Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total monthly cost
$4,918
Total annual cost
$59,014
Weekly gross wage
$1,045.00
Weekly employer tax
$99.28
Annual employer tax
$4,964
Psst — share this and help Rex grow
One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter hourly rate ($).
- 2Enter regular hours per week.
- 3Enter overtime hours per week.
- 4Enter employer payroll tax rate (fica + futa/suta) (%).
- 5Enter weeks worked per year.
- 6Enter other benefits per month (health stipend, pto accrual) ($).
- 7Read your total monthly cost on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
A nanny's stated hourly wage is not what you pay. As a household employer, you owe employer-side Social Security and Medicare (7.65% combined), federal unemployment tax, and usually state unemployment tax, on top of the wage itself. This calculator turns an hourly rate and weekly hours into a true monthly cost including those legally required employer taxes, plus optional overtime for hours worked over 40 in a week, which federal law requires for household employees. It also flags when your total cash wages cross the 'nanny tax' threshold ($2,700 for 2024, adjusted yearly) that triggers these obligations in the first place.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Hourly rate: 22 $
- Regular hours per week: 40
- Overtime hours per week: 5
- Employer payroll tax rate (FICA + FUTA/SUTA): 9.5 %
- Weeks worked per year: 50
- Other benefits per month (health stipend, PTO accrual): 150 $
Results
- Total monthly cost: $4,918
- Total annual cost: $59,014
- Weekly gross wage: $1,045.00
- Weekly employer tax: $99.28
- Annual employer tax: $4,964
What each field means
Inputs
- Hourly rate ($)
- The hourly rate used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 22 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Regular hours per week
- The regular hours per week used in the calculation. Starts at 40 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–80.
- Overtime hours per week
- The overtime hours per week used in the calculation. Starts at 5 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–40.
- Employer payroll tax rate (FICA + FUTA/SUTA) (%)
- The employer payroll tax rate (fica + futa/suta) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 9.5 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 7.65–15 %.
- Weeks worked per year
- The weeks worked per year used in the calculation. Starts at 50 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–52.
- Other benefits per month (health stipend, PTO accrual) ($)
- The other benefits per month (health stipend, pto accrual) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 150 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total monthly cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total annual cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Weekly gross wage
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Weekly employer tax
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual employer tax
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Do I really have to pay 'nanny tax'?
If you pay a household employee $2,700 or more in cash wages in 2024 (threshold adjusts yearly), you owe employer Social Security and Medicare taxes and likely federal/state unemployment tax, reported via Schedule H on your 1040. Misclassifying a nanny as a 1099 contractor to dodge this is one of the most commonly flagged household-employment issues in an IRS audit.
Is overtime really required for nannies?
Yes. Nannies are non-exempt household employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act, so hours over 40 in a workweek must be paid at 1.5x the regular rate. Live-in nannies have different rules in some states, so check your state labor department.
How does a nanny payroll service change this?
Services like Care.com HomePay or Poppins Payroll typically charge $40-60/month and handle tax filings, but they don't change the underlying tax math — add their fee to the 'benefits' field to see the fully loaded cost.
Can I pay the employer taxes with pre-tax dependent care FSA funds?
No — FSA funds reimburse the actual care expense (wages), not your employer tax liability. Run the wage portion through a dependent care FSA calculator separately.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Nanny Share Split Calculator
Fair per-family cost when two households share one nanny.
Daycare vs. Stay-at-Home Breakeven Calculator
Find the take-home pay level where working and staying home cost the same.
Dependent Care FSA Savings Calculator
Compare pre-tax FSA savings against the Child and Dependent Care Credit.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Nanny Total Cost Calculator (with Payroll Taxes). Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nanny-total-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nanny-total-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nanny Total Cost Calculator (with Payroll Taxes) — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Nanny Total Cost Calculator (with Payroll Taxes) — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/nanny-total-cost) (2026).