How Much to Pay a Nanny for a Nanny Share

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Parent Q&A

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  • Nanny Share Rate

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    Feb 22, 2024

    Hi Parents,

    I’m wondering what is the going hourly rate for nanny shares at the moment? Our situation share would be for 2 infants. 
     

    Thanks in advance!

    Feb 22, 2024

    Hi! We live in Berkeley and pay $20/hr per family, $40/hr total. 

    Feb 28, 2024

    We just went through a lot of interviews for this and the average asking rate is 20/hour per family for a share. Hope that helps! 

    Feb 28, 2024

    Hi, we (collectively) pay $40/hr for 2 babies in a nanny share, plus a significant holiday bonus (3 weeks' pay). From what I've seen that's a fairly typical rate, with it seems like a range of maybe $37-$42 in our area. 

    Feb 28, 2024

    Hi! Our nanny (and every nanny we talked to + our friend's nannies) is $40/hour total for 2 infants. Hope this helps!

    Feb 28, 2024

    each family pays $20 an hr for 45 hours a week. two weeks of paid vacation and a end of the year bonus worth two weeks pay.

    Feb 28, 2024

    Around $40/hour for 2 kids. 

    Feb 28, 2024

    Our nanny charges $36/hour which is $18 for each kiddo, and her rates are going up to $40 in September. Another nanny we talked to charged $30/hour for one kid and $40 for two.

    Feb 28, 2024

    We were at $40/hour ($20 each family) when we started in Fall 2023, but upped her rate to $42/hour to account for increasing inflationary pressure. 

    Mar 13, 2024

  • Nannyshare Going Rate

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    Jul 11, 2022

    Hi,

    I am trying to find the going rate for...

    1) 2 person nanny share

    2) 3 person nanny share when 2 kids are from the same family (what is the rate for the two families?)

    We are having some changes in our nannyshare and I want to make sure I have the latest information. 

    Thanks so much!

    Jul 11, 2022

    This question comes up a lot and you can find more discussion in the recent archives, but i can share we just started a nanny share in Oakland for two babies and we are paying $17.50/hr each so $35/hour. We have an older almost 3 yo son that will join on occasion when his preschool is out of session, and will pay a total of $45/hour for those days, with our family paying $30/hour for two kids, and the other family paying $15/hour.

    Jul 13, 2022

    Starting in september our nanny share rate will be 18/hr for each kid(2 kid nanny share).  Single rate is $28hr.  I know our nanny has been offered $20/hr but she has been with us since the start of 2020 and we're about to have another kid.  We also give her two weeks paid vacation plus a two week bonus at the end of the year.

    Jul 13, 2022

    We don't have experience with #2 above, but our current nanny share rate for 2 kids (not from the same family) is $38/hr. We recently gave our nanny a $3/hr raise after year plus COLA. 

    Jul 13, 2022

    Rates have gone up a lot lately, 20 per kid per hour seems pretty common around me (40 per hour total). For three kids, maybe 50 per hour total (17 for one and 33 for the two?) 

    Jul 13, 2022

  • Current Nanny share rates?

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    Nov 21, 2021

    Hi, all.  Like so many others, we are having an impossible time finding daycare for our son.  We are holding out for the (slim) chance we find a daycare slot by May, but also planning for the very real possibility of a nanny share.  I saw the 2018 post about nanny share rates, and was wondering what folks are paying now (i.e., has the pandemic dramatically changed rates).  Thanks for any information you have!

    Moderator Note: BPN conducted a nanny pay survey this past summer.  See 2021 Nanny Survey

    Nov 21, 2021

    We pay $35/hr across two families, for 35 hrs/week. 

    Nov 24, 2021

    We started paying our nanny in south berkeley $15 an hour and now we pay her $16 an hour.  We share her with one other family who pays the same.  Her single child rate is $25 an hour.  There are definitely daycare's available but it depends where and what you're looking for.

    Nov 24, 2021

    Like you, I had a really hard time finding preschool for my son for this past fall. Most of the schools to which I applied or filled out contact sheets never even got back to me, let alone tell me they were full. We finally got into the New School in North Berkeley and we're very happy there. I don't know where you're located, but the New School has some openings right now.

