I don't think nannies need raises every year especially if it's a long term 3-10 years with the same nanny. But replacing a great nanny just because seems crazy. Children will get used to other caregivers and teachers in Gymboree classes, ballet, soccer, preschool from the age of 2-5 then elementary school. That is a lot of new people to get used to. Why take away a core person on their life just because.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

nannydebsays wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone. How much do you end up spending annually on your nanny (incl. taxes, etc)? This is one of my big worries.

OP, you need to come up with a list of "must have" "would be nice" and "not important" qualities your perfect nanny would have. If an early childhood education degree is a must have, you'll pay more. If it's not important you'll likely pay less.

Then you need to determine your childcare budget. If you want to keep a nanny for several years, be sure to start with an hourly rate low enough to allow for COL and performance raises each year. Nanny taxes for employers usually add about 10% to the nanny's yearly pay, so factor that in as well.

Let's say you can afford 32K per year for nanny care. That means you MUST have a share partner. You decide to leave room for raises/bonuses, and that means your max $$ toward nanny's wages is now 26K. Your tax obligations will be about $2600, leaving about $3400 for raises and bonuses through the year.

{If your budget is less than 24K, or 18K per year to nanny, that equals an hourly rate of $6.25 per share family. $12.50/hour for a share is not going to get you really good experienced candidates.}

Say you need a nanny 50 hours a week. That means you will be paying 10 hours of OT each week, since nannies are hourly workers. Your budget is $500/week, meaning you are able to afford $9/hour or less. With a share partner whose hourly needs match yours, you can find a nanny for $16 - $18/hour.

Then you advertise the job and evaluate the candidates you are getting. Are the best candidates checking off all of your "must have" items? Then you are able to afford a nanny of the quality you want. If candidates you see are NOT adequate, that means you will need to bump the hourly rate up a bit and see if quality improves.

OK advice, but I suggest one change. There is negligible benefit to keeping the same nanny for years, in fact I see it as a negative since it is best for your children to get used to multiple people and styles to prepare them for school and life. Instead of hiring a cheap nanny and training her over the years and paying her more and more you can just find a much better and experienced nanny now and skip the raises and bonuses and replace her every 1.5-2 years. That is what I have done for the last almost 8 years and I couldn't be happier.

Do you tell candidates up front that you will not be offering raises or bonuses?

No, that's honestly none of nannies business.

Anonymous wrote:

nannydebsays wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone. How much do you end up spending annually on your nanny (incl. taxes, etc)? This is one of my big worries.

OP, you need to come up with a list of "must have" "would be nice" and "not important" qualities your perfect nanny would have. If an early childhood education degree is a must have, you'll pay more. If it's not important you'll likely pay less.

Then you need to determine your childcare budget. If you want to keep a nanny for several years, be sure to start with an hourly rate low enough to allow for COL and performance raises each year. Nanny taxes for employers usually add about 10% to the nanny's yearly pay, so factor that in as well.

Let's say you can afford 32K per year for nanny care. That means you MUST have a share partner. You decide to leave room for raises/bonuses, and that means your max $$ toward nanny's wages is now 26K. Your tax obligations will be about $2600, leaving about $3400 for raises and bonuses through the year.

{If your budget is less than 24K, or 18K per year to nanny, that equals an hourly rate of $6.25 per share family. $12.50/hour for a share is not going to get you really good experienced candidates.}

Say you need a nanny 50 hours a week. That means you will be paying 10 hours of OT each week, since nannies are hourly workers. Your budget is $500/week, meaning you are able to afford $9/hour or less. With a share partner whose hourly needs match yours, you can find a nanny for $16 - $18/hour.

Then you advertise the job and evaluate the candidates you are getting. Are the best candidates checking off all of your "must have" items? Then you are able to afford a nanny of the quality you want. If candidates you see are NOT adequate, that means you will need to bump the hourly rate up a bit and see if quality improves.

OK advice, but I suggest one change. There is negligible benefit to keeping the same nanny for years, in fact I see it as a negative since it is best for your children to get used to multiple people and styles to prepare them for school and life. Instead of hiring a cheap nanny and training her over the years and paying her more and more you can just find a much better and experienced nanny now and skip the raises and bonuses and replace her every 1.5-2 years. That is what I have done for the last almost 8 years and I couldn't be happier.

Do you tell candidates up front that you will not be offering raises or bonuses?

nannydebsays wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone. How much do you end up spending annually on your nanny (incl. taxes, etc)? This is one of my big worries.

OP, you need to come up with a list of "must have" "would be nice" and "not important" qualities your perfect nanny would have. If an early childhood education degree is a must have, you'll pay more. If it's not important you'll likely pay less.

Then you need to determine your childcare budget. If you want to keep a nanny for several years, be sure to start with an hourly rate low enough to allow for COL and performance raises each year. Nanny taxes for employers usually add about 10% to the nanny's yearly pay, so factor that in as well.

