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How Much Does a Nanny Cost in Australia? (2026 Guide)
A nanny is one of the most personal and flexible childcare options available in Australia. The care is one-on-one, your kids stay in their own home, and the schedule fits around your family rather than the other way round. For a lot of households, it's the option that just works.
So what does it actually cost?
The short version: most families budget $30 to $45 per hour in 2026, with the all-up cost (including super, leave, and workers comp) sitting around 15 to 25% above the hourly rate. None of it is complicated once you've seen the breakdown.
This guide walks through every part of the cost so you can plan ahead and feel confident about the numbers.
At a glance
A few headline figures before we dive into the detail:
- Hourly rate: $30 to $45 per hour
- Total weekly cost (full-time, permanent): roughly $1,650 to $1,700
These are typical 2026 figures and they hold up well against equivalent in-home care options.
1. Hourly pay rates
Wages are the largest part of the picture. Rates depend on:
- The nanny's experience and qualifications
- The role itself (number of kids, school runs, cooking, light housework)
- Whether the role is casual or permanent
In 2026, typical rates look like this:
- Entry-level - $30 to $32 p/hour (AUD)
- Experienced - $32 to $40 p/hour (AUD)
- Specialist - $40+ p/hour (AUD)
Most nanny roles in Australia sit under the Miscellaneous Award, which sets the minimum pay and conditions.
For a full breakdown by role type, region, and qualifications, see our complete guide on nanny pay rates in Australia.
2. Superannuation
Super is a standard part of employing anyone in Australia, and nannies are no exception.
The key facts:
- The current super guarantee rate is 12% of ordinary time earnings.
- From 1 July 2026, Payday Super comes in. That means super is paid at the same time as wages rather than quarterly. It's a simple system once you're set up for it.
- Under ATO rules, super isn't required if your nanny is a domestic worker working less than 30 hours per week. A lot of families still pay super, even if their nanny is working less than 30 hours (and something we always encourage, where families can afford it)
If you're using a nanny payroll service, super is calculated and paid automatically alongside wages. For more information on Payday Super, check out our full article here Payday Super guide for nannies.
3. Workers compensation insurance
Workers comp is standard cover for any household employing a nanny in Australia.
The basics:
- Premiums vary by state, generally between $500 and $1,500 per year
- If you are hiring a nanny in Queensland, the cost is only $60 for two years.
- It covers your nanny if they're injured during work
- The exact rules and providers differ across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT and NT
It's a small piece of the overall cost and gives both you and your nanny peace of mind. Our workers compensation guide for nanny employers covers what's required in your state.
4. Leave entitlements
Permanent employees (full-time and part-time) receive paid leave under Australian employment law. For a permanent nanny, that means:
- 4 weeks of paid annual leave each year
- 10 days of paid personal/carer's (sick) leave
- Public holidays, when they fall on a normal working day
- Long service leave over time
Leave is usually built into the weekly cost over the year, so it's not an unexpected expense. It's just a matter of factoring it in when you plan your budget.
Our leave guide for nannies in Australia walks through how it accrues and how to manage it in practice.
Casual roles work differently. Casual nannies don't accrue paid leave. Instead, they receive a casual loading (typically 25%) on top of their hourly rate.
5. Payroll, tax and admin
A few things sit alongside the wage itself:
- Weekly or fortnightly payroll
- Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting to the ATO
- Payslips
- PAYG withholding
- End-of-year income statements
- Record keeping
Most families won't need to worry about payroll tax due to the threshold levels.
You can run all of this yourself, and some families do. Most prefer to use a specialist nanny payroll provider like Pay The Nanny so the compliance side runs in the background and they can focus on the family.
6. A real example
Here's how it adds up for a permanent nanny working 40 hours a week:
Base wage
- Hourly rate: $35
- Hours per week: 40
- Weekly wage: $35 × 40 = $1,400
On-costs
- Super at 12%: about $168 per week
- Workers comp (averaged): roughly $15 to $20 per week
- Leave provisioning (annual + personal): around $100 to $130 per week
All up: approximately $1,650 to $1,700 a week, or $85,000 to $88,000 per year.
That's the number to budget around for a full-time permanent role on $35 an hour. In reality, most nannies are working part-time or less than 40 hours per week so the actual amount will likely be a lot less.
7. Casual or permanent? Here's the difference
The structure of the role changes the cost picture:
Casual nanny
- Higher hourly rate (with the 25% casual loading included)
- No paid leave
- Hours can vary week to week
- Suits ad-hoc or irregular care
We calculate, file and pay. You don't.
Pay The Nanny runs your payroll, files with the ATO and pays your nanny on time, so you never have to.
Enquire NowPermanent nanny
- Lower base hourly rate
- Full paid leave entitlements
- Stable, regular hours
- Suits ongoing, predictable care
If your hours are consistent (school pickups every weekday, for instance), a permanent arrangement often works out well per hour worked, even with the on-costs included. For occasional or fill-in care, casual is usually the better fit.
The right structure simply depends on what your family needs.
A few other things to factor in
A handful of smaller items worth including in your planning:
- Mileage and car use if your nanny drives for school runs or activities. The Misc Award cents-per-kilometre rate applies.
- Working with Children Checks and similar background screening. Costs vary by state.
- Allowances if your nanny does light housework, family cooking, or cares for older kids alongside the little ones.
- Trial shifts and probationary periods, which are part of normal pay.
These are all standard parts of employing someone, and most are minor compared to the wage itself.
Why families choose nannies anyway
When you compare nanny care to long day care, in-home care for multiple kids often comes out at a similar weekly cost, with significant advantages:
- One-on-one attention for your kids
- Care that bends around your family's actual schedule
- No drop-offs or pickups in the rain
- Continuity for your kids over time
- Help with the bits of family life that day care can't touch (school runs, after-school activities, sick days)
For a lot of families, the value goes well beyond the hourly rate.
Final thoughts
Hiring a nanny is a real investment in your family's day-to-day life. The headline hourly rate is the starting point, and once you add super, workers comp, and leave, you've got the full picture.
Quick recap:
- $30 to $45 per hour is the typical rate range in 2026
- Total cost lands around 15 to 25% above the hourly rate
- Permanent and casual roles work out differently, but both are straightforward once set up
- Payroll and compliance are simple to run with the right support
At Pay The Nanny, we look after payroll, super, STP, and compliance for families employing nannies across Australia. We're not a nanny finder or placement service. Once you've found the right person for your family, we make sure the employment side is sorted properly so you can get on with everything else.
With the right setup from day one, having a nanny is far simpler (and more affordable) than most families expect.
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