How Much Does a Nanny Cost?

If you’re considering a nanny, it’s important to know what asking rates are in your area so you can plan your budget and expectations accordingly.  

*updated for 2024

How much does a nanny cost in Fort Worth?

Based on nanny applications on The First Milestones’ website, the average rate for nannies in the Fort Worth and surrounding areas is:

$21.30/hr*

*How we got this data

We ask nannies their desired hourly rate on our nanny application, so we took all of the inputs on that question from applications we received in 2023, removed outliers, and calculated an average hourly rate.

Nanny hourly rates may be higher or lower than the average, depending on the following factors:

• Years of experience you would like your nanny to have

  • Some families prefer a nanny with many years of private nanny experience and should expect to pay a higher hourly rate

  • Families who are ok with 1-2 years experience or primarily babysitting experience may pay a lower hourly rate

• What duties you expect your nanny to perform outside of childcare

  • If you expect your nanny to help around the house during downtime, you should expect to compensate accordingly. Generally tidying up of messes made during the day should be part of childcare. Additional duties, like laundry, light cleaning, etc. warrant a higher hourly rate

• Part-time or full-time employment

  • Nannies will generally charge a higher hourly rate for part-time employment

• Additional benefits, including paid-time off, sick days, guaranteed weekly pay

  • By providing guaranteed pay, paid time off, sick days and paid holidays, you may be able to pay a lower hourly rate. These types of benefits offer your nanny financial peace of mind. 

• Number and ages of children in your nanny’s care

  • Infant care is highly specialized, and infant care specialists and those nannies with extensive newborn / infant experience can command a higher rate

  • If you have multiple children in your nanny’s care, you can expect to pay a few dollars more per hour

• If your nanny is allowed to bring her children to work with her

  • Some nannies are moms themselves and can benefit financially by being able to bring their children to work; this sometimes offers families the opportunity to pay a slightly lower hourly rate

• Certifications outside of First Aid and CPR

  • We recommend that all nannies be First Aid and CPR certified; any additional specialized training can command a higher hourly rate

Other costs to keep in mind

In addition to your nanny’s pay, you will want to keep the following costs in mind as you plan out your childcare budget.

Nanny taxes: as an employer of a household employee, you are required to pay taxes on any wages you pay to your nanny if they exceed $2400 in a calendar year, or $1000 in a quarter. Please see our article about paying your nanny legally here.

Payroll services: If you prefer to leave the payroll and taxes to an expert, you’ll pay a monthly service fee to a payroll service like Poppins Payroll, which cost anywhere from $30-$60 monthly

Agency fees:

If hiring through an agency, you will pay a placement fee. The First Milestones’ placement fee for a long-term placement is $2950, which covers background checks, contracts, and other documents critical to a successful placement.

Other placement agencies typically charge a percentage of your nanny’s annual salary. See our article about the difference between fixed and percentage-based nanny placement fees here.

Background checks, driving history, drug screening:

If you’re hiring a nanny by yourself, you should request a background check or run one yourself through a provider like Imperative Information Group; this is the provider we use for our background checks, driving history, certification verification, and drug screenings. Read about our background check process here.

The cost for the most comprehensive caregiver background check is $300 (at the time when this article was written in June 2022). You can add on a driving history report ($45, as of June 2022) and drug screening (pricing dependent on requirements).

Raises, bonuses and overtime

Just as you would expect to receive annual raises and performance-related compensation, your nanny expects and appreciates annual performance and compensation reviews. Your nanny’s pay should also be adjusted as duties and activities change; you may be adding more children to your family, which warrants a pay increase. Or, for example, a 6 month old may mostly stay at home, but as your 6-month old gets more active and is able to handle outings, you may expect your nanny to take him on play dates or on outings to the zoo, museums, etc. 

Additional activities and more work warrant pay adjustments. 

Bonuses, while not required, are certainly a nice gesture to show your nanny how important they are to your family and your child’s upbringing. We recommend holiday bonuses (see our article about nanny bonuses here.)

Since nannies are clearly defined as household employees, the rules of overtime apply for any time worked over 40 hours in a 7-day period (this applies to live-out nannies only).  See overtime rules here.

Backup child care

It’s always a good idea to have a backup plan for when your nanny is on vacation or needs to take a sick day. You’ll want to consider options like drop-in care or backup babysitters. Some drop-in daycares may require an annual membership in addition to daily and hourly rates.

———

Although there are many variables that go into the cost of private childcare, we hope this article gives you a good starting point for budgeting and planning for a nanny.

Ready to hire a nanny?