question about hourly rate + overtime

[Anonymous]

I know that nannies are supposed to get paid overtime for time worked over 40 hours/wk.

When people post hourly rates on here, are they the actual hourly wage or an average?

For example, for 50 hours a week at $20/hr, is it:
40(20) + 10(30) = $1100/wk

or an average like this:

50(20) = $1000/wk, which would break down to approximately 40(18.18) + 10(27.27)

[Anonymous]

Most people are posting the hourly wage pre-overtime. Not every nanny is working more than 40 hours a week.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you can or should assume one way or the other. WHen people are talking in generalities (e.g, talking about a reasonable rate) it often doesn't make that much of a difference. If you are discussing a specific rate with someone, it's imperative that you specify

[nannydebsays]

I believe most people, especially employers, talk in terms of "average" rate, which doesn't take OT into account. I think many employers of household workers truly don't know that their nanny is entitled to OT.

So, you need to ask people whether they have figured the weekly rate based on an hourly rate and OT or as an average rate.

Personally, I think many nannies don't truly care about hourly rates as long as they make what they want to make each week. BUT, once they do find out they are entitled to OT, things can get sticky as they discover their "hourly" isn't what they want it to be, and they often lose sight of the forest for the trees.

In an ideal world, everyone would quotes rates as hourly and OT, and nannies would never look at weekly rates, and so on, but that's not going to happen for a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think you can or should assume one way or the other. WHen people are talking in generalities (e.g, talking about a reasonable rate) it often doesn't make that much of a difference. If you are discussing a specific rate with someone, it's imperative that you specify

Agree with this completely. All that matters is what you and your employee agree upon, and that you are complying with the law. As a nanny, I have general rates for different kinds of jobs, and a weekly minimum I cannot afford to accept less than. For example, if my weekly minimum is $500, that doesn't mean I will watch 6 kids for 60 hours for that rate. I also don't find it acceptable to accept a crazy low base rate, just because you would like 60 hours in a week. I, rightly I think, expect to make a lot more money working 60 hours than 40.