Nanny Salary and True Cost to Parents

[Anonymous]

Recently there are a lot negative comments on nanny ads shaming parents who don't post $30 or more nanny hourly wages. It is unfortunate that this is discouraging parents to use this platform and the nanny section as its intended, which is bring families and nannies together.

First, the discussion about nanny "average" salaries. It's clear that based on publicly available data the current average nanny salary in the DC area is about $20-$25. Now wether this is a reasonable salary or not, is an entirely different discussion. Everyone in this economy is struggling, and it's effecting everyone. The reason this is the price is based on two factors.

One the demand for nannies are down after the pandemic as kids are back at school so there are more nannies available out there with less job offerings.

And Second which is more important is the "True" cost of a nanny to the parents.

For a parent to work and pay for a nanny's salary at $35, they would have to earn $55.2 just to offset what they pay a nanny!

That's because a parent has to earn an income, pay their federal and state taxes, then pay the nanny's wages and pay payroll tax for the nanny. Even though the parent is an employer, they are not allowed to deduct the nanny's salary as an expense on their tax returns as a company does, and they get doubled taxed.

So a nanny to make $35/hr, which makes nanny's salary at $73k, that means the parent has to earn $115k just to offset that nanny's salary!! That is if the parent keeps $0 of their earned income and pays ALL of their paycheck to the nanny. So unless the average wages increase, you will not see this price increase.

Many parents face this difficult calculation when they have kids. What is the break even number? and is it worth it to go back to work or is it better for one parent to stay home? here are the break even numbers:

Nanny wages of $20 costs parents earned income of $28.5 or $60k full time salary
$25 costs $37.3/hr or $78k Salary
$30 costs $46.2 or $96k salary
$35 costs $55.2 or $115k salary

Even at $20/hr, the parent has to earn $60k a year just to break even! So the true cost of a nanny earning $20 to the parent is a salary of $60k.

Based on this data, $20-$25 is where a nanny's salary would be on average until all incomes significantly increase and tax brackets change. Or if nanny's wages were to become tax deductible, then the true cost of hiring a nanny would be their wages and payroll taxes, which would allow more families to hire a nanny.

There was a period during the pandemic when there was a shortage of nannies and everyone needed a nanny in the area because kids were home and the demand might have increased the wages short term. But life is back to normal, and the low number of ads on this site indicates that the offering of a job on itself is valuable both to families and the potential nannies.

Please don't clutter the ads with negative income related replies. Allow parents to feel safe to post ads, as surely there are many wonderful nannies who appreciate and need the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Noone making 60k a year would be even thinking of having a household employee. And it is ok. There are day cares out there. You do not have to hire a nanny at all. $20 per hr is insulting.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate all the time that went into figuring out those numbers and the true cost of employing a nanny.

Having a nanny is a luxury, and one we can only afford because we're a two income household and both of us have well established careers and good salaries. Our primary expenses are nanny, mortgage, and savings (college and retirement) - in that order of magnitude.

We can't afford a nanny at $35/hr (for 50 hours a week) but have been able to have wonderful nannies (3) for the past 12 years, starting at hourly rates of $18-20 and increasing over time to about $26/hr. I think there's a range of nannies, a range of families, a range of benefits/working conditions, and a range of salaries. Info often gets skewed here in all kinds of ways.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone can do daycare, I have a child with a severe lung condition and daycare is off the table. A simple cold to you puts her in the hospital for 2weeks at a time. For me to work to cover her care and living expenses a nanny is the best option.

[Anonymous]

All I have to say is INFLATION INFLATION INFLATION. You parents want to pay Pennie’s and want us Nannies to do everything and let’s not even get into how hard it is to take a day off if YOUR child get us sick. Then let’s also not talk about how we do all the chores that you are incapable of doing without complaining and your here to protest what we as for as compensation???? Horrible privileged people Nannie’s aren’t as quiet as they used to be in the 90s and early 2000s the new aged Nannies are standing up for themselves. If you don’t want to pay us our worth TAKE YOUR CHILD TO DAY CARE OR STAY HOME AND CARE FOR YOUR BABY YOURSELF. The cost of living is sky high we do what we do without any complaints and you naggy moms nothings never good enough. The nerve of all of you! I SAID WHAT I SAID AND I HAVE TIME TODAY.