Let's say you can afford 32K per year for nanny care. That means you MUST have a share partner. You decide to leave room for raises/bonuses, and that means your max $$ toward nanny's wages is now 26K. Your tax obligations will be about $2600, leaving about $3400 for raises and bonuses through the year.

{If your budget is less than 24K, or 18K per year to nanny, that equals an hourly rate of $6.25 per share family. $12.50/hour for a share is not going to get you really good experienced candidates.}

Say you need a nanny 50 hours a week. That means you will be paying 10 hours of OT each week, since nannies are hourly workers. Your budget is $500/week, meaning you are able to afford $9/hour or less. With a share partner whose hourly needs match yours, you can find a nanny for $16 - $18/hour.

Then you advertise the job and evaluate the candidates you are getting. Are the best candidates checking off all of your "must have" items? Then you are able to afford a nanny of the quality you want. If candidates you see are NOT adequate, that means you will need to bump the hourly rate up a bit and see if quality improves.

OK advice, but I suggest one change. There is negligible benefit to keeping the same nanny for years, in fact I see it as a negative since it is best for your children to get used to multiple people and styles to prepare them for school and life. Instead of hiring a cheap nanny and training her over the years and paying her more and more you can just find a much better and experienced nanny now and skip the raises and bonuses and replace her every 1.5-2 years. That is what I have done for the last almost 8 years and I couldn't be happier.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks everyone. How much do you end up spending annually on your nanny (incl. taxes, etc)? This is one of my big worries.

OP, you need to come up with a list of "must have" "would be nice" and "not important" qualities your perfect nanny would have. If an early childhood education degree is a must have, you'll pay more. If it's not important you'll likely pay less.

Then you need to determine your childcare budget. If you want to keep a nanny for several years, be sure to start with an hourly rate low enough to allow for COL and performance raises each year. Nanny taxes for employers usually add about 10% to the nanny's yearly pay, so factor that in as well.

Let's say you can afford 32K per year for nanny care. That means you MUST have a share partner. You decide to leave room for raises/bonuses, and that means your max $$ toward nanny's wages is now 26K. Your tax obligations will be about $2600, leaving about $3400 for raises and bonuses through the year.

{If your budget is less than 24K, or 18K per year to nanny, that equals an hourly rate of $6.25 per share family. $12.50/hour for a share is not going to get you really good experienced candidates.}

Say you need a nanny 50 hours a week. That means you will be paying 10 hours of OT each week, since nannies are hourly workers. Your budget is $500/week, meaning you are able to afford $9/hour or less. With a share partner whose hourly needs match yours, you can find a nanny for $16 - $18/hour.

Then you advertise the job and evaluate the candidates you are getting. Are the best candidates checking off all of your "must have" items? Then you are able to afford a nanny of the quality you want. If candidates you see are NOT adequate, that means you will need to bump the hourly rate up a bit and see if quality improves.

Op you decide how much you can afford. Then you find a nanny in that price range.

Shares in the DC area usually run $18-$22/hr altogether for both families with two same-aged children in the share. So, assuming you found someone with the same schedule, you would split the costs.

Overtime and tax laws apply.

Op annual cost is relative to the job you need done, your budget, and the nannies qualifications. I used a matrix I made myself to rank the factors that were most important then came up with a compensation package that was appropriate for my needs. If your budget is limited then that automatically cuts down on the qualifications you can reasonably request.

Flu isn't has important as whooping cough I would require all vaccines up to date but whooping cough would be non negotiable.

OP here, thanks everyone. How much do you end up spending annually on your nanny (incl. taxes, etc)? This is one of my big worries.

FWIW, I hired someone with zero "early childhood training." And nobody's ever gotten flu shots. I don't even get flu shots. Three years in and we're still with the same person.

Definitely require the flu shot. And CPR certification as well as first aid training.

Professional nannies will have all these requirements.

Don't require her to get a flu shot. Her body, her choice. Most people get them, but not everyone does and that's fine. They should be saved for babies and elderly anyway.

Other than that, there's a ton of websites out there that detail info your looking for.

Here's one: http://www.4nannytaxes.com/index.cfm/resources/nannyhousekeeper-faq-list/nanny-tax-simplification/

Sittercity and care.com also have this information.

People are always looking for share partners. I would start with your neighborhood listserv.

I currently have my son in daycare but I'm considering trying for a nanny or a nanny share. Is there one place (or can a few of you provide details) that outlines how to go about this process from beginning to end? How much will it cost an hour (I've seen a few posts about this) but ultimately, what will the total cost be for the entire year, including taxes and any other fees I don't know about? What contracts do you ask for? How do you set up tax payments? How do you find the best nanny? Do you require any early childhood training? Do you require that they show you proof of flu shots?

It's a little overwhelming and I don't know where to begin. More information: I have a 10 month old son and live in Old Town Alexandria, ideally looking for a nanny share with a similarly aged child in early 2015 where the kids are only at our house half the week, if at all (we live in a fairly small condo and I work from home half the week).

Any info would be much appreciated!!