{"id":27109,"date":"2019-03-26T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/?p=27109"},"modified":"2019-03-25T21:42:48","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T02:42:48","slug":"writing-nanny-contract-things-need-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/writing-nanny-contract-things-need-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing a Nanny Contract: Things You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"nanny<\/h2>\n

So you\u2019ve found the perfect nanny<\/h2>\n

Your kids love her, she\u2019s a great fit for your family and everything seems to be falling into place. Is there a better feeling? Maybe not, but before you seal the deal, consider drawing up a nanny contract. What is a nanny contract? It\u2019s a written document between you and the nanny you\u2019re hiring that serves as a basic agreement of the expectations for the role.<\/p>\n

Your nanny contract doesn\u2019t have to be complicated, and it doesn\u2019t even have to be drawn up by a legal professional. As long as it\u2019s signed by both parties, your nanny contract will be a legally binding document. Of course, if it would make you feel more comfortable, you can choose to have a lawyer involved or to have your nanny contract notarized, but these things aren\u2019t necessarily required.<\/p>\n

What should be included in a nanny contract?<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s up to you! You can make it as stripped down or as comprehensive as you want. However, most nanny contracts include the following topics:<\/p>\n

Hours worked<\/h3>\n

Include your nanny\u2019s basic weekly schedule (this is especially helpful if it\u2019s variable!) and any overtime, travel time, and holiday expectations you may have. This way, you\u2019re not left in the lurch when your nanny thinks she has the day off on President\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Parties involved<\/h3>\n

One way to ensure your document is legally binding? Include full names of both parties involved and include a line at the bottom for a signature. It\u2019s a small step that can easily be overlooked.<\/p>\n

Money matters<\/h3>\n

No nanny contract is complete without including the nanny\u2019s pay rate along with a bonus structure (if you\u2019re open to giving a yearly bonus), yearly raise, and overtime pay. It\u2019s important to set these expectations early on so your nanny knows exactly what\u2019s expected in order to receive a raise or bonus.<\/p>\n

This is also a great place to include how your nanny will be paid (cash, check or otherwise), along with any relevant tax information. For more details on how to pay taxes for your nanny, check here.<\/p>\n

Benefits<\/h3>\n

Will you be offering benefits to your nanny? According to enannysource.com, \u201cBenefits may include paid vacation, holidays, sick days, personal days, health insurance contributions, professional days, educational reimbursement, retirement, and health club membership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, you\u2019re not required to offer any of these benefits to your nanny – but remember, a happy nanny is a good nanny!<\/p>\n

House rules\/responsibilities<\/h3>\n

Every household works differently, so it\u2019s critical to include some basic household rules in your nanny contract. This single step can reduce or even eliminate so many conflicts between you and your nanny. It\u2019s great when a nanny is good with your kids, but a nanny that conscientiously follows your house rules is worth her weight in gold.<\/p>\n

Does it feel awkward and too formal to have a nanny contract in place?<\/h3>\n

Do you feel like you\u2019re springing it on her when things are going so well? Are you afraid how she\u2019ll react when you ask her to sign a contract? We totally get it! The best way to handle any of these situations is to be clear right from the start that you are a household that will have a nanny contract in place. That way, before you even forge that perfectly comfortable nanny\/employer relationship, your potential nanny<\/a> will know that she\u2019ll be expected to sign a nanny contract.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t feel bad about it\u2014any nanny, no matter how perfect she seems\u2014should be not only willing, but eager<\/em> to sign a nanny contract, since they\u2019re meant to protect the nanny as well. It\u2019s not a great idea to hire a nanny who refuses to sign a nanny contract\u2014if you do, be sure you have a great backup plan!<\/p>\n

\n

Like what you read? JOIN the Mommybites community<\/a> to get the latest on\u00a0FREE online classes<\/a>,\u00a0parenting advice<\/a>,\u00a0events<\/a>,\u00a0childcare listings<\/a>,\u00a0casting calls<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0raffles,<\/a>\u00a0and our\u00a0Parents With Nannies Facebook group<\/a>. SIGN UP NOW<\/a>!\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Christin Perry<\/strong>\u00a0is a freelance writer and editor living in the DC area. She specializes in the lifestyle genre and her writing has been published by The Knot, The Bump, and LittleThings.com.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you\u2019ve found the perfect nanny your kids love her, she\u2019s a great fit for your family and everything seems to be falling into place. Is there a better feeling? Maybe not, but before you seal the deal, consider drawing up a nanny contract. What is a nanny contract? It\u2019s a written document between you and the nanny you\u2019re hiring that serves as a basic agreement of the expectations for the role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3359,"featured_media":28137,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"schneps_byline":"","schneps_post_style":"","schneps_post_source":"","schneps_syndicated_read_more":"","schneps_post_source_sitename":"","schneps_post_source_shortname":"","schneps_post_source_url":"","schneps_post_source_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,51,66],"tags":[48,50],"class_list":["post-27109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moms","category-dads","category-nanny","tag-childcare","tag-relationships"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/writing-nanny-contract-things-need-know\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Writing a Nanny Contract: Things You Need to Know","url":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/writing-nanny-contract-things-need-know\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/writing-nanny-contract-things-need-know\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-25-at-6.56.17-PM.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-03-25-at-6.56.17-PM.png"},"articleSection":"Moms","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Christin Perry"}],"creator":["Christin Perry"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mommybites New York","logo":""},"keywords":["childcare","relationships"],"dateCreated":"2019-03-26T12:00:13Z","datePublished":"2019-03-26T12:00:13Z","dateModified":"2019-03-26T12:00:13Z"},"rendered":"