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How much to pay a sitter (for human child)


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I watch my grand nephew (yes I DO feel 100 yrs old every time I say that!!!) 5 days a week.

 

He is 22mo.

He is usually dropped off at 9:30 am and p/u at 5:30pm.

Sometimes this earlier or later.

I haven't charged her yet since she is divorcing the father and needs $ for a lawyer and hasn't gotten any child support yet.

 

I will do the family discount myself.

What is the going rate for this age?

 

Lara

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Depends if you are a nanny (who has one family) or a home daycare provider (who has more than one family). The latter is cheaper.

Average nanny here makes 300-500 a week.

Rural areas are cheaper.

Daycare is cheapest.

 

So, what kind of care are you offering?

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So, what kind of care are you offering?

Sorry I've been at the church's movie night for the last few hours.

Basically I take care of this child (along with HSing my 4) while the mother works. She works part time to full time m-f. She drops him off around 9am and someone else picks him up around 5:30. This could be as early as 7am and as late as 7:00 pm depending on the day and schedule (also as late as 9:30 am to 3:30 pm for an early day).

I feed him when he is hungry (but I don't really believe in snacks) so usually I provide 2 meals a day, sometimes three. ( he doesn't eat much, and I just give watered down juice for the "run around the house sippy cup"). Right now I am free but I won't do that forever. I just needed someplace to start to figure the"worth" of the daycare.

 

Thank you ladies!!

 

 

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Well, I'd have them pack a lunch for the child, and give you a bottle of juice every week, if you are going to do that.

Look on the nanny sites near you--sittercitydotcom, for one, and see what the going rate is. Remember, you'll have to average the daycare and the nanny rate to see what your care is really "worth," since home daycare providers have more than one child and can charge less.

Personally, I wouldn't take less than $300 a week. You have to pay around 30% on your taxes (tho there are deductions) and factor in the food you are providing. So lets say you that--you make 300, take off 90, leaves you making 210. Factor in maybe $15 for food?

If you work every day from 9-5.30, then you are working 8.5 hours on average.

 

That's $2.29 an hour.

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Well, I'd have them pack a lunch for the child, and give you a bottle of juice every week, if you are going to do that.

Look on the nanny sites near you--sittercitydotcom, for one, and see what the going rate is. Remember, you'll have to average the daycare and the nanny rate to see what your care is really "worth," since home daycare providers have more than one child and can charge less.

Personally, I wouldn't take less than $300 a week. You have to pay around 30% on your taxes (tho there are deductions) and factor in the food you are providing. So lets say you that--you make 300, take off 90, leaves you making 210. Factor in maybe $15 for food?

If you work every day from 9-5.30, then you are working 8.5 hours on average.

 

That's $2.29 an hour.

 

This is where things can get very sticky with the IRS.

 

A "casual" sitter is not held under the mimimum wage laws - and is defined as a student, or somoene working intermittently, occasionally, or irregularly and less than 20-hours a week when caring for the child. When one isn't a student, works regularly or greater than an average 20-hours a week, they're under the mimium wage laws....unless they're a licensed daycare - then the minimum wage does not apply because it is held that multiple families, with multiple children in care will meet the mimium requirements for wages to be paid, and that you're self-employed and no longer under mimimum wage laws - but to do that, you have to be an established business - sole proprietor registered with the state or LLC or corporation of sorts.

 

Unless your arrangements are off-the-books, which puts you both in a very risky position for "evading" taxes, namely medicare withholding, she's required to withhold your FICA and match it for the employer portion, filing a form 942. If she doesn't and you report your income, which you're obligated to do, she'll then be hit with interest and penalties if she hasn't done this at least quarterly as required of employers. Once she withholds FICA, she's also going to need to withhold federal and state taxes too and file those when due, unless your arrangement is that you are going to be responsible for paying your federal and state taxes, which you'd note on your W2 by checking the exempt box and doing it yourself on your 1040 if you owe.

 

If you go the company route, establish yourself as a business entity, you then become obligated to pay and match your FICA, and pay your federal and state taxes - which makes the hourly average pitiful if you're looking at accepting $150-200 a week since 15.3% of it alone is going to go to FICA employee side and FICA employer side that you now are obligated to pay yourself....along with paying for a business license, insurance and other things to be a business.

 

At $200 a week, that works out to $10,000 a year if you work 50 weeks...from that:

 

$10,000

 

-$765 FICA, employee

-$765 FICA employer side

 

Estimates:

-$50 business license

-$250 liability insurance

-$100 state filing fee to maintain business

 

Pretend you owe no state or local due to low income and your deductions

Amount left = $8,070

 

$8,170 / 50 weeks = $161.40 per week

Edited by RahRah
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I watch my grand nephew (yes I DO feel 100 yrs old every time I say that!!!) 5 days a week.

 

He is 22mo.

He is usually dropped off at 9:30 am and p/u at 5:30pm.

Sometimes this earlier or later.

I haven't charged her yet since she is divorcing the father and needs $ for a lawyer and hasn't gotten any child support yet.

 

I will do the family discount myself.

What is the going rate for this age?

 

Lara

 

I get paid $40 a day for watching my friends 22 month old. I live in Texas. My sister lives in North Dakota and has a home daycare. She charges $35 a day.

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