{"id":349,"date":"2026-02-12T20:37:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T20:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/s37407.p1377.sites.pressdns.com\/homepay\/2021-nanny-pay-rates-how-much-should-i-pay-my-nanny\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T20:37:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T20:37:53","slug":"nanny-pay-rates-how-much-should-i-pay-my-nanny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/nanny-pay-rates-how-much-should-i-pay-my-nanny\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 nanny pay rates: How much should I pay my nanny?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Once you&rsquo;ve made the decision to hire a nanny to care for your kids, the next step is figuring out how much you should pay them. If you&rsquo;ve never hired a nanny before, this can feel a little overwhelming. However, we&rsquo;ll cover several topics that should help you come up with a realistic pay rate for your nanny.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-custom-dynamic-list key-takeaways-block\"><h3>Key takeaways<\/h3><div class=\"key-takeaways-container\"><ul><li>What factors influence the hourly pay rate for a nanny? Several factors influence a nanny&rsquo;s hourly pay rate, including the number of children they&rsquo;ll be caring for, their level of experience, whether they have first aid or CPR certification, and any additional job responsibilities beyond childcare.<\/li><li>How can I determine the nanny pay rate in my city if it&rsquo;s not listed? If your city isn&rsquo;t listed, you can use our Cost of Care Calculator to estimate the hourly pay rate in your area. Keep in mind that rates may vary depending on location and specific circumstances.<\/li><li>Are there additional costs associated with hiring a nanny? Yes, in addition to the nanny&rsquo;s hourly rate, you should consider household employment taxes, workers&rsquo; compensation insurance (if required by your state), and the use of a nanny tax service like HomePay to manage tax filings, payroll calculations, and compliance with labor laws.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/homepay\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/08\/300x250-V2-1.png\" alt=\"Cross nanny taxes off your to-do list forever\" class=\"wp-image-3084\"><\/a><\/figure><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pay-rate\" data-toc-id=\"1d4bf755\"><strong><a id=\"payrate\" name=\"payrate\"><\/a>What is the current hourly pay rate for a nanny in my area?<\/strong><\/h2><p>According to the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/how-much-does-child-care-cost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Care.com 2026 Cost of Care Report<\/a><strong>,&nbsp;<\/strong>parents posted rates for nannies averaging $870 per week, or about $21.75 per hour.<\/p><p>To get a baseline for how much a nanny earns in your city, Care.com is a great resource. Based on the millions of job posts on the site, the average posted nanny rate in the U.S. currently ranges between $21.30 and $27.27 per hour, and here is the average posted starting rate* for a nanny in several major cities.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>City, State<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Avg. Nanny Pay Rate by City<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>City, State<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Avg. Nanny Pay Rate by City<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/atlanta-ga\">Atlanta, Georgia<\/a><\/td><td>$21.88\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/nashville-tn\">Nashville, Tennessee<\/a><\/td><td>$21.44\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/austin-tx\">Austin, Texas<\/a><\/td><td>$22.70\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/new-york-ny\">New York City<\/a><\/td><td>$24.61\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/baltimore-md\">Baltimore, Maryland<\/a><\/td><td>$20.94\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/philadelphia-pa\">Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/a><\/td><td>$21.77\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/boston-ma\">Boston, Massachusetts<\/a><\/td><td>$23.35\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/phoenix-az\">Phoenix, Arizona<\/a><\/td><td>$21.10\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/charlotte-nc\">Charlotte, North Carolina<\/a><\/td><td>$21.12\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/pittsburgh-pa\">Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania<\/a><\/td><td>$20.49\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/chicago-il\">Chicago, Illinois<\/a><\/td><td>$22.47\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/portland-or\">Portland, Oregon<\/a><\/td><td>$23.13\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/dallas-tx\">Dallas, Texas<\/a><\/td><td>$21.27\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/sacramento-ca\">Sacramento, California<\/a><\/td><td>$22.89\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/denver-co\">Denver, Colorado<\/a><\/td><td>$23.64\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/salt-lake-city-ut\">Salt Lake City, Utah<\/a><\/td><td>$20.10\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/detroit-mi\">Detroit, Michigan<\/a><\/td><td>$20.52\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/san-diego-ca\">San Diego, California<\/a><\/td><td>$23.88\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/houston-tx\">Houston, Texas<\/a><\/td><td>$19.94\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/san-francisco-ca\">San Francisco, California<\/a><\/td><td>$29.17\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/los-angeles-ca\">Los Angeles, California<\/a><\/td><td>$26.49\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/seattle-wa\">Seattle, Washington<\/a><\/td><td>$27.01\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/miami-fl\">Miami, Florida<\/a><\/td><td>$22.56\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/kansas-city-mo\">Kansas City, Missouri<\/a><\/td><td>$19.35\/hr<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/minneapolis-mn\">Minneapolis, Minnesota<\/a><\/td><td>$20.65\/hr<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\/nannies\/washington-dc\">Washington, DC<\/a><\/td><td>$23.10\/hr<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">* Based on average reported starting rates from nannies listed on Care.com, as of February 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><p>If you don&rsquo;t see your city on this list, use our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/cost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cost of Care Calculator<\/a> to see the estimated rate in your city. Keep in mind, these hourly nanny pay rates assume a nanny caring for one child and working full time. If your care needs are different, you should decrease or increase this rate.