    Nov 24, 2021

    I am looking now and am getting quoted anywhere from $30-38 an hour for two children. Most often I’m seeing $35. This is a notable increase from 2018, in addition finding someone is competitive. Good luck! 

    Nov 24, 2021

    Thanks everyone for the information - helpful to know!  ...Realizing now why so many women drop out of the workforce to provide childcare instead.

    Dec 1, 2021

  • Is this nanny-share rate reasonable?

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    Mar 21, 2021

    Hey all! (Soon-to-be) first time parent here looking to get some advice about a rate on a slightly interesting nanny share situation.

    We have a lead on a nanny who seems really great and experienced (7+ years, referral from a friend of a friend), but looking around the board I wasn't sure whether the rate was too high or whether it was in the ballpark.

    We live in Berkeley, the nanny would be commuting from Alameda (!). We're nanny-sharing with a friend who only needs a nanny for 3 days out of the week, while we need all five. Standard 40hrs/week, holidays. Both kids would be about 4-6 months old at the start. The nanny offered $25/hr for one kid (which we would pay for 2 days out of the week) and then $20/hr *per kid* (= total $40/hr) for both kids.

    From what I've read, the $25/hr for a single child seems totally fair, but I wasn't sure about the $20/hr per kid for both. We're not really balking at it to be honest since we can afford it and the nanny seems genuinely great, but as first-timers we would just love some reassurance that we're in a reasonable ballpark. Do these rates seem generally reasonable to you folks?

    Mar 21, 2021

    $25/hr seems low -- I have found the standard rate to be around $30/hr plus some sort of benefits. It would be advisable to research the current Californian Domestic Workers laws which have changed quite a bit, and are very clear about required breaks, taxes to be paid, etc. ( www.CA.gov department of industrial relations) Check out all your hidden expenses before making a final decision. Good luck.

    Mar 24, 2021

    Hi!  We started a nanny share with our child at the same age as your children.  I talked to about 15 different nannies and rates were $13-20 per hour per child in a shared care situation. The rates for two children seems high but there are many factors to consider including how you plan to handle nanny payment and your expectations of the nanny’s duties.  I’ve seen some families have a lower hourly rate but provide a weekly supplement for mileage.  Good luck.

    Mar 24, 2021

    It's on the slightly higher end of the nanny share rate, but not crazy high, especially considering that she seems to have a good amount of experience and a trusted referral. I can't remember exactly what we paid for a nanny share situation back in 2017 but I think it was like $17 or $18 and that experience wasn't great. I think you could pay a bit less if you kept looking but sounds like you're OK with the cost, able to afford it, and feel comfortable with this person taking care of your kiddo. Since you're not in need of care for a little while, you have time to find someone else if you felt like continuing your search. Good luck, and congrats on becoming parents! 

    Mar 24, 2021

    Hi!  When we did a nanny share a couple years ago (our son was less than a year old, and he just turned four) that was what we paid - $20/hr from each family. Hope that helps! 

    Mar 24, 2021

    That sounds like a lot to me for 2 kids. Our current nanny for our nanny share is fantastic and she charges 22/ hr for 1 child, 15/ hr each for 2 kids, and 13/ hr each for 3 kids. She set this rate and we all thought it was reasonable.

    Mar 24, 2021

    I personally have never heard of such a big gap between rates for 1 child and 2. I would expect it to be closer to $28 or $30 for two kids, if her rate for one is $25. Perhaps she is padding it a bit more, knowing that she won't get the share rate the full 5 days a week. We have done both nanny share and had our own dedicated nanny. Same as you, we could afford either option.  We LOVED the nanny share, but there were certain tradeoffs, namely the inconvenience of having to do daily drop offs/pick ups/meal and snack packing (we were not the host family). For us this was more than made up for since we were paying $15/hour and of course the social connection for our daughter. However now that we have enjoyed the great convenience of having our own nanny, I'm not sure we would go for a nanny share if we weren't getting significant cost savings. Your situation may be very different from ours if you are the host family and already personal friends with the other nanny share family (presumably you will have fewer tradeoffs). 

    Mar 24, 2021

    That seems high for a two child rate. Four years ago when our family and one other interviewed nannies for a nanny share, the range the nannies we interviewed were asking for was $26-$30 per hour for two kids. Of course the cost of living has gone up in four years but even taking that into account $40 seems high. On the other hand, if you really want this nanny and you can afford it, maybe it’s worth it. 

