For years this page held an actual placement contract, complete with blank lines for fees and guarantee periods. The legal boilerplate has aged out, but the lesson behind it has not: every working relationship between a family and a caregiver deserves a written agreement, signed before the first day of work. Not because anyone expects trouble — but because writing things down is how two well-meaning households avoid discovering, three months in, that they remembered the same conversation differently.
1. The parties and the start date
Names, the work address, the start date, and whether the arrangement begins with a paid trial period (two to four weeks is common). A trial period lets both sides confirm the fit with a graceful, pre-agreed exit if it is not there.
2. Schedule and guaranteed hours
Days, start and end times, and — critically — a guaranteed minimum of weekly hours. Your nanny builds her income and her life around your schedule; if you take a vacation week, the standard professional practice is that she is still paid. Spell out how schedule changes are requested and how much notice each side gives.
3. Compensation
The hourly rate (even if you discuss pay weekly), the overtime rate past 40 hours, payday and payment method, and the fact that pay is on the books with taxes withheld. Hourly-rate clarity is not bureaucracy — overtime is calculated from it, and the Department of Labor's domestic worker rules apply in private homes. The tax mechanics live in our pay & tax FAQ and in IRS Publication 926.
4. Duties — where the job begins and ends
List childcare duties explicitly: meals for the children, children's laundry, school runs, activities, homework supervision. Then be equally explicit about what is not included — family laundry, deep cleaning, errands for the household. "While the baby naps, could you just…" is how good relationships erode. If duties grow over time, the agreement gets amended and the pay conversation happens honestly.
5. Time off: holidays, vacation, and sick days
The professional standard: paid federal holidays, one to two weeks of paid vacation (commonly one chosen by the family, one by the nanny, with notice requirements), and a set number of paid sick days. Write down what happens when the family travels — see guaranteed hours above — and how unpaid leave is requested.
6. Health, safety, and emergencies
Require current CPR and First Aid certification (the American Red Cross runs infant/child courses everywhere) and agree on who pays for renewals — families ideally do. Attach an emergency-information sheet: contacts, pediatrician, allergies, medication authorization, and a signed medical-consent form for emergencies. If the nanny drives the children, the agreement should name the vehicle, insurance arrangements, and car-seat expectations consistent with NHTSA car-seat guidance.
7. House rules and household norms
Screen-time policy, discipline approach (this one deserves a real conversation, not a clause alone), photography and social-media policy for the children, visitors during work hours, and smartphone use while on duty. For live-in arrangements, add the room, meals, guests, quiet hours, and vehicle terms — the full checklist is in our live-in FAQ.
8. Confidentiality
A caregiver sees the inside of your family's life. A simple mutual-discretion clause — the nanny keeps family matters private; the family keeps the nanny's personal information private — sets the tone. Keep it reasonable: gag clauses that would prevent a caregiver from discussing working conditions are both unenforceable in many places and a red flag in themselves.
9. Reviews and raises
Schedule a 30-day check-in and an annual review in the agreement itself. The annual review is where cost-of-living raises, duty changes, and the year-end bonus conversation happen on a calendar instead of by awkward improvisation.
10. Ending well
Two to four weeks' notice on either side is customary, with pay in lieu of notice at the family's option, and immediate termination reserved for serious cause. Agree in advance that the family will provide a truthful written reference for a nanny who leaves in good standing — references are a caregiver's livelihood, and committing to one in writing is a mark of a family worth working for.
Keep perspective: the agreement is a record of a good-faith conversation, not a weapon. Households change — new babies, new jobs, new schools. Review it yearly, amend it together, and it will serve you for the life of the relationship. For how the agreement fits into the broader hiring process, see the family hiring guide.
Next: The pay & tax FAQ →