Help a Reader: Paying a Babysitter

Here's a question left recently on my post titled How Much Do You Pay Your Babysitter?:

I need an opinion, I need a sitter 21.5ish hours a week for my 18-months-old son and 8 of those hours he's sleeping. She doesn't have to bathe or put him to bed. Just dinner and a snack and to play with him. The current sitter I have is a 15-year-old high school student that I pay $60 a week. Is that too low, and if it is what should I pay? I'm a single mother and live alone with just my child.

What are your thoughts for her?

Comments

[MC]

Babysitting rates depend on what part of the country you live in...but wherever you are, I think you are paying way on the low side.

I live in the rural midwest and I have 2 children---$10/hr for two school-aged children is the low-ish standard rate I pay for a teenaged babysitter during the day.

For an infant (who requires much more care), you should probably pay $15-20/hr. Night care typically costs more because of the inconvenience of sleeping away from home and because with an infant she won't even get an uninterrupted nights sleep. It doesn't matter if she's asleep or not--she's responsible for your kid 100% of the time she's there and should be paid accordingly.

So I think you should pay at least $15-20/hr. Yes, good babysitters are expensive! You'd be paying far more at a licensed daycare center, and I'm sure you're not paying social security taxes for the teenager like you're supposed to either. Being a single mom (so am I, BTW) doesn't change what you have to pay the help.

[Anita]

I don't personally agree with MC's pay rate. I personally don't make $20/hr, so I'm not agreeable to paying someone more than I make to watch my children. I might as well stay home and struggle to make ends meet that way...

As far as social security is concerned, this is from the ssa.gov website...

~~~~
If you paid a household employee cash wages of $1,700 or more for 2009 ($1,600 or more for 2008), you are required to withhold and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on that employee’s wages for that year.

A household employee is someone you hired to do household work, and you were able to control what work he/she did, and how that work was done. Some examples of workers who do household work are: babysitters, nannies, maids, cooks, laundry workers, butlers, gardeners, chauffeurs, people who do house cleaning or repair work, or anyone employed in or around someone else's home. (This does not apply if the employee is under age 18 during any part of the year and household work is not their principal job.)

The employer must deduct the employee’s share of the Social Security taxes from their wages, and report those earnings to the Internal Revenue Service. If the wages are not reported, the employee will not earn Social Security credits for his/her work.
~~~~~

Anyway...

If your babysitter is a teenager, they shouldn't be making the kind of money that an adult will either have to have a degree (starting wages) or have been working at their career for a number of years to reach (depending on what part of the country you live in, sure). Minimum wage for a teenager (even if they are watching your children) should be a reasonable rate. But given that the reader is a single parent with one source of income, I feel that the rate should be determined on what she can afford and the babysitter agrees to.

If it would be more comfortable for you reader, then talk with the teenager and the teenager's parent(s) to come to a mutual agreement on wages.

[Emily]

$60 is way too low for 20 hours a week. At the VERY leas pay minimum wage.

[MissPinkKate]

$60 a week??? That's less than $3 an hour!!! You need to start paying her more PRONTO! And thank your lucky stars you're getting such a great deal! Because if it ever gets around what you're getting away with now, NOBODY is going to want to babysit for you.

[Andie]

I guess I don't get it. If the sitter thinks $60 is worth her time and the mother is comfortable with the quality of care her child is getting at that price, how is it too high or too low? The parties involved are happy.

In LA, I paid $12-15/hr for a US citizen with substantial previous childcare experience to watch my 6 month old. So I have no idea where the $15-20/hr quote comes from. Many of my friends paid undocumented workers less.

15 years ago when I was a teenager babysitting, I made $3 an hr watching 3 kids under 6 feeding them dinner and put them to bed. I didn't feel underpaid and I assume the parents were happy with my work.

A Christmas gift is in order for the babysitter, but raising her rate if she is already satisfied seems unnecessary. If she is signaling that she wants a raise or she'll quit, then it makes sense to negotiate to a new equilibrium that satisfies both her and the mom (as in the mom can afford it).

[MC]

Anita: Your arguments make no sense. Why do you think it is "fair" to give un-equal pay for equal work?

Why should you pay a teenager less just because of her age even though she's working the same as an adult would? If she's there babysitting while you're home too I could see paying less, but if she's there on her own and totally responsible for an infant all night, she deserves what you'd pay an adult to do the same thing.

