What to pay nanny while we are on vacation

[Anonymous]

I looked this up but all I could find were very old threads, and the rates may be higher these days. We're leaving our children for a four-day vacation this summer and our family child care fell through, so we will have to leave them with our nanny for the whole trip. She's already being paid her standard salary for the daytime, but we need to figure out what to pay her for the four overnights and the two days that are weekend days. Do most people pay a flat fee for the overnights? Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Anonymous]

I would pay $100 per night, and pay the hourly rate for all the awake hours (not what hours the kids SHOULD be asleep but the hours they are actually awake).

If this creates overtime, pay it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would pay $100 per night, and pay the hourly rate for all the awake hours (not what hours the kids SHOULD be asleep but the hours they are actually awake).

If this creates overtime, pay it.

ditto. $100 is for a 10-12hr night, depending on if kids sleep 7-7 or 9-7.

[Anonymous]

OT for the weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I looked this up but all I could find were very old threads, and the rates may be higher these days. We're leaving our children for a four-day vacation this summer and our family child care fell through, so we will have to leave them with our nanny for the whole trip. She's already being paid her standard salary for the daytime, but we need to figure out what to pay her for the four overnights and the two days that are weekend days. Do most people pay a flat fee for the overnights? Thanks in advance for the advice.

Ages of children?

[Anonymous]

We pay $75/night, and overtime rates for all waking hours (presuming 40 hrs will already have been worked.)

I usually give an extra day or two off also, as I think everyone needs a break after working through a weekend.

It's expensive.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all! Kids are 6 and 4.

So when you say overtime for the weekend, you mean time and a half, hourly, for every hour of the weekend? Not sure what that means exactly.

And to the $75/overnight poster....so that would be overtime (time and a half) for the waking hours beyond her normal work day, and then $75 total flat payment for the sleeping hours?

Thanks for helping me sort this out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all! Kids are 6 and 4.

So when you say overtime for the weekend, you mean time and a half, hourly, for every hour of the weekend? Not sure what that means exactly.

And to the $75/overnight poster....so that would be overtime (time and a half) for the waking hours beyond her normal work day, and then $75 total flat payment for the sleeping hours?

Thanks for helping me sort this out.

I'm the $75/night person. Here is what we do (based on a weekend away we did last year.)

Our nanny works a 50 hr week - M-F, 8-6pm. We went away for a long weekend (3 nights). We paid her regular salary = via direct deposit, for both weeks. In addition, we paid her $225 for hte nights (3 nights) and then her overtime rate for 3 hrs on Friday night (through 9 pm, a VERY outside margin for when the kids would be long since asleep), 14 hours on Saturday, and 14 hours on Sunday. So that was 31 hours at overtime rates, in addition to the overnight flat rate. We also gave her the day after off as a bonus vacation day (fully paid of course.)

All told it came to a little under a thousand dollars in cost and an extra day of vacation time used for us to cover the time off we gave her. We paid her those monies by check, and didn't report it as income, so that isn't necessarily ok w/ everyone but it's a risk we were ok with taking, and it certainly meant she pocketed much more of the income. She was very happy for the extra income, the kids were well cared for and we got a nice long weekend.

[Anonymous]

This is so helpful. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

All waking hours are paid, usually an additional hour to account for cleanup and overtime applies when nanny is over 40 hours. $75-100 per night I would base that off of what she requests as well as if she is going to be away from anyone at home, but that's just me.

[Anonymous]

You ask need what she charges for overnight. Staying overnighting a huge inconvenience to her and it doesn't matter of kids are asleep.

[Anonymous]

Don't ask her. Do the math as outlined above, write down your calculations, and tell her what she will earn.

Jane, thanks so much for being willing to watch the kids this long weekend. You'll be paid your regular wages for this work week, plus:

Th: OT ($24/hr) from 6p -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours of 9p - 6a = $172

F: OT from 6a - 8a, OT from 6p -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours = $220

Sa: OT from 6a -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours =$460

Su: OT from 6a - 4p, when we arrive home. If we are delayed getting home, you wil continue to earn your OT rate until we return home. If we are delayed and return home after 9 pm, you are welcome to stay here, and you will earn your sleeping hours rate, plus a $150 inconvenience fee. Minimum wages will be $240

You will earn at least $1092 for the weekend.

We plan to leave you $250 in expenses money, plus an emergency gift card loaded with $1000.

In addition, we want you to take the Friday after we return off with pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't ask her. Do the math as outlined above, write down your calculations, and tell her what she will earn.

Jane, thanks so much for being willing to watch the kids this long weekend. You'll be paid your regular wages for this work week, plus:

Th: OT ($24/hr) from 6p -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours of 9p - 6a = $172

F: OT from 6a - 8a, OT from 6p -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours = $220

Sa: OT from 6a -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours =$460

Su: OT from 6a - 4p, when we arrive home. If we are delayed getting home, you wil continue to earn your OT rate until we return home. If we are delayed and return home after 9 pm, you are welcome to stay here, and you will earn your sleeping hours rate, plus a $150 inconvenience fee. Minimum wages will be $240

You will earn at least $1092 for the weekend.

We plan to leave you $250 in expenses money, plus an emergency gift card loaded with $1000.

In addition, we want you to take the Friday after we return off with pay.

$1000 for an overnight babysitter is ridiculous. The kids are 4 & 6. If you people like paying outrageous rates for Mary Poppins go ahead, but someone to make cereal and mac and cheese and go to the park and put in some movies is not worth $1000 for 4 days, in addition to whatever her regular salary is!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't ask her. Do the math as outlined above, write down your calculations, and tell her what she will earn.

Jane, thanks so much for being willing to watch the kids this long weekend. You'll be paid your regular wages for this work week, plus:

Th: OT ($24/hr) from 6p -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours of 9p - 6a = $172

F: OT from 6a - 8a, OT from 6p -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours = $220

Sa: OT from 6a -9p, and $100 for sleeping hours =$460

Su: OT from 6a - 4p, when we arrive home. If we are delayed getting home, you wil continue to earn your OT rate until we return home. If we are delayed and return home after 9 pm, you are welcome to stay here, and you will earn your sleeping hours rate, plus a $150 inconvenience fee. Minimum wages will be $240

You will earn at least $1092 for the weekend.

We plan to leave you $250 in expenses money, plus an emergency gift card loaded with $1000.

In addition, we want you to take the Friday after we return off with pay.

$1000 for an overnight babysitter is ridiculous. The kids are 4 & 6. If you people like paying outrageous rates for Mary Poppins go ahead, but someone to make cereal and mac and cheese and go to the park and put in some movies is not worth $1000 for 4 days, in addition to whatever her regular salary is!

Junk food and TV? Wow. So grateful my employer's expectations are so much higher than that.

This just goes to show how you get what you pay for.