Specialized placements for each and every family.

Nannies placed by Michigan Nanny Solutions make an average of $20-25 per hour for up to 40 hours in a week, and are paid time-and-a-half for all overtime hours beyond 40. 

The final hourly rate will depend in part on the hours needed (part-time generally pays $1-2 more per hour), the job description and ages of the child(ren), the location of the family, and on the nanny’s experience and education.  Other household positions, such as Private Educators, Household Managers, Night Nannies, and Newborn Care Specialists, will require a higher hourly rate.  

We will help determine the appropriate pay range and total compensation package for your position, and will help negotiate with your chosen employee if needed.

Paying cash and/or paying your nanny via a 1099 are both illegal and may open you up to tax fraud or felony tax evasion.  Nannies are, by federal law, non-exempt hourly employees, which means they must be paid via W-2/W-4 with taxes and fees withheld.  You can learn more about this federal law here: IRS Publication 926 (2022), Household Employer’s Tax Guide (https://www.irs.gov/publications/p926)

We recommend that families pay their nanny biweekly via a payroll service with taxes and fees withheld and paid quarterly.  Setting up a payroll service is a minimal added expense, and they will take all the headache out of paying your nanny and staying compliant with taxes–plus, they will make sure you are taking advantage of ALL of the tax breaks available for household employers.  They will also help you account for overtime, PTO and other time off, and they can help you set up additional benefits like health insurance stipends or 401K contributions for your nanny, but at minimum, PAYROLL COMPANIES MAKE IT EASY TO PAY YOUR NANNY!

As a household employer, you’ll pay 7.4% of the nanny’s net income in Medicare and Social Security fees (the nanny also pays 7.4%.)  You will also be required to pay into State and Federal Unemployment Insurance and Workman’s Compensation Insurance (if your nanny is employed more than 32 hours per week.)  The payroll company takes care of all these withholdings and payments for you!  

While there are many great household-specific payroll companies, we refer all our clients to our Premier Payroll Partner, GTM Payroll, Inc.  Contact them today to get a free quote by visiting  https://gtm.com/household/michigan-nanny-solutions/

You will not have to provide health insurance for your nanny, but there are other standard benefits that nannies receive from their employer.  These are the required minimum benefits you must offer your nanny if represented by our agency.

1. Guaranteed Pay: You must guarantee your nanny’s pay 52 weeks per year in exchange for them guaranteeing their availability and loyalty.  For example, if your nanny is hired for 40 hours per week, they will be paid 40 hours per week, even if you need them for fewer hours.  If your family is traveling and you give them a week off, or even just Thursday and Friday off, they will still be paid all for the hours they would normally work on these days.  In return, they must guarantee you their availability for the days and times they are scheduled to work.  They MUST make your family top priority during those times.  
2. Paid Time Off:  PTO hours are used when your nanny chooses to take a day or several days off for their own needs.  This covers vacation days, personal days, jury duty, bereavement, etc.  Nannies will start with two weeks of PTO–if their schedule is 5 days/40 hours, their PTO will be equal to 10 days/50 hours.  Generally, you will need alternate coverage when your nanny uses PTO hours. 
3. Paid Sick Days: Nannies will start with one week of Sick Days–if their schedule is 5 days/40 hours, their Sick Days will be equal to 5 days/40 hours. Nannies are generally expected to work regardless of their own minor illness or injury (and regardless of any illness in the family), but sometimes, especially with COVID as a constant risk, major illnesses and injuries may occur, and nannies will need to use their Sick Days to quarantine, rest, and recover.
4. Paid holidays:  If your nanny is scheduled to work on a holiday and you do not need them, they will be paid their normal hours that day.  These paid holidays are generally Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.  Some families also offer Good Friday, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, or other holidays they know nanny will not be needed.  Any other days a nanny is scheduled to work and is not needed are also covered by Guaranteed Pay (see above).
5. Federal Mileage Reimbursement: Mileage for all miles driven with your children in the nanny’s car will be reimbursed at the current 2022 rate of $0.625 per mile, in accordance with the current federal mileage reimbursement amount (changing each January 1st).  It is the nanny’s responsibility to track their mileage—using whatever means they prefer—and to report their miles driven to you once per month.  Federal Mileage Reimbursement is NON-taxable, so you can reimburse them using cash, electronic transfer, or a personal check.  It does not go through payroll.  It is also your nanny’s responsibility to keep their vehicle maintained and clean, and they must get and maintain a business rider on her car insurance.  The mileage reimbursement is intended to help her cover these costs.
6. CPR/First Aid: Family pays for CPR/First Aid certification and/or renewal when it comes due.  Nannies must stay up to date with this life-saving information.  If you hire a nanny whose certification has expired, they will have 90 days to renew it. 
7. Vaccinations:  Family pays for any vaccines they require (most commonly flu shot and TDaP) if they are not covered under nanny’s insurance.

Nannies are non-exempt hourly employees, so they must be paid overtime at time and a half their normal hourly rate for every hour worked over 40 in a 7 day period.  Many full-time nannies work 45-50 hours per week, so overtime is a very common occurrence.  You will report total weekly hours worked to the payroll company you use to pay your nanny, and they will pay your nanny accordingly.

