Nanny cost calculator
What a nanny really costs you as an employer: pay, overtime and the federal taxes families often forget. Built on IRS and Department of Labor rules.
How it works: overtime at 1.5× applies above 40 hours a week for live-out nannies (federal law) and above 44 hours for live-in nannies in New York (state law); live-in nannies elsewhere are exempt from federal overtime. Employer Social Security and Medicare = 7.65% of cash wages once you pay $3,000 or more in 2026. FUTA = 0.6% of the first $7,000. State unemployment and disability contributions are extra and vary. Sources: IRS Publication 926, DOL Fact Sheet #79B, NY Department of Labor.
Typical pay in the New York area
New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. This official category includes daycare staff as well as nannies; experienced career nannies usually earn more.
- New Jersey minimum wage: $15.92 an hour (most employers, from 1 January 2026). NJ Department of Labor, 1 Oct 2025
- Brooklyn Manny & Nanny publishes $25–50 an hour for full-time NYC nannies. source
- Chelsea Nanny says its nannies' gross hourly rates typically start at $25–30. source
Example: a full-time live-out nanny
45 hours a week at $25.00 an hour, with 5 hours of overtime at 1.5×:
| Weekly pay | $1,188 |
| Annual pay (52 weeks) | $61,750 |
| Your Social Security and Medicare (7.65%) | $4,724 |
| Federal unemployment tax (FUTA) | $42 |
| Estimated yearly cost before state taxes | $66,516 |
State unemployment and disability contributions are extra and vary. Work out your own numbers →