A nanny contract is vital to ensuring your new nanny meets your needs.
Why a nanny contract is important
You need a nanny contract, not just a handshake
Choosing a nanny can be challenging because you are not just picking a care provider for your child, but you are also hiring an employee. You need to have on your ‘boss-hat’ as well as your ‘parent-hat’. Creating a written work agreement or nanny contract can be a great way to manage this dual role.
The nanny contract allows you to take care of the several employer duties upfront so you can focus on helping your nanny provide great care to your child. It also helps your nanny know exactly what duties she will be responsible for and what expectations she has to meet. This can save you a great deal of heartache down the road. You do not want to be in the situation where your nanny is not performing up to your standards because she never fully understood what was expected of her.
NannyTaxTools strongly recommends that you make a nanny contract before hiring your nanny. Going over the contract is a great way to make sure an applicant is a good fit for the position.
What to include in a nanny contract
In your agreement or contract, be sure to cover:
- Scope of responsibilities: If there are specific actions you want your nanny to perform, this is the place to address them. Consider things such as caregiving tasks, nutritional requirements, and household chores.
- Hours: When does your nanny need to be present for work?
- Pay: The most common practice is to agree on a standard weekly salary based on a standard number of hours worked per week. You must also state an hourly wage to meet federal guidelines. See the nanny hourly wage calculator below. It is best to also include a sample pay stub. This will clearly demonstrate the deductions taken out of your nanny’s pay and what her final take home pay will be.
- Benefits: Are you providing any additional benefits such as food during working hours?
- Time Off: Clearly state how much paid time off your nanny will receive. A standard amount is 2 weeks plus the 10 federal holidays. Note the procedure your nanny must follow to request time off.
- Performance Reviews: Describe your process for giving formal performance reviews. Not only will regular reviews help keep your nanny’s performance up to standard, but they also can help you in case a poor performing nanny is let go and files an unemployment claim.
- House Rules: List the rules of the house that your nanny is expected to follow. Some examples to include are your thoughts on discipline rules, nap time, TV watching, and visitors.
- Emergencies: Explain the procedure you want your nanny to follow in case of an emergency.
- Confidentiality Agreement: Working so closely with your family, your nanny is going to be privy to sensitive information. You don’t want you nanny sharing confidential information on her Facebook or Twitter accounts. Include a clause that makes it clear that your nanny is not to discuss any personal details about your family to anyone else.
Hourly wage calculator for the nanny contract
Listing an hourly wage is important to ensure you are meeting minimum wage regulations and correctly compensating for overtime hours. Enter your nanny’s weekly salary and hours to calculate hourly and overtime wages.