Nanny Benefits: Agree Allowances, Time Off and Extras
EduNanny® by BUTLER · Parent guide
A useful nanny benefits discussion starts with the actual care arrangement. Clarify what is required, then agree any extras that work for the carer and your household. A clear written decision is more helpful than a generic list of “standard perks”.
This guide helps you discuss allowances, time away and optional extras. It does not set market rates or a universal employment benefits package.
Separate required responsibilities from optional extras
First establish who provides the care and who the agreement is with. A private care booking, an agency placement and direct employment raise different questions. If you book through a provider, ask what the service includes and how additional requests are agreed. If you employ a worker, check the requirements for that employment arrangement.
For a migrant domestic worker, MOM’s contract guidance states that MDWs are not covered by the Employment Act. Do not apply a general online annual-leave, sick-leave or notice range to every nanny. Confirm the relevant requirements and the actual contract instead.
MDW responsibilities are not optional perks. MOM’s rest-day and well-being guidance provides for a weekly rest day, with at least one rest day each month that cannot be compensated away. It also sets out the employer’s medical responsibilities. The separate insurance requirements require medical and personal accident insurance and say the purchase cost cannot be passed to the worker. A small medical allowance does not replace those responsibilities.
Once the required arrangements are clear, discuss extras separately. Our agency and independent care comparison helps you identify the contracting party before that discussion.
Choose extras with the carer
Ask what would be useful rather than assuming every carer wants the same package. Possible topics include meals during care sessions, agreed travel expenses, communication costs needed for the work, additional time off or a bonus. These are discussion examples, not a claim that each item is a standard entitlement or expected amount.
- Meals: agree whether a meal is provided during a session, taking preferences and dietary needs into account. Keep any applicable employer food obligations separate.
- Travel: distinguish ordinary travel to a session from travel you request as part of the care duties.
- Communication: agree how care updates will be shared and whether any work-related cost needs reimbursement.
- Bonus: define any agreed amount, payment date and conditions clearly. Do not leave a verbal promise open to different interpretations.
Respect, privacy and clear communication should be part of the working relationship throughout. An optional benefit is not a reason to expand duties without agreement or expect the carer to be available whenever the family needs help.
Plan breaks, absences and cover
Discuss how breaks within a care session will work, including who is responsible for your child during them. For time away, record how advance requests, illness and unexpected absence will be communicated. Keep the applicable leave and rest requirements visible; this planning conversation does not replace them.
Confirm the provider’s cover arrangements where relevant, or make your own practical care plan. Do not promise a particular replacement or charge until it has been confirmed. Allow room for a conversation when the family’s schedule changes rather than treating flexibility as a standing obligation.
Record each extra in one clear line
For every agreed extra, write down what it covers, who pays, when it is provided and how it is claimed. Distinguish a fixed allowance from reimbursement of an actual expense. Note whether a receipt or prior agreement is needed, and make sure both sides understand the process.
Illustrative wording: “For travel requested as part of the agreed care duties, confirm the journey and payment arrangement in advance, then record the expense through the agreed claim process.” Replace this example with the terms both sides actually accept; it is not a contract template.
Set a time to review the practical arrangements and record later changes. Keep the benefit discussion alongside the care duties and budget, rather than using it as a promise of loyalty or guaranteed continuity. Our nanny care budget guide can help you keep the agreed costs visible.
Featured image: a conceptual illustration of planning papers, not an actual employment agreement or benefits offer. Care for every little chapter.