Yes, you will pay your nanny their same weekly hours even on weeks you don’t use them at all.  This falls under the Guaranteed Pay benefit, which dictates that a nanny is paid their same weekly hours every week 52 weeks per year despite their employer’s schedule changes.  So if you send them home early, give them a day off, or take a whole week off for vacation, the nanny will still be paid their minimum guaranteed hours for the week.  This ensures that the nanny is able to pay their bills when they are off work due to no fault of their own, and ensures that they stay loyal and available to your family year-round.

We require our clients to offer a minimum of 20 guaranteed hours per week and are not able to accommodate requests for split shifts (ie. someone who comes before and after school but is not needed or paid for the middle hours).  We can accommodate requests for nannies who work a consistently inconsistent schedule as long as there is a minimum of 20 guaranteed hours per week and their schedule can be provided at least one week in advance.  

We work with highly qualified nanny candidates who view nannying as their career, and it is very difficult for us to find career-minded professional nannies who will work for fewer than 20 hours per week, who are able to be on-call without appropriate compensation, or who will work split shifts long-term.  Because we know we will likely not be successful finding nannies to work these positions, we won’t bother taking your money to try!  We can, however, help you get creative to add hours so that your position is competitive and we can find someone amazing to commit to your family long-term!

Nannies are happy to help with light, child-related household tasks, but house cleaning is a completely different industry.  Professional nannies are not qualified to provide professional house-keeping services (nor are most professional nannies willing to neglect engaging with the children in their care in order to maintain a cleaning list.) 

The child-related household tasks that nannies WILL help with are as follows: children’s laundry, children’s dishes, meal planning, prep, and clean-up for the children, washing dishes used during the day, washing bottles, cleaning up after activities, keeping children’s rooms and play areas tidy and organized, emptying the diaper pail, restocking low supplies in the nursery, helping maintain a grocery and household needs list, and occasionally running errands for the family.  

We recommend maintaining a house-cleaning service if needed for your family, allowing your professional nanny to do what they do best–investing in and engaging with your children!

Our extensive application and screening process gives professional nannies the spotlight!  Nannies that meet our professional standards are invited to begin the application process by submitting a brief preliminary online application.  Nannies must meet our professional standards to be considered for a position, and we are not able to place every nanny that applies.

Our Professional Standards for Nannies are as follows:

• Must be at least 21 years old, must speak English, and must be legal to work in the United States.
• Must have a minimum of 3 years of professional childcare experience. We consider “professional childcare experience” to be any part-time or full-time childcare position that a candidate has from age 18 forward. 
• Must have at least three recent childcare references.  These must be three people unrelated to the nanny that have worked with the nanny directly to observe their past work with children, whether they be previous nanny or babysitting families, coworkers at daycare or school, or anyone else who observed them with children on a regular basis.
• Must have their own safe and reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, a clean driving record, and must be willing to drive their vehicle to transport children as required by their job.
• Must have current Adult, Infant and Toddler CPR/First aid certification or agree to complete a class within 90 days of start-date if hired.
• Must be able to pass a thorough criminal background check and drug test.
• Must have a high school diploma.  Preference is given to applicants with a degree in education, child development, or family studies.

Absolutely you can!  We often work with nannies who hold degrees in education, social work, family sciences, and psychology, with Early Childhood Development and Family Studies degrees being the most common.  Nannies with college degrees will charge more hourly than a nanny without a degree, even if their degree does not directly apply to a childcare position.

As a nanny placement agency, we cannot discriminate on who we consider for open positions for any reason, which is part of our personal and professional business ethics, but also required by Equal Opportunity Employer laws.  However, you’ll be asked to give us many details about your family’s ideals and beliefs as part of our intake process, and we’ll share that information with candidates as we interview them.  Any candidates who don’t feel they could be respectfully aligned with your family will likely come to that decision on their own, and will not be presented for your consideration.  

For all positions we represent, we use the details of the family’s preferences to help us determine which candidates have the best long-term potential with the family.  We firmly believe that one key to a great match is making sure the family’s culture and nanny’s culture are in alignment!

We have a strenuous application and screening process that weeds out 80% of the initial applications.  For those applicants who meet our Professional Standards, we focus on learning as much as we can about each candidate’s professional childcare experience, higher education and additional training, long-term career focus and goals, work ethic, and professionalism. 

