Going rate for after-school babysitter in Bethesda

[Anonymous]

We are moving from out of state and I'm starting the process on care.com of finding an after-school babysitter for 3 kids, 11 year old boy, 8 year old girl, 5.5 year old girl (6th, 3rd, and K).

In suburban NJ (high cost of living area) we pay our babysitter $17.50 an hour off the books for picking them up from camp/school and taking care of them until one of us gets home, usually 3 1/2 hours each workday. She will make them snacks, take them to playdates and the library, etc. We pay mileage if she drives them somewhere like to the zoo that's not within the fairly limited radius of camp/school and home. She helps with laundry folding/supervising kids putting away their own laundry, but otherwise doesn't do laundry or housework.

We are definitely going on the books with whoever we hire next. What would a reasonable on-the-books hourly rate be for a similar position here?

TIA!

[Anonymous]

$20-25/hr on the books.

[Anonymous]

$16 for very little experience - $23/25 for someone with 10+ years expierence

[Anonymous]

$16-$18/hr, on the books. $20 at the absolute max if you have her taking to kids to different activities...like, one to the library and another to sports practice and the third somewhere else. That's a lot of extra driving.