    Mar 24, 2021

    Hi! We have a nanny share with a wonderful nanny with about the same amount of experience. When she started with us our son was 3 months and we paid her $23/hour for just him. When the other family joined a few months later, their daughter was about 4 months and our son 6-7 months and we each pay $15/hr for a total of $30. When I was looking things up (admittedly about 1.5 years ago), the general consensus was that average for the area was between $14/hr per kid to $18/hr per kid for shares and $20-$30/hr for single kids. Seems like it may be a bit on the high side but not so out of the ballpark that it's unreasonable. If you like the nanny and you can afford it, I'd say you should go for it. Finding a great nanny who will provide the right environment for your kid is not as easy as you'd think. We had some less than great experiences with temporary folks before we found the wonderful woman who takes care of our kids now. And to be honest, we're extremely undemanding in most ways. We just wanted someone who seemed to like kids, wanted to help them in the most basic ways, and who wasn't going to be super anxious. Beyond that, other things are a bonus from our perspectives.

    Mar 24, 2021

    We pay $30/hour for infant twins -- and I think a nanny share is more difficult since the nanny has to deal with two families.  So it seems generally reasonable to me.

    But more importantly, if you feel excited about the nanny and it's a rate you can afford, go for it! Having someone you trust to care for your children is invaluable. Child care workers as a whole are tremendously undervalued, so if there's anyone it's worth not worrying about paying a bit more than market rate, it's them.

    Mar 24, 2021

    $40/hour is steep for 2 babies! From what I’ve heard (and paid when our baby was 5 months old, just last year) is $26/hour for 2 babies. Our nanny was also experienced with great references. We also paid for 2 weeks vacation and paid holidays. $26-30/hr for 2 babies seems to be consistent with what I’ve heard from others. Since she is commuting a distance, you could offer mileage reimbursement. 

    Mar 25, 2021

    I pay my nanny $22over the table And we have a share with another family who also plays for $22an hour off the table. 
    this is 40 hours a week plus. She also gets two weeks paid  vacation time +11 paid state holiday and of course sick days. 
    when I was in the process of looking for a nanny over or you go go many nannies were charging $25-$30.
    It’s understandable as it can be very expensive to live in here. 
    I really like our nanny and feel that she is well worth The money we pay. 

     

    Mar 29, 2021

  • How much do you pay your nanny share nanny?

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    Dec 24, 2020

    I am having a hard time finding updated rates. We are in Berkeley and are curious as to how much people are currently paying for nanny shares. Would you mind sharing your information?

    two babies/toddlers?

    three babies/toddlers?

    four babies/toddlers?

    thanks!

    Dec 24, 2020

    Two kids any age $30. Haven’t hear of nanny shares with more than two, but maybe $10-15 more per kid?

    Dec 30, 2020

    We pay $30/hour for 40 hours/week for 2 toddlers in Oakland. We also provide paid sick/vacation/etc.  Our nanny is very good/experienced and i think this is on the medium/high end of spectrum because of that.

    Dec 30, 2020

    In our share, each family is paying $15/hour for 2 infants ($30/hour total). It would be $24/hour for one infant.

    Dec 30, 2020

    We paid 13.50 or 14 for a share of 2/3 toddlers (we had two part-time families)

    Jan 2, 2021

  • Nanny Share Pay and OT

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    Oct 3, 2020

    Hi all,

    Looking into starting with a nanny or nanny share. We work 8.5 hour days (8-4:30) with a 1-1.5hr commute, so will need childcare for ~11 hours a day. We are planning to offer 12 hours of pay to cover a missed lunch. I see varying resources that cite OT to be paid at >40hrs/wk +/- 8hrs/day. Other families must also work 8 hour shifts and need childcare coverage for >8hrs/day. We would like to contract for 3x12hr days (36hrs), with OT at >40hrs/wk or more than any agreed upon length per day (ie if there is an emergency or issue getting home on time).

    Also, many of the resources for fair hourly rate are outdated. We are planning to pay $15 each family, so $30/hr total when shared. The other family does not need 11 hour days, so our family was going to pay $25/hr for the hour or so on each end of the day that the nanny is alone with our kid. We are also planning to offer 2wks paid PTO and essentially unlimited unpaid sick/vacation. Kids are 6mo.