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" data-toc-id=\"86b3a500\">What should I take into account to adjust my nanny&rsquo;s hourly pay rate?<\/h2><p>Now that you have a good estimate of what the average nanny expects to earn in your area, you need to look at the details of the job you&rsquo;re offering and the credentials of the nannies you&rsquo;re interviewing to fine-tune the final pay rate. Here are four major factors to consider:<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. How many children your nanny will care for&nbsp;<\/h3><p>Nannies who watch multiple children should earn more than nannies watching one child. Best practices are to increase your hourly rate $1 to $2 per hour for each additional child a nanny cares for.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2<\/strong>. <strong>How much experience&nbsp;your nanny has<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3><p>According to the International Nanny Association&rsquo;s most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/nanny.org\/2022-ina-salary-and-benefits-survey-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">salary benefits survey<\/a>, nannies with 1-3 years of experience earn almost $2 less per hour than nannies with 4-6 years of experience. Additionally, a nanny with 7-10 years experience earns about $1 per hour more than a nanny with 4-6 years of experience. The point is, the more experience a candidate has, the more you can expect to pay for their services.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Whether your nanny is first aid or CPR certified<\/h3><p>If so, they most likely should command a higher hourly rate than a candidate with no medical training. The added peace of mind knowing your nanny can provide a basic level of support for your child if something goes wrong is generally worth paying extra for.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Any job responsibilities that go beyond caring for your kids&nbsp;<\/h3><p>Some families ask their nanny to pitch in with additional household help, such as laundry and running errands. If you&rsquo;re planning to ask your nanny to handle things like this, expect to pay them additional money for these tasks.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" data-toc-id=\"46501654\">What other costs are associated with hiring a nanny?<\/h2><p>By now, you should have a good idea of what to pay your new nanny. But there are other expenses aside from payroll that&nbsp;you need to think about to finalize your total care budget.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Household employment taxes<\/strong><\/h3><p>Sometimes called nanny taxes, these will be about 10% of the wages you pay your nanny. The IRS says when you pay a nanny $2,800 or more during the calendar year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/publications\/p926\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">you&rsquo;re responsible for paying these taxes<\/a>.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workers&rsquo; compensation insurance<\/h3><p>Your state may require you to have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/nanny-workers-compensation-insurance\">workers&rsquo; compensation insurance<\/a> policy in place to protect you and your nanny if they get hurt while on the job.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tax and payroll service<\/h3><p>Many families either don&rsquo;t have the time or the desire to manage&nbsp;all the tax filings, payroll calculations, labor law compliance updates and government notice correspondence that come with being a household employer. Using a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/homepay\">nanny tax and payroll service<\/a> like HomePay should be part of your budget if you need help. Give us a call at (888) 273-3356 for a free consultation and we&rsquo;ll walk you through any questions you have!<\/p><p><strong>Next Steps:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/homepay\/nanny-tax-calculator\">Use a budgeting calculator to figure out your tax costs and tax breaks<\/a>.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/7-steps-for-creating-a-nanny-payroll-account\">Learn about how to set up payroll for your nanny<\/a>.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/nanny-tax-guide\">Read about the specific tax and payroll rules the IRS has for hiring a nanny<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many factors that go into figuring out how much to pay your nanny. Learn the asking rate in your area based on their experience and qualifications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1478,"featured_media":350,"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":false,"care_updated_date":"2026-02-12T20:37:46.303Z","last_update":"2026-02-12","view_count":389663,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member-type":[2],"vertical":[361,3],"platform":[11],"class_list":["post-349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","member-type-seeker","vertical-budgeting-and-setup-topics","vertical-children","platform-homepay"],"acf":[],"created":"2019-07-17","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1478"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4145,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349\/revisions\/4145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=349"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=349"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/hp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}