[Anonymous]

We are tired we work hard for your families and most of us don’t even get a raise or a bonus. Instead we are left to feel unappreciated. I charge 22-25 per hour but I have been a nanny for over 15 years. You want to feel safe to talk about us but we can’t say freely how you parents make us feel. It is not right! We are human beings, mothers too we care for your children we do your laundry we do your dishes it’s a lot and no complain. Why you complain about us?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are tired we work hard for your families and most of us don’t even get a raise or a bonus. Instead we are left to feel unappreciated. I charge 22-25 per hour but I have been a nanny for over 15 years. You want to feel safe to talk about us but we can’t say freely how you parents make us feel. It is not right! We are human beings, mothers too we care for your children we do your laundry we do your dishes it’s a lot and no complain. Why you complain about us?

Most jobs don't pay raises or bonuses. In fact, even with inflation my spouses salary was just greatly reduced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recently there are a lot negative comments on nanny ads shaming parents who don't post $30 or more nanny hourly wages. It is unfortunate that this is discouraging parents to use this platform and the nanny section as its intended, which is bring families and nannies together.

First, the discussion about nanny "average" salaries. It's clear that based on publicly available data the current average nanny salary in the DC area is about $20-$25. Now wether this is a reasonable salary or not, is an entirely different discussion. Everyone in this economy is struggling, and it's effecting everyone. The reason this is the price is based on two factors.

One the demand for nannies are down after the pandemic as kids are back at school so there are more nannies available out there with less job offerings.

And Second which is more important is the "True" cost of a nanny to the parents.

For a parent to work and pay for a nanny's salary at $35, they would have to earn $55.2 just to offset what they pay a nanny!

That's because a parent has to earn an income, pay their federal and state taxes, then pay the nanny's wages and pay payroll tax for the nanny. Even though the parent is an employer, they are not allowed to deduct the nanny's salary as an expense on their tax returns as a company does, and they get doubled taxed.

So a nanny to make $35/hr, which makes nanny's salary at $73k, that means the parent has to earn $115k just to offset that nanny's salary!! That is if the parent keeps $0 of their earned income and pays ALL of their paycheck to the nanny. So unless the average wages increase, you will not see this price increase.

Many parents face this difficult calculation when they have kids. What is the break even number? and is it worth it to go back to work or is it better for one parent to stay home? here are the break even numbers:

Nanny wages of $20 costs parents earned income of $28.5 or $60k full time salary
$25 costs $37.3/hr or $78k Salary
$30 costs $46.2 or $96k salary
$35 costs $55.2 or $115k salary

Even at $20/hr, the parent has to earn $60k a year just to break even! So the true cost of a nanny earning $20 to the parent is a salary of $60k.

Based on this data, $20-$25 is where a nanny's salary would be on average until all incomes significantly increase and tax brackets change. Or if nanny's wages were to become tax deductible, then the true cost of hiring a nanny would be their wages and payroll taxes, which would allow more families to hire a nanny.

There was a period during the pandemic when there was a shortage of nannies and everyone needed a nanny in the area because kids were home and the demand might have increased the wages short term. But life is back to normal, and the low number of ads on this site indicates that the offering of a job on itself is valuable both to families and the potential nannies.

Please don't clutter the ads with negative income related replies. Allow parents to feel safe to post ads, as surely there are many wonderful nannies who appreciate and need the opportunity.

Nobody forced you to have children and nobody forced you to work outside the home. You could live within your means and be a SAHM.

[Anonymous]

My DH is a teacher and I am a nurse. We both make in the 80s. He works days (about 7a-3p) and I work (about 7p-7a); 3 days a week but it also includes Saturdays or Sundays. So i get a lot of "home" time.

We have only needed occasional babysitters to fill the gaps, even during the pandemic.

You and your partner need to get creative and not take 9-5 type jobs.

$25-30/hr for a nanny would not be in our budget. And, we want to raise our own kids.