    Is this too complicated? Does it seem fair?

    Thanks, BPN.

    Oct 3, 2020

    Not too detailed. Writing everything down so no one is surprised is essential to avoiding misunderstandings and hurt feelings.
    I'd also add language around sick days, what it will look like to leave the share should it be necessary, and potentially understandings about vaccine expectations with the other family, etc.
    In this new world, you may also want to consider adding language around smoke days and, and precautions/expectations around covid/other illnesses.

    Oct 7, 2020

    In California, I’m pretty sure you have to pay OT for any hours over 8 in one day. That’s a stricter rule than paying OT for any hours over 40 in one week. 
     

    I think the pay rate and terms you’re proposing sound fair. We paid overtime and PTO for our nanny. Too many families don’t pay overtime and there’s a term for that: wage theft. It’s immoral and illegal. 

    Oct 7, 2020

    California law requires that OT be paid once you hit eight hours in a given day (vs. federal law, which only requires it over 40 hours per week) so if you have 12 hours days, four of the hours must be at the OT rate. (If you go beyond the 12 hours, you are required to do 2x the regular rate, so be aware of that for sure.) We had a similar situation with our share, and the way we structured it was that there was a one-child and two-child rate. Each day would have specific one-child and two-child hours (since one family used seven hours and the other nine hours, with a one-child hour on either end). So the first hour was one-child, hours 2-8 were two-child, and the ninth hour was one-child rate x 1.5. It was complicated on paper but worked out fine in real life. If, say, both families use 8 hours but they are offset by an hour (which we had with our second child at one point), you do need to pay OT as soon as the nanny's workday hits 8 hours, regardless of which child she's caring for. In a situation like that, you would want each family pay half of the total cost (regardless of whether they were the 8-4 or 9-5 family).

    Oct 7, 2020

    This seems fair to me. My kid is almost 2yo, and when he was a ~4mo we started a share. We had a detailed contract that was good to have - I think the only times we went back to reference it were to confirm holidays and to check if we'd put anything in there about yearend bonus (we hadn't). There was lots of fluff language about development and stuff that we I don't think we needed. If the nanny ends up totally mismatched for the environment you want your kid to be raised in (i.e. development, manners, discipline etc.) you change nannies.

    RE: the pay structure, our nanny asked that we pay her $28h, at least 40h per week. That meant that if we needed <40h, we'd split up to the 40h mark. If one family needed the nanny for >40h, then they would pay the full $28h of those additional hours. Our nanny share was actually split between 3 families - 1 host kiddo full time, and 2 non-host kiddos half time each. I was surprised at the amount of time we spent emailing about the upcoming week's schedule and confirming $ amounts, but the other parents (my husband included) said they expected it.

    Feel free to message me over BPN if you want me to send you our google doc hours & dollars tracking spreadsheet.

    Oct 11, 2020

  • Nanny share pay for babies

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    May 4, 2020

    What is the going rate of a nanny share for a 3 - 6 month old? I plan on having my first child in July and will want to take on another baby once she is 3 - 6 months old (of course depending on what's going on in the world at that time). I have over 15 years of early childcare experience (yet most of it is with children 2.5 -5 y.o.), I've taken the RIE training and I'm also Montessori trained for 2.5 - 5 y.o.. What would seem reasonable to ask for? Thanks!

    May 4, 2020

    In my experience it has been about $13/hr from each family. So the nanny made $26/ hr total for 2 babies. This was off the books with 2 different nannies and families, same price.

    May 6, 2020

  • Nanny share rate and Emeryville minimum wage

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    Sep 27, 2019

    For Emeryville nanny share parents, how are you interpreting the $16.30 minimum wage? I am in a nanny share and I was paying the going rate we researched of $15 for each share for a total of $30 per hour. That is also what our nanny quoted then but with the new min wage changes, she is asking for $16.30 from each family. Does the min wage requirement apply to the total hourly rate for bother families? I just would like to get some thoughts and feedback from other Emeryville parents as this is all new to us!

