I’m a nanny. Where do I start?

Start with your single-family rate: what you’d charge one family for dedicated care of one child, and what you’d add for each extra child. Pick a share rate rule, set the families and children, then share the result with the families and agree on it together.

Is the two-thirds rule right for us?

It’s a common place to start. Some nannies ask for 70% or 75% instead. Try each one above, and agree on one together.

What if one family has more children?

Each extra child adds the extra-child amount to the nanny’s rate, and that family’s part grows with it. Every family still pays less than it would on its own.

Does this include overtime or taxes?

No. The calculator works out one hour of care. It leaves out overtime, taxes, benefits and paid time off.

Can we share these numbers?

Yes. Send this page to the nanny and the other families with the buttons below. The link opens the calculator with its starting numbers, not yours, so set your numbers together.

Nanny share calculator

New to nanny shares?

In a nanny share, one nanny cares for children from two or more families at the same time. The children spend the day together, usually at one family’s home or taking turns between homes.

The nanny looks after more children, so the nanny earns more per hour. Each family pays less than it would for a nanny of its own.

The common share rate rules

Most shares start from the nanny’s single-family rate. A share rate rule says what each of two families pays, as a share of that rate. Here is each rule for two families with one child each, at a $24 single-family rate:

Two-thirdsEach family pays $16 an hour. The nanny earns $32.
70%Each family pays $16.80 an hour. The nanny earns $33.60.
75%Each family pays $18 an hour. The nanny earns $36.

Two-thirds is a common place to start. Things a share might weigh when it agrees on a higher rule:

More children in the group, or very young children
More to coordinate: two homes, two schedules, more people to agree with
The nanny’s experience and training

Nanny share guides describe each family paying about two-thirds to three-quarters of the nanny’s single-family rate. Sources: Care.com and Nanny Counsel.

Setting the single-family rate

The single-family rate is what the nanny would charge one family for fully dedicated care. Set it as if the nanny worked for one family alone. The share rate builds on it, so a solid single-family rate is the fair place to start.

What usually goes into it:

What nannies charge one family where you live
The nanny’s experience and training
The children’s ages and needs
The hours, and the duties beyond childcare, such as meals or school pickups

The extra-child amount works the same way: what the nanny would add for each additional child in one family.

How the split works

Sit down together, the nanny and the families, and fill in three numbers, plus how many children each family has.

The single-family rate: What the nanny charges one family for dedicated care of one child. It’s the nanny’s rate, so it’s the place to start. The calculator starts at $24 an hour.
The extra-child amount: What the nanny adds to the single-family rate for each additional child in that family. The calculator starts at $3.
The share rate rule: What each of two families pays, as a share of the single-family rate. With the two-thirds rule, each family pays two-thirds, so the nanny earns a third more. The 70% and 75% rules raise the nanny’s rate further.
The family factor and the child factor: With two or more families, the nanny’s rate is shared out by one amount for each family plus one amount for each child. The calculator shows both under the result, for example “$5.00 for the family plus $3.00 per child.”

Two examples

Two families, one child each
At a $24 single-family rate, $3 per extra child and the two-thirds rule, the nanny earns $32.00 an hour, a third more than with one family. Each family pays $16.00.
Family A with two children, Family B with one
With the same numbers, the nanny earns $35.00 an hour. Family A pays $20.26 and Family B pays $14.74, each less than it would on its own: $27.00 and $24.00.

What everyone can count on

The nanny always earns more than with any one of the families alone.
Every family pays less than it would on its own.
When another family adds a child, your family’s part goes down (unless the extra-child amount is $0).
When your own family adds a child, your part never goes down.

What else to agree on

The hourly rate is one part of a nanny share agreement. Talk these through together too, and write down what you agree:

Guaranteed hours: the hours each family pays for, even when its child stays home.
Overtime: when it starts, and how each family’s part of it is worked out.
Holidays and paid time off: which days are paid, and how the families share the cost.
Sick days: what happens when the nanny or one of the children is sick.
Whose home and whose supplies: where care happens, and who pays for food, outings and supplies.
Payroll and taxes: how each family will handle them, for example with a payroll service.
Handoffs and changes: how you record late pickups, swapped days and extra hours, so the week adds up for everyone.

Sharefully is built for that last one: a quick tap at each handoff, and one record of the week that the nanny and the families share.

Pay, overtime, tax and childcare rules vary by state and city, and nothing here is legal, tax or payroll advice. Read the notes on employment and the law.

From one hour to the whole week

One hour is the easy part. A real week has late handoffs, guaranteed mornings and a child who goes home after lunch. See how Sharefully adds up a two-family week for the nanny and both families, handoff by handoff.

Join the waitlist See the example week

Questions about the rates

I’m a nanny. Where do I start?: Start with your single-family rate: what you’d charge one family for dedicated care of one child, and what you’d add for each extra child. Pick a share rate rule, set the families and children, then share the result with the families and agree on it together.
Is the two-thirds rule right for us?: It’s a common place to start. Some nannies ask for 70% or 75% instead. Try each one above, and agree on one together.
What if one family has more children?: Each extra child adds the extra-child amount to the nanny’s rate, and that family’s part grows with it. Every family still pays less than it would on its own.
Does this include overtime or taxes?: No. The calculator works out one hour of care. It leaves out overtime, taxes, benefits and paid time off. Read the notes on the calculator.
Can we share these numbers?: Yes. Send this page to the nanny and the other families with the buttons below. The link opens the calculator with its starting numbers, not yours, so set your numbers together.