get what you pay for. When you hire a babysitter, pay her fairly to help establish a long, trusting relationship--and to make sure she's not lured away by a higher-paying neighbor.
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Not to mention, the child could awaken during the night and need care. Which would mean the sitter would be tending to a possibly sick child for hours.
The cost of a sitter should not depend on the children being awake or sleeping.
Thanks!
extra intense ADHD 4 yr old.
Sitters, if you find a few families like in (a) keep them on your list, because babysitting can prove you don't need a job right then.
I charge 20 a day and 25 a night. I only charge 5 an hr per child and that covers food Id on't see why day care has to be so much when you care for less than 6 kids. I am not getting rich on my clients, I am supporting them and helping them to care for their children and try to make them happy and safe until the parent arrives. I care for the child and their safety not
money in my pocket. I charge just enough for food and expenditures that normally would be for caring but I divide the whole amount by the kids I have.
In my years of babysitting I have a range I do charge from; however, it is also based on what expectations they would like me to meet during working hours....laundry, transportation, household work, etc. All the families I have worked for didn't have problem if initially I asked for more per hour then what they had originally planned to pay!
As for Laurie's question,
I would use the babysitting calculator to calculate how much it would cost for 3 children with the years of experience your sitter has. I would add maybe 2 dollars per hour simply for the fact they are triplets, which is more work. If she is a live in nanny, she needs to be given at least paid vacations and sick days, if not other benefits as well. The calculator also calculates cost per week/month/year. So put in approximate the number of hours your nanny would actually be caring for the children, and it will tell you the cost. Hope that is helpful. Live-in nannies generally do get paid more on account they are giving up a lot of their personal time, because work is now also their home.
Also, parents please clarify experience claims. A sitter with ten years of experience caring for her own child or the children of close relatives is not the same as a sitter with ten years of experience babysitting. It's like saying you are a hairdresser with ten years experience of doing your own hair. It's a different challenge dealing with children (and negotiating with parents!) who have different house rules, values, and expectations.
If I make $20 dollars per hour, pay taxes and other deduction, how much money do I have left after paying for baby sitting? Most day care that provides meal charges $120- 150 per week for a child and gives discount for more than one child!
No one is forcing a baby sitter to work for less than they want.
I would have no problem in paying a sitter big money if I was making big money!
Dawn I agree with you. It is very important to pay a sitter accordingly. You can't expect a nanny/sitter to give their all if you are going to pay them less than minimum wage. Having a sitter in home is supposed to help give your child(ren) that one on one experience. Although there are ALOT of great daycares, your child is going to be more at ease and learn more If you have someone that is soley dedicated to them. I am personally always one to negotiate with a family about wages, but I am not going to spend the majority of my time to help raise another child when I'm not getting paid enough . Just like any other job, I I have to make enough to live as well. I think if you aren't able to pay AT LEAST $8-10 an hour for one child then you should find a daycare , or a sitter who is able to watch multiple children in their home. Usually if a sitter is able to do some sort of in-home daycare they can charge less per child.
Also, if you are expecting your sitter/nanny to do any detailed house cleaning, run your personal errands, do drop-offs/pick-ups, ect, then you should expect to pay more. People may see it as an easy job, but it is obviously a big deal if you aren't able to do these duties yourself. Taking care of children is ALOT of work, and it takes dedication and patience. If you find someone that you know will truly care for your child and is willing to dedicate their time to helping you out , then you in return should be able to help them by paying them accordingly.
You will pay less then mininmum wage at a day care center or at someone elses home, so if that's all you can afford, then that's what you should do with your child. Making money works both ways and everybody should be paid fairly for the work they provide. Just because one may not make enough to pay what a nanny expects, shouldn't mean that we expect too much, it means that you should find another way to find care for your child, because some can afford the convience and services a nanny provides and are willing to do so.
We all want to be paid fairly in the end and pay fairly for something, so people just need to make realistic descsions when it comes to what they can afford and what they are willing to work for, but no one should have to make less then mininmum wage and no one should expect one too either.
I do agree that nannys should be paid according to what duties they have aside from caring for child/children. We are providing care for the child/children and anything beyond that should be compensated for. This is something both parties need to agree upon in the begining.
Nannys provide a service and it's no different then someone coming to your home for a house call. You pay for the service you need and the convience of someone coming to you. No body should have to work for less then mininmum wage, especially someone caring for your child.
Our nanny will have their own room and space, be able to eat, drink, ect... whatever we have in the house, watch our big screen tvs,use our furniture appliances, internet and cable.
I figure minimum wage is $7.45 hour x 40 hours is $298.00 and if someone has to pay rent, utilities and grocery bill this is a better deal.
Granted the hours will be less than 40 when school is on and more than 40 when kids are on break.
This is my first time looking for in home care.
Thanks
That is a great question! We have some tools that you may find useful when trying to figure out an acceptable pay rate. Check out the babysitter calculator which gives you the average pay rate for babysitters in your area. That calculator can be found here: http://www.care.com/news-views
Additionally, we have a page that is dedicated to nanny taxes and all the information and resources you need to get started with that process. That information can be found here: http://www.care.com/nanny-pay
I hope that helps and please let us know if you have any further questions!
This being said, talk to the person you are hiring. If you can't afford their asking price ask them if they can compromise if you promise them a certain number of hours a week. Or possibly allow them to eat the food in your fridge so having to buy their own food will be one less expense for them. Maybe they will accept a lower wage if you offered them transportation money. There are many possible ways to work things out with people if you just talk to them. They may be okay with it, they may not. I worked with a family who in the beginning couldn't afford the wages I was accustomed to receiving. The family asked if we could start lower and renegotiate after a few months. I agreed and everything worked out.
Under no circumstance should you de-value what that person is doing for you and your child.
As a highly qualified, experienced nanny, I'm amazed and appalled at a lot of the comments on this post. $10.00 is not outrageous, and for most qualified nannies, is not acceptable pay.
A true nanny does not sit on your couch and keep your children company. A true nanny has a plan, schedule, and routine they implement to help raise your children. At a summer or day camp, there are several children paying the same amount. This equals out to minimum wage for each of the employees. No child gets special attention, there is nobody in your home, your laundry does not get done, your child is not receiving one on one care, not attending classes and playdates, and not in their home environment. You pay little at daycare because all you are receiving is basic, minimum care.
Nannies are paid more because it is a luxury to have a nanny. Nannying is a full time career, that allows you to do your job. If you cannot afford $10.00 taxed at a minimum, with paid time off and benefits, then you probably should look into a nanny share, day care, or camp.
A nanny doesn't just hang out with your child, they help you raise your child in your home environment. If you don't value it, neither will they. You get what you pay for.
Would you accept a job that paid you only $35.00 a day? If so, how and where would you live? What would you eat? And, how would you get to work? Certainly, you would not be able to afford a car, let alone gas and insurance.
If so, then how would you feel about the person paying you? You would begin to resent it, maybe even devalue them. Ultimately, you wouldn't do your best because you would be taken advantage of.
It's a cold truth, and I'm sorry to say it, but most people cannot afford a nanny.