    Sep 27, 2019

    In a nannyshare, you are (by law) joint employers of your nanny--so the minimum wage is based on the combined pay, not each family's solo pay. This applies to overtime pay as well--overtime kicks in after the eighth hour of work, even if neither family actually hits eight hours independently (e.g., if one uses 8-4 and one 9-5--overtime is owed for 4-5 pm).

    Sep 30, 2019

    The minimum wage is an hourly rate, not a rate per employer. Thus, the $30/hour is still very much above the new minimum wage. 

    Oct 2, 2019

  • Going rate for Nanny Share

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    Jun 19, 2017

    What is the going rate for a Nanny Share? I'm am told it can be upwards of $14 per child ! 

    Thank you

    Jun 19, 2017

    HI Diane,

    I'm new to the nanny share and the lowest I've seen is $11/hr per child, and the highest is $15/hr.   Depending on the share, you have to be prepared for paying for holidays (I have heard of between 8 and 11 per year), 2 weeks vacation (pretty standard), and sick days (I've heard of between 5-8 days per year).

    Some do it above table, some under the table. It took me a long time to find a share based on price, location, time, age of other child, etc.  It's a process.

    Good luck with your search. 

    Judy

    Jun 21, 2017

    Ours is $12.50/kid. (Oakland -- mostly 15 month olds -- might be more for newly-starting nanny shares?)

    Jun 21, 2017

    When we were looking for a nanny share, the most typical price I heard was $12/hour per child, ranging from $11 to $13.

    Jun 21, 2017

    We pay $14/hr per child (this is for an infant, less than 6 months old, so we wanted an experienced nanny and this one is) in Walnut Creek. I've heard anything from $11-14 per kid. I would think if the nanny is more experienced and/or is taking care of infants, it would be more on the higher end.  I think it is high but our nanny is worth is b/c she is very kind, experienced and reliable.  She does not work holidays (the expected ones like Memorial Day, July 4th, etc.) but that is to be expected.  

    Jul 2, 2017

  • Rate for new baby in share

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    Jan 4, 2017

    Hi. My daughter is in a nanny share with one other child from a different family. We each pay $12/hr so she makes a total of $24/hr for the two children. I would like my second child to join the share for a few months but I don't know what to increase the nannys pay to. I've heard $2 increase is standard (so I would pay $14/hr for my two kids). Any advice or experience is greatly appreciated!

    Jan 4, 2017

    I think the way you have to look at it is what's the *total* going rate for 3 children. Divide that by 3 and then you pay two parts and the other family pays one part. I'm out of the loop because it's been 15 years since my child graduated from nanny care.  But we did have two and then 3 kids in our share. 15 years ago it would be approx $18 for one child, $24 for 2, and $30 for 3. Something like that.  So if the nanny is caring for three children at once, the family with one child would pay $10, and the family with 2 would pay $20. Ask the nanny what her rate is for 3 children. Then you pay 2/3 of that.

    Caring for 2 toddlers plus an infant is much more demanding for the nanny than just the two toddlers she has now (I am guessing you and the other family each have a toddler). Another $2 an hour does not seem like fair compensation for the added workload involved to do infant care plus manage the other two.  Moreover, since adding in an infant will mean less attention for the two toddlers, the other family might feel they should pay less, now that there are 3 in the share.  They might prefer to find another situation where their child is one of only two children, not one of three including an infant.  Many families in this situation will just hire a new nanny to care for their toddler and infant, and pay the two-child rate.

    Jan 16, 2017

  • Nanny shares vs. day care: cost and how far in advance?

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    Sep 22, 2016

    Hello,

    I am a new mom trying to figure out what childcare we can afford for our daughter and also logistics. She won't need care until May 2017, and all of the "nanny available" postings on here are for nannies who are available immediately or a month from now. On the other hand, it seems that day cares are filling up for next spring already. If we decide to go the nanny share route, is there any way to "reserve" a spot with a nanny now, or should I wait until a month before I go back to work, and hope that I can find the right nanny? Then if we can't, would it be too late to get into a good day care?

    Also, has anyone done research recently into what a typical hourly rate is for nannies and nanny shares? I am currently visiting a lot of day cares which seem to range between $1100-$1800. I'm assuming nannies are more expensive.

    Any thoughts are much appreciated.