Comparing the babysitter's wages to your own potential wages is similarly irrelevant--you don't try to get bread for cheap at the supermarket by citing your lack of salary do you? And are you actually suggesting that adults usually need a college degree to babysit an infant? That's absurd.

Sorry, I don't like the high costs of daycare either--and I think it's criminal that the government doesn't subsidize daycare so women can more easily work or go to school. I also think daycare workers should be paid more, since they serve a critical function in our society and yet are woefully underpaid and also usually have no health insurance through their job.

But Lincoln freed the slaves and we do have a minimum wage law in the US last time I checked (even for teenagers). Just because a particular teenager is ill-informed and will take any amount of money for her work, this is no reason to exploit her. Skip the useless (and patronizing) Christmas gift and pay her at least min wage.

Also, if you refuse to pay more, why did you write into FMF for advice anyway?

[Sandra]

Good question! I see a couple of issues here.
1. Anyone who is providing child care should have training, and if your sitter doesn't know pediatric CPR and first aid, I would suggest that you pay for her to take these courses right away. And you should obtain a copy of her grades or certificates, whatever the organization provides. I believe the American Red Cross offers such a course. Checking at a hospital or your local government office should help you to find a program. I believe that workers in day care centers must meet this requirement.
2. You said 21.5ish hours per week. How many times does the sitter come to your home each week? I would round each stay up to the next whole hour; this helps to compensate her for her travel time. (Does she live across the street or does an adult drive her or does she ride her bicycle? All factor in.)
3. Paying her minimum wage shows her how precious your child is to you and how seriously she should take this responsibility.
4. That your son is sleeping part of the time does not change her responsibility, so that shouldn't be a factor.

I'll be interested in hearing about what you decide.

[Claire at Saving Money Plan]

It definitely depends on where you live. Have you searched Craiglist in your area to see what babysitters online are offering their services at?

That's a good way to start.

[steve]

My son's daycare is $35/ Day or $175 / week. This is from 7am if needed to 5pm if needed. $35/ day is 3-4 dollars per hour. This is a licenced and reputable facility.If your child was being watched for $40/ hrs a week at $15-20/hour that would be $600-800 per week. That would be $30k -40k per year. Most people could not afford to work and they along with the daycare workers would be out of jobs.

[Crystal]

I get paid $10 an hour for two kids or one infant for evening and weekend babysitting...sometimes we agree on $40 an evening up to 6 hours if the kids will only be up for a couple of hours. I am CPR certified and have first aid training.

For example, I babysit a 6 year old and 4 year old on Friday from 7pm-midnight. We agreed on $40 for the night since the kids actually go to sleep between 8pm-9pm (I have babysat for them before).

I'd pay my babysitter at least $150 a week ($10 a waking hour) and cover the cost of the first aid training...she would probably appreciate that since it would make her more marketable. :)

Keep in mind that would still be an awesome deal and your babysitter is really sweet...I would be charging you $175-$200 minimum...$210-$250 if your baby is really difficult (like won't sleep that expected 8 hours). But I'm a 27 year old with 14 years experience babysitting and have a full time job.

I charged $5 an hour for one child or $7.50 an hour for two or an infant when I was 15, but that was 12 years ago and would still cost you $157.50 a week.

[LeanLifeCoach]

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act...

"...babysitters, if they receive at least $1,700 in 2009 in cash wages from one employer in a calendar year, or if they work a total of more than eight hours a week for one or more employers." - Are eligible for minimum wage.

I would even suggest that you recalculate previous hours worked and give the caregiver back pay. If he/she gets a clue and files a suit you may have to pay much more than that!

[[email protected]]

Wow, what a rough crowd...

What if this single mom doesn't make a lot of money?
What if she doesn't make much more than minimum wage herself? I don't know how many hour a weeks she makes, but on the surface, 21.5 hours is only a parttime job in itself. I have to wonder if she has a day job? If so who watches the baby then?

More information would be needed to make a fair judgement. Especially if the teenager is related in some way (I know that family members can be payed less).

Evidently, you care about your babysitter or you wouldn't be asking...

Hopefully in 2010, you'll earn more or find clever ways to compensate the babysitter in addition to her regular rate that you are paying her...

I'd like to wish the FMF emailer the best of luck in 2010!

[Mike Hunt]

$60 a week is a really good deal (not for the babysitter though). $3 per hour is what I got paid for babysitting 3 kids back in 1988 and I remember I thought those people were cheap back then ($1 per child per hour- and these 3 kids were a total nightmare: fighting, eating boogers, licking windows, the whole 9 yards. They also had 2 incontinent pets) so for sure this is a cheap wage now.

