What’s in this article:
What’s the typical cost for a New Year’s Eve babysitter?
Average hourly rates for New Year’s Eve babysitter in 25 cities
Is New Year’s Eve pay time and a half?
What about tipping a New Year’s Eve babysitter?
How many hours do babysitters generally stay on New Year’s Eve?
New Year’s Eve is one of the most popular nights of the year for hiring child care. Many parents want to go out and celebrate without the kids in tow, and lots of babysitters and nannies are looking to earn some end-of-year cash.
Whether you’re a parent seeking child care or a babysitter or nanny looking for a NYE sitting gig, you may be curious about the going rate for this coveted night for babysitting requests. How much do babysitters cost on New Year’s Eve? And if you’re a sitter, what’s a fair rate to charge?
What’s the typical cost for a New Year’s Eve babysitter?
According to 2022 Care data, the national average hourly babysitting rate for New Year’s Eve is $20.07 an hour. That means a typical New Year’s Eve sitter (calculated at six hours of babysitting) would cost you about $121 for the night.
That said, every babysitter’s pay rate will depend on a number of things, including the number of kids you have, the sitter’s experience and your location. To get an idea of hourly babysitter rates in your city on a typical day (holiday rates may be higher), enter your information into our child care cost calculator.
Average hourly rates for New Year’s Eve babysitter in 25 cities
To give you an idea of how the cost of a New Year’s Eve babysitter can vary city to city, here’s a list of the average hourly rates for New Year’s eve sitters in 25 U.S. cities, based on Care data.
| Location | Average hourly NYE babysitting rates* |
| National average | $ 20.07 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $ 20.22 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | $ 22.81 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $ 19.50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $ 24.19 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $ 18.30 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $ 20.57 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $ 19.08 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $ 22.95 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $ 17.66 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $ 17.49 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | $ 20.23 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $ 23.56 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $ 21.42 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $ 20.17 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $ 22.68 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $ 19.79 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $ 19.18 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $ 20.87 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $ 21.34 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $ 20.32 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $ 22.24 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $ 25.54 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $ 23.73 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $ 18.37 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $ 21.22 |
Is New Year’s Eve pay time and a half?
Do take note: When a fan on Care’s Facebook page asked about the usual New Year’s Eve pay rate, a number of babysitters responded that they charge more than their typical rate, with many saying they charge time and a half and some saying they charge as much as double their usual rate.
Here are some of their responses and advice about New Year’s Eve babysitting rates:
- “I would ask at least time and a half.” – Lindsey R.
- “It’s a holiday, and time and a half is standard for other jobs. Why not for one this important?” – Latasha D.
- “At minimum, time and a half is fair. It’s a major holiday you are asking your nanny to give up, in addition to it being a late night.” – Liz F.
- “It all depends on the sitter. I really enjoy spending New Year’s with my family and usually refuse to babysit that night, so I would have to insist on at least double pay to get me interested.” – Ashley D.
- “I usually charge time and a half.” – Michael S.
- “I think double the usual rate is pretty fair if someone is willing to give up their holiday so you can go out.” – Sara W.
- “It’s a holiday, so holiday rates apply at time and a half.” – Cheryl V.
- “Not only are you paying for child care until late hours, but you’re also asking your babysitter to give up New Year’s plans. Most won’t unless it’s justified (double rate).” – Leah P.
- “As a nanny, I get time and a half for any overtime or holiday hours I work. It was my employer’s idea, and it makes sense, as for any hourly position, it would normally occur. It’s been like that for every hourly position I’ve held.” – Nicole K.
- “The family paying would not expect their employers to not pay holiday rates. So it seems that whether it’s a nanny job or an executive job, a job is a job and should be recognized as such and respected no matter what. You are caring for the most important people in the parents’ lives — their children.” – Amy B.
- “New Year’s Eve is traditionally a holiday when a higher rate is paid. It can be $5/hour above the norm and up to three times the norm. Or for a regular client family, a sitter or nanny may charge the regular rate.” – Janice S.
What about tipping a New Year’s Eve babysitter?
While it’s not mandatory to tip your babysitter atop their hourly rate, you might consider providing an extra tip for a holiday babysitter, especially one you work with regularly or who goes above and beyond.
How many hours do babysitters generally stay on New Year’s Eve?
The standard duration for New Year’s Eve babysitting can vary depending on the parents’ plans and the babysitter’s availability. It’s common for parents to hire a NYE sitter for about six hours (for example, from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.). In some cases, parents pay their sitters to stay overnight.
If the plan is to have an overnight sitter, make sure to discuss payment upfront to determine if they prefer a flat or hourly fee (though, keep in mind, sleeping hours don’t mean they’re “off the clock!”).
Learn more about overnight babysitting rates:
- How much to charge for overnight babysitting.
- Overnight babysitting rates: How much should I pay my sitter?
No matter your plans for New Year’s Eve, it’s essential for parents and babysitters to communicate and agree upon the specific timeframe, hourly rate, and expectations for the babysitting job in advance.