    Katie

    Sep 22, 2016

    I can't answer your question for nanny costs but if I were you I would search for a good daycare and reserve your spot. You can always cancel it a month or so out if need be. Daycares almost always have waiting lists so there will be a child that would fill your spot pretty quickly if you do back out. That would at least give you an option to fall back on if you can't find a nanny you like for your budget.

    Sep 28, 2016

    I almost joined a nanny share with two other families last month before we got a spot in a day care, and the nanny was asking $15/hour per child. I don't know how typical that is though. From looking around on BPN, most advertisements for families to join a nanny share don't say what the nanny charges, but I do think I saw one post where the nanny charged $12/hour per child. Hope that helps!

    Sep 28, 2016

    Hi! Currently doing some research on this and interviewing nannies and it looks like nanny shares to run anywhere between $24-$30/hour (for two babies), so about $12-$15/hour per family. From what I've found, they typically start becoming available a month or two in advance, so it's probably too early to look for May 2017 at this point. Though you might be able to find a current share situation where someone knows they are leaving a bit farther in advance?? 

    Hope that's helpful!

    Sep 28, 2016

    If you are looking for a daycare, you should get on a wait list now for when you need it in may. As for nannies you should look around now but keep in mind they won't necessarily be waiting for May to take the post. 

    Sep 28, 2016

    Typical nanny rates are between $20-$24 per hour. I am doing a nanny share and we are shooting for $22/hr, so $11/hr per family. It will end up being comparable to daycare. I would recommend looking for a nanny 1-3 months before you go back to work, but if you decide to go with a nanny share, you can always try to find the other family now and then start searching for the nanny closer to the time you will need her. If you are worried about not having your ducks in a row, you can always get on the wait list for a daycare (some will charge a fee) and then if you end up using  a nanny, you don't need to move forward with it. It is an additional cost, but you have to keep in mind that unless the daycare has some sort of "barrier to entry" to be on the waitlist, anyone could just put their name on there and it would be that much harder to get a place. I wouldn't send, for example, $250 to reserve a place, but $50 or so is a small price to pay to keep your options open. I hope this helps!

    Sep 30, 2016

  • Nanny share - going rates, services for paying taxes and withholding

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    Jul 30, 2016

     We are currently exploring the possibility of setting up a nanny share and talking to potential partner families. If you are in this situation, and can provide advice on any of the following, it would be much appreciated:

    1) what are you paying for a two child nanny share, per child per hour?   Please specify net or gross!  

    2) What do people do about reporting income to state and federal authorities and also about withholding? Do most people simply pay the nanny gross wages (and pay the govt payroll (employer side) taxes) and leave it to the nanny to pay income tax, SDI, etc.? Or is it more common practice for the employer to handle all of these things for the nanny?

    3)  what service, if any, do you use to calculate employer side tax, and various deductions from nanny wages?   It looks like you can do this manually yourself, but it is fairly complicated.   I have heard good things about Care.com, but is more expensive, and I've also read that Sure Payroll is very good but less expensive. 

    4) most of the information I've seen online concerns one household employer and one nanny. How do you handle all of this with two households paying one nanny's wages?

    5) any other hot tips or "things you wish you'd known" before you started this process would be much appreciated!

    Jul 30, 2016

    I would strongly encourage you to consult a tax attny.  But to give you some info/things to consider in case it's helpful:  We don't do a nanny share but pay our nanny over the table via Intuit's payroll service. It costs $22/month and I believe it's worth it--you plug in all the info and it calculates your taxes, populates the forms, sends reminders, etc. It also pays her via direct deposit.  I don't believe it's legal for you to expect her to pay the SDI, ETT, and not withhold CA state Income tax. The CA tax payments would be fairly straightforward to split as (I think) because it's really not that much money and you pay it either quarterly or at the end of the year, but it could get a bit more complex on the federal side when you file if one family is the employer and you both want to take advantage of federal childcare credits or want to list the childcare expenses on your return.  I personally would not be comfortable waiting until the end of the year to count on the other family to pony up their share of the outstanding federal taxes if we were the only one reported as the employer. I suppose you could work out an arrangement where monthly/quarterly the other family paid you their share of the withheld tax and employer-paid SS, etc. so that you don't have to worry about holding the bag on that when you file your federal return. 

    Aug 3, 2016