The nanny share agreement: what to agree before you start
Most nanny shares that go wrong don't fail because of the nanny. They fail because two families assumed different things about money, holidays or hosting. An hour spent going through this list together, and writing down what you decide, saves months of awkwardness.
Two separate things to get right. The agreement between the two families is your own: it isn't a legal requirement, but it's the most useful document you'll write. The nanny's employment is a legal relationship: as their employers, you must give them a written statement of their main terms on their first day.
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1. Hours and days
- Which days and hours the share covers, including start and finish times.
- Any days or hours only one family needs, and who pays for those.
- How you'll handle late finishes and occasional extra hours.
2. Pay and how it's split
- The nanny's gross hourly rate or salary, and when it's reviewed.
- How the cost splits: 50/50, or by number of children if one family has two.
- How you'll pay for shared things: outings, classes, travel, a kitty for snacks and crafts.
- Who chooses the payroll provider, and whether you'll both use the same one.
3. Hosting
- Whose home is the main base, or how you'll take turns.
- What the host family gets towards extra food, heating, nappies and wear and tear.
- Where each child naps, eats and plays, and what equipment each family provides: cot, high chair, buggy, car seat.
- House rules the nanny and the visiting child need to know.
4. Holidays
- Full-time employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year, including bank holidays. Agree how the nanny chooses theirs, and how much notice they give.
- Whether the families take some holiday at the same time each year.
- What happens when only one family is away. Usually both keep paying, so the nanny's income doesn't drop.
5. Sickness
- When the nanny is ill: from April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay is due from the first day of illness. Agree whether you'll pay anything above it, and how you'll each cover childcare.
- When a child is ill: at what point a poorly child stays home, and whether the other family is happy for the share to go ahead.
- Medicines: written permission before the nanny gives any.
6. Employment paperwork
- A written statement of the nanny's main terms on their first day: pay, hours, holiday, place of work, notice.
- Payroll and tax for each family as a separate employer, and workplace pension enrolment where the nanny qualifies.
- Right-to-work checks, references and an enhanced DBS check before the nanny starts.
- Insurance: check your home insurance covers employing someone at home, or take out nanny insurance.
7. Ofsted registration and Tax-Free Childcare
- Whether the nanny will join Ofsted's voluntary Childcare Register. It's needed if either family wants to use Tax-Free Childcare.
- Who pays the registration fee and the nanny's first aid course, if needed.
8. Routines and parenting
- Food and allergies, naps, screen time, potty training and discipline.
- Outings: where the children can go, travel by car, bus or buggy, and car seats.
- Photos and social media: whether the nanny can share pictures, and with whom.
- Emergency contacts, a first aid kit at each home, and what the nanny does in an emergency.
9. Keeping it working
- How the nanny updates both families each day.
- A short check-in between the families every month or two.
- A trial period, for example the first four to six weeks, after which you all review.
10. If the share ends
- How much notice one family gives the other, often a couple of months, and when (a child starting nursery or school is the most common reason).
- What happens to the nanny's job: finding a new family together, the remaining family taking on more hours, or ending the role with proper notice.
- How you'll handle any costs of ending the nanny's employment.
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