[Anonymous]

There are more than 1.1 Million nannies currently working in the US. That means 1.1 Million jobs in the US are dependent on parents' investment in hiring a nanny. So 1.1 Million US households are currently providing employment to a nanny.

This means that hiring a nanny is not something that only the elite can afford.

Just like any other profession there are some nannies that have the qualifications to make more. But at 1.1 million employments, it seems that there must be enough accessibility that people who are upper middle income are also hiring nannies.

Families in the US hire nannies out of necessity so they can continue to work. it's not like Dubai where most women don't work but they still have a nanny, as the average salary is similar to the US, but the average nanny salary is $700/month.

This narrative that if you can't pay $30 then you shouldn't hire a nanny, basically means that the 1.1 Million jobs should be mostly eliminated. So a few who work for the elite can make a higher income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH is a teacher and I am a nurse. We both make in the 80s. He works days (about 7a-3p) and I work (about 7p-7a); 3 days a week but it also includes Saturdays or Sundays. So i get a lot of "home" time.

We have only needed occasional babysitters to fill the gaps, even during the pandemic.

You and your partner need to get creative and not take 9-5 type jobs.

$25-30/hr for a nanny would not be in
our budget. And, we want to raise our own kids.

Most sensible honest response and as a nanny I fully respect this answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recently there are a lot negative comments on nanny ads shaming parents who don't post $30 or more nanny hourly wages. It is unfortunate that this is discouraging parents to use this platform and the nanny section as its intended, which is bring families and nannies together.

First, the discussion about nanny "average" salaries. It's clear that based on publicly available data the current average nanny salary in the DC area is about $20-$25. Now wether this is a reasonable salary or not, is an entirely different discussion. Everyone in this economy is struggling, and it's effecting everyone. The reason this is the price is based on two factors.

One the demand for nannies are down after the pandemic as kids are back at school so there are more nannies available out there with less job offerings.

And Second which is more important is the "True" cost of a nanny to the parents.

For a parent to work and pay for a nanny's salary at $35, they would have to earn $55.2 just to offset what they pay a nanny!

Thanks for putting this together. Having a professional Nanny and Family Assistant is a luxe, for sure and not all families can afford the cost of having a well seasoned caregiver. As an experienced Nanny that has been placed with agencies, I would NOT be taking anything less than $35 hourly as the cost of living in the DMV is very high. You can hire a nanny through care.com or DCUM and perhaps pay less. I assure you if nanny finds other position with higher paid, they’d quit. Who wouldn’t?! Also, most parents/families that hired through an agency are high earners with demanding jobs and or wealthy/trust fund folks(lots of them in the area.) If you can’t afford to offer a decent salary to the caregiver/nanny, then enroll your child in a Daycare setting.

That's because a parent has to earn an income, pay their federal and state taxes, then pay the nanny's wages and pay payroll tax for the nanny. Even though the parent is an employer, they are not allowed to deduct the nanny's salary as an expense on their tax returns as a company does, and they get doubled taxed.

So a nanny to make $35/hr, which makes nanny's salary at $73k, that means the parent has to earn $115k just to offset that nanny's salary!! That is if the parent keeps $0 of their earned income and pays ALL of their paycheck to the nanny. So unless the average wages increase, you will not see this price increase.

Many parents face this difficult calculation when they have kids. What is the break even number? and is it worth it to go back to work or is it better for one parent to stay home? here are the break even numbers:

Nanny wages of $20 costs parents earned income of $28.5 or $60k full time salary
$25 costs $37.3/hr or $78k Salary
$30 costs $46.2 or $96k salary
$35 costs $55.2 or $115k salary

Even at $20/hr, the parent has to earn $60k a year just to break even! So the true cost of a nanny earning $20 to the parent is a salary of $60k.

Based on this data, $20-$25 is where a nanny's salary would be on average until all incomes significantly increase and tax brackets change. Or if nanny's wages were to become tax deductible, then the true cost of hiring a nanny would be their wages and payroll taxes, which would allow more families to hire a nanny.

There was a period during the pandemic when there was a shortage of nannies and everyone needed a nanny in the area because kids were home and the demand might have increased the wages short term. But life is back to normal, and the low number of ads on this site indicates that the offering of a job on itself is valuable both to families and the potential nannies.

