Hiring a nanny? Add these benefits to attract top talent!

Consider nanny benefits when hiring a nanny.

Should you offer your nanny benefits? 

Your nanny is an integral part of your family and one of your best chances at a smooth and happy daily life. This is why you were so careful in the hiring process. You checked resumes and references, observed their rapport with your children, and now feel great about your choice of extending an offer to this particular candidate. 

A candidate who considers your offer has likely been just as careful, making sure the expectations of the job and the relationship with both parents and kids feels rooted in mutual respect and appreciation. Beyond this, adequate compensation is one of the main factors for a nanny deciding to accept an employment offer. This means that a fair rate is one of your best bets in securing a great caregiver. But you can also make your offer more competitive - and ensure that a nanny will stay around for longer - by offering additional benefits in your job contract. Benefits show the candidate that you recognize the nanny position as a legitimate form of employment. You are investing in them as an employee, just as they are investing in your family as their career choice. We’ve gathered a few tips on which benefits to consider when making your net hire. 

What are typical nanny benefits? 

Surveys have shown that benefits for nannies vary greatly across the country and even from family to family. This means that in a competitive market, like we are currently in, you can get a leg up on other families by offering a combination of benefits. You might even try being flexible to the candidate in terms of which benefits they prefer. 

According to the International Nanny Association, INA, typical benefits include: 

  • Paid vacation

  • Paid holidays off

  • Health insurance contribution

  • Paid sick days

Annual holiday bonuses are also common (you can read more about our holiday bonus recommendations here). Less common but also mentioned are benefits like retirement plan contributions and paid professional development. Families who need their nannies to work on holidays will often pay overtime hours (1.5x) for those days. While 2 weeks vacation is industry standard, some families will require that the nanny coordinate at least one of those weeks with a week when the family is away. 

Where health insurance contribution is concerned, there are a few different routes you as an employer can go. Any of these options will be beneficial to both you and your nanny. If you only have one household employee, what you contribute to their health insurance policy can be treated as non-taxable compensation, saving both you and your nanny money. You can save about 10%, and your caregiver will save up to 15-20%. For more information on health insurance benefits, stay tuned for an upcoming post which will focus on health care exclusively. 

Benefits for part-time nannies

When it comes to part-time nannies, the customs of offering benefits are a bit more varied. It is less common for part-time nannies to get health insurance contributions and other long-term contributions. However, it is still standard for families to offer a guaranteed weekly pay and a certain number of PTO days. It is common to offer 2 weeks paid vacation just as for a full-time nanny, but then at the part time rate. This means that if your nanny typically works 20 hours per week, you would pay for those 20 hours in a vacation week. Paid federal holidays when those days fall on the nanny’s regularly scheduled work days are also often included. At a time when part-time nannies are in high demand for remote learning situations and unexpected childcare needs, adding benefits to your job offer can really sweeten the deal and attract top candidates. 

The importance of a nanny job contract

Regardless of which benefits you intend to offer as part of your employment offer to a nanny, it is important to put it all in writing at the start of your working relationship. Include any expected future benefits that you have already agreed upon, or if the time off will be accrued over time. (Some families ask that the nanny not take paid time off during the first 2-3 months of a contract, for instance.) This helps set the expectation and gives both sides something to refer back to in case questions arise over time. 

The global pandemic due to COVID-19 has also changed some of the rules or expectations for sick days, as well as expectations on how families and nannies - essential workers! - can keep each other safe and healthy. For more information on what to include in a nanny contract with regards to COVID-19, please see this previous post. If you need advice on what to include in a job contract, you can of course always contact our client team for more information on what’s best in your particular situation. 

Do you have any other tips on benefits that have attracted great candidates for your family? Do you have any fun, additional perks that your nanny has really appreciated? Tell us all about it on our Facebook or Instagram pages! For more tips, delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our Newsletter.