Nanny contract template
A nanny contract, sometimes called a nanny work agreement, sets out the job before the first day: the hours, the duties, the pay, overtime, time off, and how either side can end it. This template is written for a family employing a nanny directly, and covers the household payroll points families most often miss. Read it below, fill it in together and both sign.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Nanny
- Parent or guardian
Nanny Work Agreement
This Nanny Work Agreement (the "Agreement") is made on Agreement date between Family name and address (the "Family") and Nanny name, of Nanny address (the "Nanny"). The Nanny is the Family's employee.
1. Children and start date
The Nanny will care for Children's names and ages, starting on Start date. The first Trial period in weeks weeks are a trial period, during which either side may end this Agreement with Days of notice during trial days' notice.
2. Schedule
Regular schedule: Regular days and hours. The Family guarantees pay for Guaranteed hours per week hours each week, even if it needs fewer hours, such as when the Family is away, except during the Nanny's own unpaid leave. Changes to the regular schedule will be agreed in advance, and at least one full day off each week is guaranteed.
3. Duties
The Nanny's first responsibility is the children's safety and wellbeing. The job also includes these child-related tasks: Child-related duties. Other duties: Other duties. Anything not listed here needs the Nanny's agreement, and may change the pay.
4. Pay and overtime
The Family will pay the Nanny Hourly rate per hour, by Payment method, every Pay frequency. Hours over 40 in a workweek, and any other hours the law treats as overtime, are paid at one and a half times the hourly rate. The workweek runs from Workweek start day. The Family will keep a record of hours worked, and the Nanny will receive a pay statement each payday.
5. Taxes
The Family will withhold and pay the employment taxes the law requires for a household employee, including Social Security and Medicare taxes once wages reach the annual threshold, and will give the Nanny a Form W-2 each year. Federal and state income tax will be withheld if the Nanny asks and the Family agrees, or where state law requires it.
6. Time off
The Nanny receives Paid vacation days paid vacation days a year, of which the Nanny chooses Vacation days the nanny chooses with at least two weeks' notice; the Family chooses the rest. Paid holidays: Paid holidays. The Nanny also receives Paid sick days paid sick days a year, or more if local law requires it.
7. Driving
If the Nanny drives the children, it will be in Car used, with properly installed car seats. The Nanny will have a valid license and will never use a phone while driving. If the Nanny uses their own car, the Family will reimburse mileage at Mileage rate and the Nanny will keep insurance that covers driving for work.
8. House rules and privacy
House rules on screens, food, naps, visitors and outings: House rules. The Nanny will not post photos of the children or share private Family information online or with others. This does not limit the Nanny's right to report unpaid wages, unsafe conditions or suspected abuse to the authorities. The Family will tell the Nanny about any cameras in the home.
9. Emergencies
In an emergency the Nanny will call 911 first and then the parents. The Family will keep emergency contacts, the pediatrician's details, allergies and medications posted in the home. Nanny's emergency contact: Nanny emergency contact.
10. Ending the Agreement
After the trial period, either side may end this Agreement with Weeks of notice weeks' written notice. The Family may pay the Nanny for the notice period instead of having the Nanny work it. Either side may end it immediately for serious misconduct, such as endangering a child. Unused vacation will be paid at the end as the law requires.
11. General terms
This Agreement is governed by the laws of the state of State. Where a law gives the Nanny more than this Agreement, the law applies. Changes must be in writing and signed by both. Electronic signatures count as originals. Nanny phone: Nanny phone.
Nanny
Parent or guardian (for the Family)
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
You're an employer now
A nanny who works in your home on your schedule is almost always your employee, not a contractor, even if they also work for another family. That brings real obligations: at least minimum wage for every hour, overtime past 40 hours a week for a nanny who doesn't live with you, and, once wages pass the IRS's yearly threshold, Social Security and Medicare taxes and a W-2. IRS Publication 926 is the household employer's guide.
A contract won't change those rules, but it puts everything else on paper: what a normal day looks like, which chores come with the job, how vacation works, and what happens if you move or your youngest starts school.
What the template covers
- Schedule: regular days and hours, guaranteed weekly hours, and how changes are agreed.
- Duties: childcare first, plus the child-related tasks you expect, such as meals, laundry, school runs and homework.
- Pay: an hourly rate, overtime at time and a half, the payday and how pay is delivered.
- Taxes: the family withholds and pays employment taxes as the law requires and issues a W-2.
- Time off: paid vacation, paid holidays, sick days and how to ask for them.
- Driving: whose car, insurance, car seats and mileage reimbursement.
- House rules: screen time, food, visitors, phone use, photos and social media.
- Trial period and ending: a short trial, notice from either side, and pay in place of notice.
Mistakes families make
- Paying a flat weekly salary with no overtime. Under federal law a nanny who lives out is owed time and a half past 40 hours a week, salaried or not.
- Paying cash off the books. It leaves the nanny without Social Security credit or unemployment coverage, and leaves you open to back taxes and penalties.
- Not saying what happens on days you don't need them. If you cancel because you're away, most nanny agreements still pay the guaranteed hours.
- Vague duties. "Light housekeeping" means different things to different people, so list what's included.
- Missing local rules. Several states and cities have domestic workers' laws covering rest days, paid leave and written terms; check yours.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. The nanny signs first and the parent or guardian countersigns.
- 2
Fill in the job
Type the schedule, rate, guaranteed hours, paid time off and duties into the gray blanks. The nanny adds their own address, phone and emergency contact.
- 3
Talk it through first
Go over the draft together before you send it. Changes are easier at the kitchen table than after a signature.
- 4
They sign on their phone
The nanny signs from an email link with no account, and can read the signing page in Spanish or any of the 6 languages SignMaster offers.
- 5
Both keep a copy
Each of you gets the signed PDF with its certificate. When the hours or pay change, update the blanks and sign a fresh copy.
The signing page changes language; the contract itself stays as you wrote it. If English isn't your nanny's first language, read how to send a contract in Spanish for ways to share a translated copy alongside the one you both sign.
Questions? Answers.
Do I have to pay my nanny overtime?
Under federal law, a live-out nanny gets time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek. Live-in nannies are exempt from federal overtime, but some states require it for them too.
Do I have to pay taxes for a nanny?
Once you pay a household employee more than the IRS's yearly threshold, you withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, and you may owe federal unemployment tax. IRS Publication 926 explains the rules, and household payroll services can run it for you.
Can a nanny be an independent contractor?
Almost never. You set the hours, the place and how the job is done, which makes the nanny your employee for tax and wage purposes.
Should a nanny contract have a confidentiality clause?
A short one about your family's private information and photos is reasonable. It can't stop the nanny from reporting unpaid wages, safety concerns or abuse to the authorities.