Paying a Babysitter

• An Hourly Rate vs. A Salary
• Besides Pay Rate: What Babysitters Consider
• How Much to Pay Your Babysitter
• Adding Perks to a Babysitter’s Pay
• Babysitter Pay
• Making Babysitting Costs More Affordable
• To Tip, or Not to Tip?
• What is the Going Babysitting Rate?

In general, babysitters fill in occasional hours or work on a part-time basis, so an hourly rate is typical. By paying an hourly rate, you only pay a babysitter for the time that you use him or her. However, you also have the option to pay your sitter a salary for working on a regular basis. A salary can be effective when you know you have a consistent number of hours to offer. This may be a means of guaranteeing a pay rate for the babysitter while getting some flexibility in hours for your family. It can also be a smart way to set aside money for your sitter each month, that way you won't have to worry about needing him or her for extra hours when you need it.

Although a babysitter will consider the pay rate of a job, there are other factors they’ll be concerned about. Besides the salary, babysitters will likely also be interested in these aspects of the job:

• The length of travel is a factor. Babysitters may weigh in on how far they have to travel to get to your home in addition to the pay rate.
• The number of children that a babysitter will be watching. Caring for more children involves more work. The number of children in a babysitter’s care should correspond to the level of pay.
• The amount of work. A babysitter may look for a job which involves regular hours over a job that is sporadic.
• The hours of work. Babysitters may prefer certain hours or only be available during certain time frames.

There are a number of factors to think about when deciding how much to pay a babysitter.

• Your overall budget needs to be determined first. There is a wide range of babysitter rates. Every family should decide how much they can afford to pay for childcare.
• Your geographical location will determine how much you pay your babysitter. Urban areas tend have the most expensive babysitter rates.
• The level of experience you’re looking for will determine how much you pay a babysitter. Naturally, more experienced babysitters tend to charge more money.
• The number of children you have will determine how much you pay a babysitter. Babysitters sometimes charge a higher rate to watch more children.

Sometimes, you can make a babysitting job more attractive by adding perks rather than just increasing the overall salary. That way, you save on the overall cost of a babysitter’s pay, while offering some benefits that a babysitter can enjoy. Here are some suggestions.

• Consider offering an occasional bonus. This can be a monthly compensation or additional funds for a job well done.
• Add a gas mileage allowance to your babysitter’s pay. This option can be especially attractive if you are having your babysitter drive your child to after school activities.
• Give your babysitter an allowance toward the purchase of crafts for your child. Your child benefits and your babysitter will gain some flexibility to make decisions for the care of your child.
• Offer an allowance for the purchase of food and drink for both your babysitter and child. Alternatively, you can always have a fresh supply of allotted goodies and drinks for your babysitter as well.

Wondering what the current babysitter pay is? Babysitter pay varies widely. Depending on where you live, the typical range is between $8 and $25 an hour.

How much you end up paying your babysitter will be dependent on a number of factors, such as where you live, how much experience the babysitter has, and how many children he or she’ll be watching at once. Less expensive babysitters tend to be high school-aged caretakers. More expensive babysitters tend to be those who watch children for a living and have a great deal of experience.

Babysitting costs can be expensive. One way to make babysitting costs more affordable is by sharing a babysitter with another family. Basically, you and another family will use the same babysitter and split the costs.

The best way to make this situation work is find a family who is looking for a similar childcare situation. Then find a babysitter who is open to watching more than one child. Make sure you discuss all the details, such as where the children will be, who handles hiring the babysitter, and how to handle pick-ups and drop-offs. Keep in mind that the children from both families should get along reasonably well with one another.

If you’re wondering how much to tip a babysitter, the answer is: it depends. Typically, families don’t have to tip a babysitter. However, you can always add some extra money to the sitter's pay if you feel he or she has done an exceptionally good job. What some families do is give a babysitter extra pay during the holidays or certain times of the year. The tip can vary greatly and can depend on how much you would like or can afford to reward your babysitter. So the answer varies greatly. As for how, you can tip a babysitter by adding just a few extra dollars to the total wage for the day or by giving the babysitter as much as a few hundred dollars at the end of the year.

It can be a tough to determine an appropriate babysitting rate. Here are four ways to find out what the going babysitting rate is.

1. Go online to parents' boards in your area. Online parent’s boards are a great way to find out what other parents are paying for babysitters. You can simply search the previous posts for rates or create your own posts and wait for feedback from other parents.
2. Ask friends, family, and neighbors. The people you know can be a good resource for finding out what the going babysitting rate is. Chances are, several people you know have employed babysitters and you can get a feel for the typical pay rate by asking around.
3. Check a compensation survey. You can find surveys through magazines, books and online parent’s sites that tell you what the typical hourly rate is for a babysitter.
4. Browse online babysitter databases. Online babysitter databases typically have a pay range that lets you know how much a babysitter is looking to receive for his or her services.