A competitive wage gets a great nanny to say yes. Benefits are what make them stay for years instead of months. Nannies are professionals, and the families that keep the best ones treat the role like the real job it is — with paid time off, holidays, and a few thoughtful perks. Here's the standard package.

Paid time off (PTO)

Most professional nanny arrangements include paid vacation — commonly one to two weeks per year, growing with tenure. A frequent structure:

  • A set number of paid vacation days per year (often 10, or two weeks).
  • Who picks the dates — often a split: the family chooses some weeks, the nanny chooses others.
  • How it accrues — either granted up front annually or earned gradually per pay period.
Decide up front what happens to unused PTO at year-end — does it roll over, get paid out, or expire? Writing it into the contract avoids an awkward December conversation.

Sick days

Separate from vacation, offer a handful of paid sick days — commonly around 3 to 5 per year. It protects your household (a nanny who can't afford to stay home comes in sick), and some states and cities now require paid sick leave for household employees, so check your local rule.

Holidays

Families typically offer the major federal holidays as paid days off — New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and the winter holidays are common. Two norms worth setting:

  • Which holidays are paid — list them in the contract.
  • Holiday pay if they work it — many families offer time-and-a-half or a comp day when a nanny works a holiday.

The extras that set you apart

  • Guaranteed hours — paying the agreed weekly hours even in light weeks (expected, not optional, for most nannies).
  • Health-insurance help — a QSEHRA or premium support (a top retention benefit).
  • Mileage reimbursement — tax-free, for a nanny using their own car.
  • An annual raise and review — a standing date to revisit pay and terms.
  • Professional development — covering a CPR renewal or a childcare course.
  • A phone or gas stipend, and a clear year-end bonus norm (often a week or two of pay).
Some benefits are tax-free when structured right (mileage, QSEHRA); others (cash bonuses, plain stipends) are taxable wages. Knowing which is which lets you give more value per dollar.

House tracks PTO accrual and balances, and keeps taxable vs. tax-free benefits straight on every pay stub — free.

Set up PTO tracking

The bottom line

A fair benefits package — paid vacation, sick days, paid holidays, guaranteed hours, and a couple of thoughtful extras — is what turns a good hire into a long-term one. Write it into the contract, track it cleanly, and revisit it every year.