Most nannies in DC get paid a fixed weekly sum for a fixed amount of hours, such as $1000 per week for 50 hours. Many nannies would think of that as a job paying $20 per hour with no overtime. Others would think of it as a job paying $18.18 per hour with an overtime rate of $27.27, for an average rate of $20 per hour. Of course, that view should be documented in a written work agreement.

As long as the nanny gets $27.27 for every hour worked in excess of the contracted 50 hours, there is nothing illegal or unethical about paying or getting paid an average hourly rate for a guaranteed number of hours in excess of 40 per week.

Wow... That's crazy! One of the interviews I went on, when I mentioned taxes, the woman actually said: "Can you handle that yourself?"

I've been a nanny in chicago for the past
25 years and have always been paid legally.

I'm a nanny in Chicago and almost every nanny I know is paid legally with overtime. Join Chicago Nanny Group.

I'm not breaking law. I pay my taxes. Thank you very much!

OT is federal law, and paying taxes is also the law.

17 x 50 = $850

(17 x 40) + (10 x 25.5) = $935

Generally, taxes (SS/Med, Fed, State) eat up about 25% of your gross pay.

850 - 25% = $637.50

935 - 25% = $701.25

So you need to decide whether you want to push your employers to fully follow payroll laws, and take home much less money per week, like all of us who pay taxes do, or whether you want to just keep quiet, continue to break the law along with your employers, and keep lots more money each week.

Oh, and the reason so many people in DC and the surrounding areas pay legally is because they have government jobs, and risk a serious S#!T storm if they defraud the government of taxes.

Yes, you should be getting overtime pay.
http://www.nationwideconsumerrights.com/wage-and-hour-overtime-violations.html
http://www.chicagoovertimelawyer.com/illinois-overtime-law.html

It's the law!! However, OT may vary state to state as does the minumum wage. Just know that employers are only required to pay the employer taxes (social security, medicare, etc). They are not required to deduct your personal income taxes, although this is probably preferred so you don't owe a bunch at the end of the year. You must get a W-2 and are not a 1099 employee.

Your bosses probably are requesting you be paid "off-the-books" so they can get away w/not having to pay you any overtime.

So shady to me.

I think it is a law in every State so you are more than entitled to it.

Do a little online research, then tell your families that you are entitled to such pay after 40 hours.

If they balk at this, then it is entirely up to you then to decide if you want to keep this job.

Good luck.

It's federal law.

From reading this forum it seems it's standard in the DC area to be paid overtime past 40 hours. Is this only in DC? I live in Chicago and in all my years of nannying have never been offered overtime. Not once! It's never been brought up in an interview, let alone offered by any job I've had. I currently work 50 hours a week in a nanny share at $17 an hour. Most jobs here don't do taxes either. I had trouble finding a job where the employer wanted to pay taxes so I ended taking one that doesn't with the caveat that when I file taxes at the end of the year, they'll pay the employer share.