Our Application Process is as follows:

1. Brief Online Application–Nannies can apply for a specific position we have posted, or tell us the type of job they’re looking for and a bit about their childcare experience.  They must submit a childcare resume, and can also attach letters of reference and an optional letter of interest.  
2. Nanny Placement Questionnaire–Nannies who meet our professional standards are asked to complete our  Nanny Placement Questionnaire.  This online-based form asks more detailed information about their work history, qualifications, and ideal nanny position, as well as a number of scenario-based questions that allows their strengths and colorful experience to shine.   
3. Virtual Interview & Orientation–After completing the Nanny Placement Questionnaire, nannies are invited to a Virtual Interview & Orientation.  We discuss their application, go over the positions they applied for in more detail, and guide them through an orientation on nanny industry standards, agency expectations, and how to be successful as they begin interviewing with our clients.
4. Contacting References–Once the interview is complete, we will contact the nanny’s references and verify past employment.  We love talking to the families our nannies have worked with in the past, and we use these opportunities to find out more about the nanny’s professionalism, work ethic, communication style, and strengths. 
5. Meet our Parent Clients–Nannies that best meet the qualifications of an available position are invited to interview with our parent clients!  The first interview with your family will be via Zoom, hosted by us.  You will use this opportunity to introduce the nanny to your family, talk about the job duties and schedule, and ask the nanny questions that will help you determine if they’re a good fit for your family.  If the Zoom interview goes well, you will invite the nanny over for a paid Work Interview so you have an opportunity to meet them in person and so you have a chance to see them in action with your children!  Families are usually ready to make a hiring decision after meeting their top candidates in person.

Background checks are initiated AFTER a formal job offer is extended and accepted by the nanny.  As part of our preliminary screening, we ask nannies to disclose traffic tickets and criminal convictions on their first application, and we decline working with those who disclose excessive traffic tickets or infractions or a criminal history.  

Our comprehensive background screenings include the following:

• Social Security Number trace & verification
• Screen of the candidate’s United States criminal records, covering county and national records
• Screen of the United States’ sex offender database
• A copy of the candidate’s current motor vehicle report
• Lab-based 5-panel drug test that screens for use of marijuana, PCP, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opiates

Our Background Screening Services are also available to any individual or family.

There is a national shortage of available workers currently, and the nanny industry is no different.  Most long-term, full-time nanny placements are taking 8-12 weeks from the time we are hired by the family until the nanny is able to start.  Part-time positions, temporary positions, and positions with limiting factors may take longer.  Since most candidates who apply are currently working in other positions, we also try to ensure there is enough time for the candidates to give a fair notice to their current position before they can start with your family.

We promise each of our clients the same thorough, engaged, and strenuous Nanny Placement Search, but we cannot guarantee how many candidates will apply, how quickly they apply, how qualified those candidates will be, or how many will actually make it through our screening process to be introduced to your family.  We will work hard to identify at least 2-3 candidates that you will be able to interview, and will help make sure the interview, hiring, and onboarding process are as efficient as possible!  

If you are unable to give us a full 8-12 weeks to conduct your search and assist with interviewing candidates, we will likely be unable to find someone who exceeds your expectations.

You will receive weekly updates regarding the status of your nanny search, and we’ll keep you informed about how many candidates are applying, how qualified they are, when interviews are scheduled, and how those interviews go.  As we identify candidates and send you their Nanny Profile Page, you will be able to choose whether or not you want to interview each individual candidate.  

If the search is moving slowly or we are not introducing the caliber of candidate you want for your family, we will make suggestions to help make the job description and/or total compensation package more competitive. This could include offering a higher hourly pay range, a signing bonus to be paid after their trial period, additional benefits such as health insurance stipend or education assistance plans, or making changes to any limiting factors in the job description that might be discouraging people from applying.  By making the job more lucrative, we will likely be more likely to attract the professional you’re hoping to hire.

The total placement fees for our Full-Time Nanny Placement Service are 10% of the Nanny’s gross annual compensation package.  The placement fees for Part-Time Nanny Placement Service are 20% of the nanny’s gross annual compensation package.  The minimum placement fee for either placement type is $3500.  You can read about other placement types and their fees in our pricing table above.

Our Nanny Placement Service Fees are split into two separate fees.  We charge a non-refundable Search Fee of $1500 at the time our services are contracted, and this is solely the cost for us to conduct your nanny search and does not guarantee placement.  The Final Placement Fee will be calculated based on 10% of your nanny’s gross annual compensation package, minus the $1500 Search Fee, and will be charged after your chosen nanny accepts your job offer!  If you do not end up hiring a nanny at the end of your search, for any reason, you will not owe the Final Placement Fee.

For example:  The Duncan Family hires a nanny at $20 per hour for a guaranteed 40 hours per week, with a $150 per month stipend paid toward the nanny’s health insurance.  The nanny’s total annual gross compensation package is $43,400.  The Duncan Family’s Placement Fee will be $4340, with $1500 paid as the non-refundable Search Fee and a Final Placement Fee of $2840 due after the nanny accepts their job offer.

All of our Full-Time and Part-Time Nanny Placement Services are backed by a 90 Day Happy Nanny/Happy Family Guarantee.  If you or your nanny are unhappy with the placement, and we are unable to mediate to improve the situation, we will initiate a Free Nanny Replacement Search and there will be no additional cost to the family for the search or placement.

Between day 91 and 365, if you need to replace your nanny, we will conduct a Nanny Replacement Search with no Search Fee and will charge only a Final Placement Fee at the time the new nanny accepts their job offer.  

If you need to find a new nanny and it has been over a year since you first hired our services, we will start over with a fresh Nanny Placement Search and will offer a 10% Return Client Discount.