An au pair is a young exchange visitor who lives with your family for a year and provides up to 10 hours of childcare a day and 45 hours a week under State Department rules; a nanny is your employee, with hours you agree between you. With a nanny you're usually a household employer, and the IRS says social security and Medicare taxes apply once you pay 3,000 dollars or more in cash wages in 2026. Choose an au pair for live-in flexibility, a nanny for experience and longer days.
This is one of the biggest childcare decisions working parents make, and the rules are very different for each. I read the US State Department's au pair programme page and the IRS household employer guide, Publication 926. Here's the US picture, as of October 2026.
Au pair and nanny side by side
| Au pair | Nanny | |
|---|---|---|
| Who they are | An exchange visitor aged 18 to 26 on the State Department programme | Usually your household employee |
| Hours | Up to 10 hours a day and 45 hours a week | Agreed between you |
| Living arrangement | Lives with your family for 12 months, with options to extend 6, 9 or 12 months | Live-in or live-out |
| Training | At least 32 hours of childcare training before starting | Whatever experience you hire for |
| What you provide | Room and board, pay for childcare and up to 500 dollars toward required coursework | Wages, and employer taxes once you cross the IRS threshold |
| Babies | Not under 2 unless they have 200 hours of documented infant care experience | Hire for the experience you need |
| Arranged through | A programme organisation designated by the State Department | You, or an agency |
The au pair rules people miss
The State Department's page sets out who can be an au pair: proficient in spoken English, a secondary school graduate, aged 18 to 26, and screened with references, a criminal background check and a personality profile. The hour limits are firm, up to 10 hours a day and 45 a week, and your au pair must complete at least six hours of academic credit at an accredited US college, with up to 500 dollars from you toward it.
The placement limits matter for young families. Au pairs can't be placed with an infant under three months old unless a parent or another responsible adult is home, and they can't be placed in homes with children under two unless they've got at least 200 hours of documented infant childcare experience. They also can't be placed with relatives.
If you only need cover before and after school, there's EduCare: up to 10 hours a day and 30 hours a week, at 75 percent of the standard weekly rate, with the family providing up to the first 1,000 dollars toward coursework.
What hiring a nanny means for you
The IRS is clear that if you hire someone to do household work and you control not only what they do but how they do it, they're your household employee, and babysitters are on its list of examples. That holds even if an agency found them. For 2026, social security and Medicare taxes apply to a household worker you pay 3,000 dollars or more in cash wages. You don't have to withhold federal income tax unless your employee asks and you agree, and you'll need to give them a Form W-2.
If you do employ a nanny, our household employment tax guide explains the taxes involved and who files them.
Which one fits your family
- You need early starts and late finishes: a nanny, because an au pair's day caps at 10 hours.
- You have a spare room and like the idea of cultural exchange: an au pair, who lives with you for the year.
- You have a baby under two: check the au pair has 200 hours of infant care experience, or hire an experienced nanny.
- You only need school-run cover: look at the EduCare option or a part-time nanny.
- You want to avoid payroll admin: be realistic, because a nanny usually makes you an employer.
If you're working out what to pay, my piece on how to decide what to pay an employee helps, and these work-from-home roles for parents are useful if you're weighing up childcare against your own hours.
My advice on an au pair or a nanny
Decide on hours first, then on the person. If your working week regularly runs past 45 hours of cover, or you need someone with years of experience with babies, a nanny is the honest answer. If you've got the space, older children and a 45-hour week is enough, an au pair can be wonderful for the whole family. Whichever you choose, read the official rules yourself rather than relying on an agency summary, and speak to an accountant about household employer taxes before your nanny's first payday.
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Frequently asked questions
How many hours can an au pair work?
The State Department says au pairs provide up to 10 hours of childcare a day and 45 hours a week. On the EduCare option, the limit is 10 hours a day and 30 a week.
Is a nanny an employee?
Usually, yes. The IRS says a worker is your household employee if you control what work they do and how they do it, even if an agency found them.
When do I pay taxes for a nanny?
IRS Publication 926 says social security and Medicare taxes apply to a household worker you pay 3,000 dollars or more in cash wages in 2026.
Can an au pair look after a baby?
Au pairs can't be placed in homes with children under two unless they have at least 200 hours of documented infant childcare experience, and not with an infant under three months unless a parent or responsible adult is home.
How long does an au pair stay?
The State Department says au pairs live with a family for 12 months, with an option to extend for 6, 9 or 12 more months.
