OP again. Thanks for the input.

We had a nanny blackmail us before and after her first year gave her a 10% raise and she sucked and was horrible and is also a bad and unsafe driver.

This woman is wonderful and I feel grateful she's in our lives. While 10% might be "crazy high" we are doing it anyway.

I think there's a lot of fiction about what nannies are paid so I'll share that we hired her at 16/hr in ARL for one child full-time. 40-hours a week. I have a second child and I'd say about 1 hour a day are 2-child times (other in preschool full-time). She also does all their laundry but is contracted to do no other housework.

Raises are earned. "Building good will" is code for nanny blackmail.

I disagree with most posters - a 10% raise is perfect for the first year of service. You are building goodwill and showing your nanny that you appreciate her hard work.

6-10% is very high raise in the nanny world and elsewhere (where a 10% raise is due to a promotion, not annual basis).

We gave $1ph raise ( the first year and with second child, but then made it up other ways lest she be priced out.

Nanny poster.

1. Write up all your changes in the work agreement. You can present them when you have your review with her.

2. 10% is more than fair for a raise.

3. For this year handle PTO days as you agreed upon.

4. From my experience most of my employers do not rollover PTO.

I have had some roll it over. What has been most common is for each year of work I gain more PTO time.

5. Nannyversarys are not needed in my view and not very professional. Thank her. If you must give her something a thank you note is more than enough. No other gifts are needed. The 10% raise is reward enough.

6. A weeks bonus is enough of a bonus.

MB here and I agree with this nanny, with the only exception being #2. I think a 10% raise is crazy and too high.

Would she be interested in driving lessons? Would you be interested in a nanny who drives? I know I couldn't function without one!

We do roll over PTO, but I work from home, so it's reasonably easy to accommodate no days off last year and then 15 days off this year. If you can't possibly accommodate more days off than you already have (1 week her choice and whatever your sick day policy is if I understand you correctly), then pay out last year's days and have them start over. Also, they should pay out at the old rate.

This also avoids confusion if her hours should change and therefore the number of hours in a "day" of PTO changes over time.

You should teach her to drive.

Nanny poster.

1. Write up all your changes in the work agreement. You can present them when you have your review with her.

2. 10% is more than fair for a raise.

3. For this year handle PTO days as you agreed upon.

4. From my experience most of my employers do not rollover PTO.

I have had some roll it over. What has been most common is for each year of work I gain more PTO time.

5. Nannyversarys are not needed in my view and not very professional. Thank her. If you must give her something a thank you note is more than enough. No other gifts are needed. The 10% raise is reward enough.

6. A weeks bonus is enough of a bonus.

We are raising Nanny's hourly rate by 10% (because she rocks) and the only part that is necessary to change are the PTO dates since she gets off b/c we all get most but not all Fed holidays. We also know when our vacations will be next year and even though she's paid, we like to tell her in advance when they are so she can plan her time off. Can I just do that as a letter or should I do it as a work agreement addendum?

Is a pay raise after 1-year for a (nearly) perfect nanny 10% excellent, good, fair, or poor? She started at a "good" hourly rate; mostly b/c she doesn't drive.

She hasn't taken any of her nanny choice days off either. I'd like to pay those out rather than her take them. She's contracted to have one week nanny choice PTO but since we take 4 weeks of vacation, and she's paid for it all, I think she thinks the other PTO is unnecessary and somehow she doesn't get sick. We "owe" her a full week. Should we pay it out now, at the end of her first year with us, or let them float for the second year (so if she does get sick or needs a longer personal vacation she will be paid. if I do B, should i mention it in the letter? I fully intend to pay out her unused PTO when we part ways,just wondering how I should do it.

Finally, her "nannyversary" and the holiday bonus fall at the same time. I was thinking one week bonus. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.