However if the person is happy I'd say go for it, maybe give them a 20% raise and they will be happy. I trust they are able to eat your food, use your computer, watch your TV, etc when there is down time. Sometimes convenience trumps the salary, and for the minimum wage callers keep in mind there are many jobs that can pay below minimum wage such as jobs on commission and people in the service industry.

-Mike

[cmadler]

If it was infrequent, like an occasional night out, I think $3-$4/hr might be OK. But 20+ hrs/wk is a serious part-time job, and I'd be uncomfortable if they are not at least near minimum wage -- say minimum wage for the waking hrs and 1/2 for the sleeping hrs. Federal minimum wage is $7.25, so that's about $127/wk.

[Ryan]

I wonder if the baby sitter has tried to get a regular retail job. I'm guaranteed minimum wage (7.30/hr) but not the hours. Still, I could make 60 bucks in just 2 days.

Just because she's in high school doesn't mean she isn't entitled to make a fair wage. I make the same amount of money as some of the moms I work with at American Eagle.

However, if she's honestly OK with making such little money (maybe she knows the mother's situation?), then I guess it's fine.

But I personally wouldn't work for 3 dollars an hour...

[Julie]

Strike a deal that's fair with the teenager & her parents--not as high as a licensed daycare but not so low that it's not worth the teen's time and effort. You are entrusting this person with your most precious child and you want to make sure that everyone's on board with the pay and the quality of care.

[Anita]

MC: Sorry you feel my argument doesn't make sense. I'm not suggesting that a babysitter need a college degree to make more money babysitting. I was making the comparison that someone who is a teenager shouldn't be making the same kind of money per hour as someone who has been in the workforce longer.
I was also not suggesting that you haggle over the price of bread depending on what you make (but I will say that you can decide to buy the bread on sale or pay full price. Your choice...).

I've actually been a babysitter during different times of my life and I've made as little as $1/hr per kid to $20/hr as a teen-aged babysitter. It all depended on what the parents could afford. And as an adult (to try to spend time with my own children), I've watched children for as *little* as $100/wk for up to 4 kids (depending on school schedules). EVERY TIME I have babysat for anyone, it has been a MUTUAL AGREEMENT as to what I was being paid.

So I still feel it's is up to the reader and her babysitter to come to a MUTUAL AGREEMENT on what to pay.

Another suggestion that I don't believe has been mentioned to this point is a BABYSITTING CO-OPERATIVE. Trading time with another mother/family to watch each other's children. That could save the reader most if not all of the $60/week. Just a thought....

Hope that clears things up/helps the reader. Good luck and best wishes for 2010 to the reader! :)

[Tess]

I too think this is a rough crowd. We really don't know all the circumstances. Is the sitter wanting more? I mean, I get it it's on the low end but $240 a month could be a big chunk out of someone's salary. You know, she could be there doing her homework and talking on the phone to her friends and watching tv just like we do other things when we are with our own children. Don't take that the wrong way. Her work as a babysitter is very important and is a big responsibility. If the teenager wants more or if you can afford to add something, of course, go ahead. I'll tell you there are times I needed a sitter and was so grateful that I had a 15 year old daughter to help me because I couldn't afford a sitter. Everybody's situation is different and I'm glad you have someone to watch your child. If you can't afford more than that if there are any perks you can throw in once in a while, I'm sure she would appreciate that too, but if you can't and she's ok with it maybe something for her birthday and Christmas. I can tell you I am seeing a lot of parents really struggle in the past 2 years and I know that even if they aren't not too many people can afford $20 and hour for a sitter.

[Amanda]

WOW!!! First I'd like to say that I make $10's an hour and work 40 hours a week that is $400 befor taxes. If I paid my babysitter 15-20 dollars an hour. I'd be in the whole and wouldn't be able to make it back and forth to work each week. And as a matter of fact I pay my babysitter 60 dollars a week at fourty hours. But if by any chance I work extra hour's I always pay my sitter extra money. I give her ride's to the store when she need's it or anything else I can possibly help her with. My babysitter also understand's that she is in the comfort of her own home and does not have to transport anywhere to baby sit my two year old and 8 month old. I believe that if all you can afford is 50 bucks or 60 or whatever that is what you should pay but there is NO way what so ever that you need to pay more than what you make.. I feel like most of these people have no idea what it's like to be a struggling parent trying to stay off of welfare...