How much does a summer nanny cost?

School’s out for summer — but work isn’t — so you’re going to need help with summer child care, and a summer nanny might be just the type of care you want. Finding the right summer nanny not only requires finding a qualified, reliable caregiver with a personality that fits with your family, but it also means creating a budget to pay for the hire. So how much does a summer nanny cost anyway?

The cost of a summer nanny will vary depending on many factors. These include: “geographic area, schedule of the position, experience and education of the nanny and duties in the role,” explains Westside Nannies’ managing director Katie Provinziano. 

And there are many more details to consider, too. This primer will help you go into your search with a general understanding of the price of a summer nanny so you can set reasonable expectations upfront and plan accordingly. Here’s what to know.

What does a summer nanny do?

Before diving into the cost of a summer nanny, it’s important to understand what you can expect from a summer nanny. Similar to any dedicated professional nanny, a summer nanny works in your home and prioritizes your child’s growth and welfare, creating daily schedules, offering meals and snacks and organizing stimulating activities or outings to foster their holistic development. In other words, a summer nanny is much more hands-on in planning your child’s summer day-to-day than a summer babysitter is.

How much does a summer nanny cost?

Find a summer nanny

According to the Care.com 2024 Cost of Care Report, the average nanny made about $766 a week in the U.S. for one infant child, or about $19.15 per hour. But this figure should be considered as only a rough estimate of what you can expect based on your family’s specifics. 

As Provinziano mentions, summer nanny rates depend on variables like:

• Where you live (higher cost of living areas naturally correspond with higher pay rates for summer nannies).
• How many children you have (more children typically means higher pay).
• The ages of these children (younger ones require more hands-on supervision).
• The scope of the role you expect the summer nanny to play.
• The candidate’s level of experience.

Provinziano notes that in Los Angeles, for instance, the cost of a summer nanny per hour is higher than the national average, which is what you might reasonably expect given the higher cost of living in that city. In fact, recent Care data shows the national average base rate for a nanny is $19.69 per hour while the average cost per hour for a nanny in Los Angeles is $26.33.

Current nanny cost per hour for top cities*

Here are some examples of the going cost of nannies per hour and per week (based on a 40-hour workweek), by location, according to recent Care data.

City, State	Hourly Nanny Rate	Weekly Nanny Rate
San Francisco, California	$27.03/hr	$1,081/wk
Los Angeles, California	$26.33/hr	$1,053/wk
Seattle, Washington	$25.02/hr	$1,001/wk
Brooklyn, New York	$22.99/hr	$920/wk
San Diego, California	$22.28/hr	$891/wk
Washington, DC	$21.96/hr	$878/wk
Denver, Colorado	$21.57/hr	$863/wk
Portland, Oregon	$21.32/hr	$853/wk
Atlanta, Georgia	$20.84/hr	$834/wk
Chicago, Illinois	$20.70/hr	$828/wk
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$20.65/hr	$826/wk
National average	$19.69/hr	$788/wk
Charlotte, North Carolina	$19.61/hr	$784/wk
Phoenix, Arizona	$19.50/hr	$780/wk
Tampa, Florida	$19.04/hr	$762/wk
Houston, Texas	$18.93/hr	$757/wk
Orlando, Florida	$18.05/hr	$722/wk
San Antonio, Texas	$17.32/hr	$693/wk

Of course, these are sample rates, and your costs will vary under real-world conditions, including the supply and demand for qualified nannies where you live. The good news for parents and nannies alike is that teaming up for a consistent, reliable summer relationship is mutually beneficial.

“Being able to provide a consistent schedule or a guaranteed number of hours every week will be important to ensure you are able to attract a great candidate,” explains Shenandoah Davis, CEO and cofounder of the nanny recruiting agency Adventure Nannies.

Research the “industry-standard hourly pay in your area,” Davis adds. “We advise hiring families to offer a competitive compensation package paid legally, on the books, to attract the most qualified and highly skilled professionals.”

For a more precise idea of what your summer nanny cost could look like, research the current average rates for nannies by location with our cost of care calculator. 

Other factors affect the cost of a summer nanny

Additionally, here are some other factors that may affect the price you’ll pay for a summertime nanny: 

Requiring extra duties

What duties will you expect your summer nanny to do? Do you expect your nanny to plan educational activities or fun, summertime outings outside the home? Will your nanny be supervising summer reading or online learning or providing tutoring on a certain subject? Is your nanny driving your kids to summer sports or camps (more on this later … )? These specifics all factor into the cost of a summer nanny. 

“Hiring families have the opportunity to determine the responsibilities they would like to delegate to their household employees,” says Davis. “And the scope of these duties will be an important aspect of identifying a fair compensation package.”

Reimbursing a nanny for transportation costs

Another budgetary factor to consider? The cost of transportation. If your nanny will be transporting your kids by car or driving for errands or other obligations while on the job, you’ll need to budget for gas and mileage.

Fortunately, it’s easy to determine the reimbursement cost because the IRS standardizes the rate. The 2024 rate of 67 cents per mile covers all of the expenses that your nanny could incur from using their car, including not just gas but also maintenance and depreciation. 

Traveling with your nanny

Travel is another factor that goes into determining an appropriate pay rate for a summer nanny, according to Provinziano. “Families are often looking to take vacations during this time and hope to take their nanny with them,” she explains, adding she often often sees rates increase 20% or more when travel is required.

When traveling with your nanny, it’s important to factor in pay for all working hours, including any applicable overtime. “Travel time must also be factored in and is also considered work time,” she says. 

How nanny taxes affect summer nanny rates

If you are paying a summer nanny $2,700 or more during the year, you will need to pay nanny taxes. Paying on the books is not just important as a matter of legality and liability, but it works out in your favor financially, too.

Let’s take a look at a sample case study from HomePay. Let’s say you and your partner both work. So you hire a summer nanny for 12 weeks at $800 per week to watch your two kids, ages 9 and 10, while school’s out. You’ll pay the nanny $9,600 in total wages at the end of the summer. But with taxes, the full cost breakdown looks like this:

Budgeting example for summer nanny

Gross Wages Paid to the Nanny		$9,600
Social Security Taxes	+ $595
Medicare Taxes	+ $139
Unemployment Insurance Taxes	+ $250
Total Employment Taxes:	= $984	+ $984
Total Cost to the Family (before tax breaks)		= $10,584

By paying your nanny on the books, your family qualifies for tax breaks because the parents both work and the kids are under 13. If one of you enrolls in a Dependent Care Account through your employer, you can pay up to $5,000 of child care expenses tax free. So now let’s take a look at your total out-of-pocket cost for that summer nanny:

Example out-of-pocket cost for summer nanny

Cost Before Tax Breaks	$10,584
Savings from FSA	-$2,000 (based on our sample tax bracket)
Total Cost of Summer Nanny	$8,584

That’s right, you actually save $1,016 by paying your summer nanny on the books and taking the tax break! And that’s a win-win that sets the stage for a fun, safe and stress-free summer. 

For more information on finding, interviewing, hiring and managing a nanny, check out The Complete Guide to Nannies. Looking for even more cost savings? Consider a nanny share.