Please don't clutter the ads with negative income related replies. Allow parents to feel safe to post ads, as surely there are many wonderful nannies who appreciate and need the opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recently there are a lot negative comments on nanny ads shaming parents who don't post $30 or more nanny hourly wages. It is unfortunate that this is discouraging parents to use this platform and the nanny section as its intended, which is bring families and nannies together.

First, the discussion about nanny "average" salaries. It's clear that based on publicly available data the current average nanny salary in the DC area is about $20-$25. Now wether this is a reasonable salary or not, is an entirely different discussion. Everyone in this economy is struggling, and it's effecting everyone. The reason this is the price is based on two factors.

One the demand for nannies are down after the pandemic as kids are back at school so there are more nannies available out there with less job offerings.

And Second which is more important is the "True" cost of a nanny to the parents.

For a parent to work and pay for a nanny's salary at $35, they would have to earn $55.2 just to offset what they pay a nanny!

That's because a parent has to earn an income, pay their federal and state taxes, then pay the nanny's wages and pay payroll tax for the nanny. Even though the parent is an employer, they are not allowed to deduct the nanny's salary as an expense on their tax returns as a company does, and they get doubled taxed.

So a nanny to make $35/hr, which makes nanny's salary at $73k, that means the parent has to earn $115k just to offset that nanny's salary!! That is if the parent keeps $0 of their earned income and pays ALL of their paycheck to the nanny. So unless the average wages increase, you will not see this price increase.

Many parents face this difficult calculation when they have kids. What is the break even number? and is it worth it to go back to work or is it better for one parent to stay home? here are the break even numbers:

Nanny wages of $20 costs parents earned income of $28.5 or $60k full time salary
$25 costs $37.3/hr or $78k Salary
$30 costs $46.2 or $96k salary
$35 costs $55.2 or $115k salary

Even at $20/hr, the parent has to earn $60k a year just to break even! So the true cost of a nanny earning $20 to the parent is a salary of $60k.

Based on this data, $20-$25 is where a nanny's salary would be on average until all incomes significantly increase and tax brackets change. Or if nanny's wages were to become tax deductible, then the true cost of hiring a nanny would be their wages and payroll taxes, which would allow more families to hire a nanny.

There was a period during the pandemic when there was a shortage of nannies and everyone needed a nanny in the area because kids were home and the demand might have increased the wages short term. But life is back to normal, and the low number of ads on this site indicates that the offering of a job on itself is valuable both to families and the potential nannies.

Please don't clutter the ads with negative income related replies. Allow parents to feel safe to post ads, as surely there are many wonderful nannies who appreciate and need the opportunity.





Are you aware that some people are high earners and can offer a decent pay ? If you can’t afford a nanny just enroll the child in a daycare. Yes nannies do earn $35 hourly, most nannies that earn 75k plus are placed through well known agencies, just do your research. Not everyone can afford a nanny, life is expensive, everything is.

[Anonymous]

Out of the 1.1 million nannies in this country, the average makes around $19. In this area it’s $22. There are some outliers making less and more but that’s not the average.

The demand and data dictate the real value, not just because of you wanting higher wages.

We need to stop telling parents to eliminate a job offering if they don’t pay more! With this analogy out of the 1.1 million jobs, 1 million should be eliminates and only the top 10% of rates should stay!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Out of the 1.1 million nannies in this country, the average makes around $19. In this area it’s $22. There are some outliers making less and more but that’s not the average.

The demand and data dictate the real value, not just because of you wanting higher wages.

We need to stop telling parents to eliminate a job offering if they don’t pay more! With this analogy out of the 1.1 million jobs, 1 million should be eliminates and only the top 10% of rates should stay!!

This. It's shocking to me how entitled some people are to demand that jobs for other people be eliminated because they think the pay is beneath them. Not every nanny is a $30/hour nanny (or up). Some people don't have the skills or the experience and the appropriate rate for them is lower. Some jobs are cushier than others, and people are happy to take them at a lower rate.

It's obvious why rates shot up during Covid and why they are now settling to normal.