Live-In Nannies: Everything You Need to Know

Deciding to hire a nanny is a large responsibility. Opting for a live-in nanny requires a bit more planning and research. Parents often have many misconceptions when it comes to a live-in nanny, which we will cover here and give you a few tips on how to prepare the quarters for your live-in nanny.

Wages for Live-In Nannies

There is a misconception in regard to live-in nannies and wages. Some families often believe that exchanging nanny services for room and board is an equal trade; it is not.

Legally, a family is responsible for providing their nanny with a proper wage even if they are also providing them with room and board. Also, nanny wages can be no less than the minimum wage in the residing state.

However, if offering significant amenities, such as freedom of the household and usage of household items, a different wage can be agreed upon and even considered a stipend. This can lead to extra expenses down the line. But you can help to offset those expenses in our consideration section.

Some families also have the huge misconception that live-in nannies are on call 24/7. They are not. In fact, nannies are legally awarded two days off per week just as they would if they were working any other job.

Nannies are also to be provided with a fixed working schedule in advance each week, and working schedules should consist of one 8-9 hour shift per day.

Tip: If you're looking for 24/7 nanny services, you'll have to hire 3 separate nannies to work the 3 shifts within a 24 hour period.

Keep in mind that live-in nannies are not considered "occasional" childcare providers. This means that you must arrange for taxes to be paid on their wages as well.

Live-In Quarters

Live-in nannies are to be provided separate quarters as their living space. Families should have a separate area with a bedroom and a bathroom designated for the nanny, which no other member of the family can use or access. Households with two master bedrooms are great floor plans for families looking for a live-in nanny.

Alternately, if your home does not possess a bedroom with a built-in bathroom, you can simply designate a bathroom for the nanny that is closest to their bedroom.

Suggestion: In older norteastern homes, specifically like those in Pittsburgh, it is common to see a guest bedroom with a built-in, full-size staircase leading to a large, spacious attic. These attics usually feature the same height of any other floor in the house, making it quite comfortable to walk around in. They are often already finished and look just like an additional level. You can furnish the attic, making it full living space for the nanny, with their bedroom downstairs in the original guest room. This option provides adequate space to live, sleep, and be comfortable.

What Should Live-In Nanny Rooms Have?

Live-in nannies are to be given similar amenities as the rest of the household. Their rooms should include:

A television
Access to the internet
A furnished bedroom set
Running hot water in their bathroom facilities
Working utilities in their living space
A private refrigerator or the ability to store food in the family fridge

Considerations

Hiring a live-in nanny can become expensive, especially when you must provide them with comfortable amenities and options. You can offset some of these costs by making the nanny responsible for some bills.

Bill Sharing

Express the need in your ad for a nanny that already owns her own bedroom set. When they move, they can just bring it with them. In terms of internet and television service, you can stipulate that the nanny must be responsible for their own cable TV, telephone, and internet services. Arrangements can also be made for the nanny to help out with some of the utilities that they will be using while they are living in the home. Assign them a percentage of the electric, water, sewer, and gas bill; a percentage can be substituted for a flat monthly payment.

You can also stipulate that the nanny is to be responsible for purchasing their own bedding, towels, toiletries, and food; if they will be responsible for buying their own food, you should offer a mini fridge of some sort in their living quarters.

We will have another installment on hiring live-in nannies in a few days, our next installment will cover contracts with nannies, stipulations, more consideration, and how to avoid being scammed and taken advantage of. We will also cover the fair treatment of nannies.

This article was originally written by C.J. Leger for The Mother's Diary.