Nanny basics - help a newbie out?

[Anonymous]

Sorry if this information is covered elsewhere (if so, perhaps you can direct me?). I have a newborn and am just starting to look into nanny / nanny share options for when I return to work in the fall. Can someone tell me generally what resources I should be using (agencies, listservs, etc.) and what the going rates would be for a nanny and a nanny share? I am a FTM so it's just the one infant, and I live in Columbia Heights if that makes a difference. I am only interested in someone who will work on the books. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

$18-25 an hour depending on what qualifications you want for a nanny.
Care.com has good resources for taxes.
Get a FEIN through the irs (employer tax id) You apply online and it's super easy.

[Anonymous]

Newborn rates start at $25/hr in DC. Little higher total compensation for nanny if it's a share. For older kids $20/hr is acceptable.

[Anonymous]

OP if you want someone with a degree who speaks English as a first language and has a drivers lic and their own car then you will pay at least $20 an hour.
If you just want someone to love your baby who is reliable and has good references and a few years experience you will find plenty of people in the $16-$18 range.

[Anonymous]

OP here: are the cited above rates gross or net? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

OP - you will need to spend some significant time reading various threads here, and also elsewhere. Try to find some newer moms in your neighborhood to talk to.

You will quickly see the fights that breakout here when talking about typical hourly rates etc... So this isn't exactly an unbiased, fully reliable source.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: are the cited above rates gross or net? Thanks!

$25 an hour straight cash. If you want to pay on the book make sure she walks away with at least $25 per hour after taxes.

[Anonymous]

Agree w immediate PP ... there are a few bad eggs on this board that insist newborn rates start at $25, and then conversely, a few bad eggs on the employer side that claim that rates start at $15. As you imagine, the truth lies in between ... certainly you can pay 25 or more, or 15 ... but those jobs tend to be the outliers. Shares you should note are a bit higher ... was speaking to one of our old nannies and she just landed a share job for $24/hour pre-taxes (she's not U.S. born, 25 plus years of experience, great references, no formal higher ed). FWIW, when we employed her a few years ago for one child, we paid ~$19. She was loving and fabulous ... I truly believe that degrees/U.S.-born/etc makes no difference for infant care so long as the caregiver can communicate well with the parents and speak/read/interact intelligently the child ...

[Anonymous]

Whoops, 22:20 here. Definitely do not agree with the immediate PP, meant the one prior to that post. There is no reason to pay $25 for one child (post taxes btw she claims!) unless you have some special needs that are difficult to meet (obscure language, baby with medical condition, weird/inconsistent hours, require housekeeping, etc). You could ... but there are so many great, loving infant nannies out there willing to work for less. Good luck with your search!

[Anonymous]

Start with what your budget is and then see if you can afford a nanny.
Those rates are gross. But you also have to pay 7-9% employer share of taxes.
At $18 an hour after taxes the nanny gets $14 or so which is not a lot. So go from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree w immediate PP ... there are a few bad eggs on this board that insist newborn rates start at $25, and then conversely, a few bad eggs on the employer side that claim that rates start at $15. As you imagine, the truth lies in between ... certainly you can pay 25 or more, or 15 ... but those jobs tend to be the outliers. Shares you should note are a bit higher ... was speaking to one of our old nannies and she just landed a share job for $24/hour pre-taxes (she's not U.S. born, 25 plus years of experience, great references, no formal higher ed). FWIW, when we employed her a few years ago for one child, we paid ~$19. She was loving and fabulous ... I truly believe that degrees/U.S.-born/etc makes no difference for infant care so long as the caregiver can communicate well with the parents and speak/read/interact intelligently the child ...

Thank you for agreeing with me. But you also made it sound like you did not agree with $25/hr in the body of your post. You are a little confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree w immediate PP ... there are a few bad eggs on this board that insist newborn rates start at $25, and then conversely, a few bad eggs on the employer side that claim that rates start at $15. As you imagine, the truth lies in between ... certainly you can pay 25 or more, or 15 ... but those jobs tend to be the outliers. Shares you should note are a bit higher ... was speaking to one of our old nannies and she just landed a share job for $24/hour pre-taxes (she's not U.S. born, 25 plus years of experience, great references, no formal higher ed). FWIW, when we employed her a few years ago for one child, we paid ~$19. She was loving and fabulous ... I truly believe that degrees/U.S.-born/etc makes no difference for infant care so long as the caregiver can communicate well with the parents and speak/read/interact intelligently the child ...

21:33 poster here - and I agree w/ this poster also (in both her posts).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree w immediate PP ... there are a few bad eggs on this board that insist newborn rates start at $25, and then conversely, a few bad eggs on the employer side that claim that rates start at $15. As you imagine, the truth lies in between ... certainly you can pay 25 or more, or 15 ... but those jobs tend to be the outliers. Shares you should note are a bit higher ... was speaking to one of our old nannies and she just landed a share job for $24/hour pre-taxes (she's not U.S. born, 25 plus years of experience, great references, no formal higher ed). FWIW, when we employed her a few years ago for one child, we paid ~$19. She was loving and fabulous ... I truly believe that degrees/U.S.-born/etc makes no difference for infant care so long as the caregiver can communicate well with the parents and speak/read/interact intelligently the child ...

Thank you for agreeing with me. But you also made it sound like you did not agree with $25/hr in the body of your post. You are a little confusing.

She wasn't agreeing with you. Read her next entry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start with what your budget is and then see if you can afford a nanny.
Those rates are gross. But you also have to pay 7-9% employer share of taxes.
At $18 an hour after taxes the nanny gets $14 or so which is not a lot. So go from there.

Too be fair, maybe this is a little skewed coming from a first time mom, but thats a lot more than any other job you can get without a college degree. And nannying is more enjoyable I'm sure and comes with lots of other perks you won't get from McDonalds.

[Anonymous]

Think about the things you need and which you can live without. Like you I live in DC so I specified that I didn't need a nanny who drove -- that opens up the pool a bit. I also didn't need or care about second languages. We pay 17/hour to a wonderful nanny with only one other family as experience prior to us, but that family was glowing. We'll give her a $1/hour raise per year, so she'll make 19 by the time she leaves if she stays until pre-k. Nannies will jump on this post that we're gambing with our baby's life and she's probably awful but the fact of the matter is she is wonderful and we are very happy. Be clear about what you're offering in your ad, think about what you can afford not just this year but as raises, and see if you like the candidates.