How much does a nanny cost? Rates by state and nanny share math

A full-time nanny costs about $870 a week, or roughly $21.75 an hour for one child, based on the rates parents posted in Care.com's 2026 Cost of Care report ^[1]. Nannies themselves reported a median of $25 an hour in the International Nanny Association's 2022 survey ^[2]. Over a year, that's about $45,000 to $52,000 in wages for a 40-hour week.

If you hire a nanny directly, you're their employer. Once you pay $3,000 or more in cash wages in 2026, you also owe Social Security and Medicare tax, and usually unemployment tax ^[8]. Budget about 8% on top of wages, plus any overtime, paid time off and raises.

How much does a nanny cost?

The weekly and yearly columns are our math at 40 hours a week. The Care.com report's $870 figure assumes 40 hours for one child, and it's up 5% from $827 the year before ^[1]. The national averages from Care.com's cost pages are based on rates that caregivers listed on the site ^[3].

Local rates can run much higher. In Brooklyn, the average starting rate on Care.com was $25.21 an hour in October 2026, against $22.22 nationally ^[3]. The INA survey found nanny pay highest on the coasts, naming California, Washington, New York, Maryland and Massachusetts ^[2]. More experience and more education also meant higher pay ^[2].

Nanny pay by state

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wages for childcare workers in every state. These are May 2025 figures, the latest available ^[4].

One caveat matters a lot here. BLS counts childcare workers employed by daycares, schools and other businesses. It doesn't survey private households, so most nannies hired directly by families aren't in these numbers ^[5]. Treat this as a local floor. Nationally, the BLS median was $16.82 an hour ^[4], well below the $22.22 average starting nanny rate on Care.com ^[3].

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 39-9011 ^[4]. The median is the midpoint: half of workers earn more and half earn less ^[5].

The "top 10%" column is a useful gut check. An experienced, full-time nanny is often closer to that end of the local range than to the median.

Nanny share: how the math works

In a nanny share, two families hire one nanny together and split the cost. Care.com's rule of thumb is that each family pays about two-thirds of what it would pay for its own nanny ^[6]. The nanny cares for more kids and earns about a third more in total ^[6].

Here's what that looks like at Care.com's October 2026 national starting rate of $22.22 an hour ^[3]:

That saves each family about $15,400 a year in wages. Splits vary: an expert quoted by Care.com said families typically pay 25% to 35% less than a solo rate, and some nannies now ask for up to 75% of their usual rate from each family ^[6].

Each family is its own employer. The IRS treats each family as a separate household employer, even if the care happens in one home ^[7]. Each family registers for its own federal and state tax ID numbers and withholds taxes on its share of the wages ^[7]. At two-thirds of $22.22 an hour, each family's share passes the $3,000 threshold in about five weeks of full-time care ^[8].

Put the details in writing before you start: whose home, how you split supplies and food, what happens when one child is sick, and what happens if one family leaves.

Taxes when you hire a nanny

A nanny who works in your home and follows your instructions is generally your household employee, not a contractor ^[8]. A nanny placed and controlled by an agency is the agency's employee, and someone who cares for your child in their own home generally isn't your employee ^[8].

Here's what you owe for 2026 as a household employer ^[8]:

On a $52,000 salary, your share of Social Security and Medicare is $3,978, and FUTA at the 0.6% net rate is $42 ^[8]. That's about $4,020 a year before state unemployment tax. You report these taxes on Schedule H with your own tax return, give the nanny a Form W-2, and need an employer identification number ^[8]. You and the nanny also complete Form I-9 to confirm they can legally work in the US ^[8].

Some good news: the employer taxes you pay on a nanny's wages count as childcare expenses for the child and dependent care credit and a dependent care FSA, and so does an agency's fee to find your nanny ^[13]. See how the dependent care FSA and the 2026 credit compare.

Overtime, live-in nannies and benefits

Nannies and babysitters who work in a private home are domestic service employees under federal wage law ^[11].

• Live-out nannies get overtime. Federal law requires time and a half for domestic workers' hours over 40 in a week ^[9]. At $25 an hour, a 50-hour week costs $1,000 for the first 40 hours plus $375 for the last 10, or $1,375.
• Live-in nannies are exempt from federal overtime when the family employs them directly, but they must still get at least the minimum wage for every hour worked ^[10]. You can leave out meal and sleep time with a reasonable written agreement, but you still have to track all hours worked ^[10].
• Casual babysitters who work 20 hours a week or less, and don't babysit as a full-time job, are exempt from federal minimum wage and overtime ^[12]. A full-time nanny isn't.

Your state can require more than federal law, so check your state labor department's rules before you set pay.

Benefits are common. In the INA's 2022 survey of nannies, 82% got paid holidays, 80% got paid sick or personal days, 69% got paid vacation and 74% got a year-end bonus ^[2]. 72% were paid for overtime, 28% got help with health insurance premiums (11% full, 17% partial), and 77% had a written work agreement ^[2]. These are nannies who chose to answer the survey, so treat the shares as a guide to what's typical, not a rule.

Nanny vs. daycare vs. au pair

• Daycare. For one child, full-time childcare cost $6,552 to $15,600 a year in 2022, depending on age and type of care ^[14]. That's well below a full-time nanny. See childcare costs by state or look up your county's childcare prices.
• Au pair. An au pair lives with you and provides live-in childcare under State Department rules. Cultural Care estimates a new family's yearly total at $21,424 in 2026: its program fee plus 52 weeks of the minimum stipend, before room and board ^[15]. See the full au pair cost breakdown.
• Night help for a newborn. Overnight care is its own market. See what a night nurse costs.

A nanny makes the most financial sense when you have two or more young kids, need hours a center can't offer, or can share with another family.

Questions to settle before you hire

• What's the hourly rate, and how will overtime be paid?
• Do you guarantee a set number of paid hours each week, even if you don't need them all?
• How many paid holidays, sick days and vacation days will the nanny get?
• Will you use a payroll service, and who pays the nanny's 7.65% share of Social Security and Medicare?
• Who pays for gas or mileage if the nanny drives your kids?
• When will you review pay, and how much notice will each side give before ending the job?