If it’s your first time hiring a nanny and you’ve found “the one,” congratulations — that’s no easy feat. Your work isn’t done, though. Now it’s time to organize and execute your nanny onboarding tasks in order to create a smooth transition for both you as an employer, as well as your new nanny.<\/p>
“Onboarding is everything that happens between the moment the family finds the nanny and the moment the nanny is running the day confidently on their own,” says Allie Moya<\/a>, owner of Brooklyn Nanny and Manny agency. This, Moya explains, includes everything from completing background checks to reviewing household rules to benefits and more. <\/p> If you’ve recently hired a nanny for the first time (or are close to making a decision), read on to learn everything you need to include in your nanny onboarding checklist. <\/p> Just as it is in other fields, nanny onboarding is the process of laying everything out for your new hire<\/a> after you’ve made an offer and they’ve accepted — compensation, sick day policies, expectations, tax info. This typically is both discussed in person and written out in a formal work agreement, Moya notes. <\/p> Additionally, the onboarding process often includes an orientation (getting the lay of the land), as well as a few training days. <\/p> Jenifer Becker, a Boston-area full-time live-in\/live-out and rotational nanny with 29 years’ experience, notes that you can also opt for a paid trial after the initial interview (meaning, you haven’t officially hired them yet).<\/p> “This can be anywhere from a couple of hours to several days,” notes Becker. “During this time the nanny and parents can get to know each other, discuss scheduling preferences, rules, etc., and the parents can observe their interaction with the children.” <\/p> A trial doesn’t guarantee a job offer, explains Becker, adding: “If either party doesn’t think it’s going to be a good long-term fit, they have a chance to part ways amicably.” <\/p> Find a nanny near you<\/a>.<\/p> Here, Moya, Becker and more share everything you need to do in the first 30 days (or so) of hiring a new nanny.<\/p> This essentially will be your nanny\/family work agreement<\/a>, and, per Moya, is the “cornerstone” of the relationship. “This is the document that protects everyone and gets the family and the nanny on the same page from day one,” she explains.<\/p> Here’s what administrative paperwork should include:<\/p> “Depending on how you prefer to communicate — text, email, in-person — I would suggest a quick weekly check-in in the beginning. This can help ensure that everyone is happy with the way things are going.”<\/p>— Jenifer Becker, professional nanny with 29 years’ experience<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure> This is a biggie. It’s important you set-up your tax and payroll paperwork in a way that declares your nanny as a household employee<\/a>, as opposed to a contracted employee. <\/p> “Nannies are W-2 employees<\/a>, not 1099 contractors,” explains Carolyn Livingston, director of business development for HomePay<\/a>. Livingston also adds that nanny tax requirements vary by state, so it’s important to make sure you’re compliant with your state’s household employment taxes and labor laws<\/a>.<\/p> Here’s what else you need to do:<\/p> When it comes to payroll and payment, here’s what to do:<\/p> “For a live-in nanny, overtime may vary,” says Moya. “For instance, in New York<\/a>, overtime begins after 44 hours.”<\/p> “Nobody can follow a rule they did not know existed, so the more you put in writing up front, the smoother things will go.”<\/p>— Allie Moya, nanny agency founder<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure> Here’s where your new hire will learn the ropes and see how the day-to-day runs. Moya suggests putting these in a family handbook or routine sheet. Here’s what she and Becker suggest including:<\/p> Since this portion of onboarding is more hands-on, Moya suggests doing a walk-through of your home with your new nanny. “Show them where to find supplies, snacks, the first-aid kit, etc.,” she says. “Also, show them the wi-fi password, alarm code, how to work the thermostat [and] parking.”<\/p> “A paid trial or shadow day during which the family is home and working alongside the nanny is a good idea,” she adds. “You also want to facilitate a warm introduction to the children while you’re still present.”<\/p> These big picture expectations should be discussed before day one (and put in writing), notes Moya, who recommends covering the following: <\/p> “Nobody can follow a rule they did not know existed,” says Moya, “so the more you put in writing up front, the smoother things will go.”<\/p> Early on, it’s best to check in frequently, Becker says. “Depending on how you prefer to communicate — text, email, in-person — I would suggest a quick weekly check-in in the beginning,” she says. “This can uncover any issues and help ensure that everyone is happy with the way things are going.”<\/p> Moya agrees that, in the beginning, more is more. “Over-communicate early on and then loosen up,” she says. “Plenty of detail in week one builds the nanny’s confidence, and by week three the family and the nanny will settle into a rhythm.”<\/p> While there’s a lot to do in the beginning, these tasks help mitigate issues from cropping up later and facilitate a smoother start for all. Consider bookmarking this page for reference if you’re new to the nanny hiring process. <\/p> And if the first few weeks aren’t exactly as you envisioned, keep in mind, it’s an adjustment all around. “The first weeks are a learning curve for everyone,” Moya says, “so a little grace goes a long way.”<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If it\u2019s your first time hiring a nanny and you\u2019ve found \u201cthe one,\u201d congratulations \u2014 that\u2019s no easy feat. Your work isn\u2019t done, though. Now it\u2019s time to organize and execute your nanny onboarding tasks in order to create a smooth transition for both you as an employer, as well as your new nanny. \u201cOnboarding Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1273,"featured_media":228679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":true,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":true,"care_updated_date":"2026-06-09 00:00:00","last_update":"2026-06-16","view_count":36,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1118,1117],"member-type":[4],"vertical":[6],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-228644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hiring-interviewing","tag-nanny","member-type-all","vertical-children","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1273"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228644"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228688,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228644\/revisions\/228688"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228644"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=228644"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=228644"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=228644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Key takeaways<\/h3>
What is nanny onboarding?<\/h2>
30-day nanny on-boarding checklist<\/h2>
Administrative tasks<\/h3>
Tax and legal setup<\/h3>
Payroll setup and pay guidelines<\/h3>
Routine and care guidelines<\/h3>
House rules<\/h3>
How to establish your check-in style <\/h2>
A final tip for nanny onboarding <\/h2>