All household employees like nannies, housekeepers, and in-home senior caregivers are required to be paid at least the prevailing minimum wage hourly rate. This will be the highest of the federal, state, or local rates. The federal rate of $7.25/hour hasn’t changed for quite some time. However, many states, counties, and cities have much higher rates.
If you’re using in-home child care, it’s important to make sure you’re in good legal standing as an employer. Nannies and babysitters are considered employees and not independent contractors and, therefore, they’re protected by minimum wage rates.
Overwhelmed by all the administrative tasks that come with hiring a nanny? Reach out to GTM Payroll Services to help you remove the risks, hassles, and worries from nanny taxes and payroll.
Which Rate is Correct?
If your state and/or city has its own minimum wage rate, the highest of those rates applies. If a state rate is higher than the federal rate, then the state rate applies. If there is a local rate (cities like New York, San Francisco, Seattle, etc. have their own rates) higher than the state rate, then that local rate applies.
Does My City Or State Have Its Own Rate?
Here are the current minimum wage rates that are relevant to household employers.
Alabama
$7.25/hour
Alaska
$10.85/hour
Arizona
$14.35/hour
Flagstaff
$16.80/hour
Tucson
$14.35/hour
Arkansas
$11/hour
California
$16/hour
Alameda
$16.52/hour
Belmont
$17.35/hour
Berkeley
$18.07/hour
Burlingame
$17.03/hour
Cupertino
$17.75/hour
Daly City
$16.62/hour
East Palo Alto
$16.50/hour
El Cerrito
$17.92/hour
Emeryville
$18.67/hour
Foster City
$17/hour
Freemont
$16.80/hour
Half Moon Bay
$17.01/hour
Hayward
$16.90/hour
Los Altos
$17.75/hour
Los Angeles (city)
$16.78/hour for small employers
Los Angeles (county)
$16.90/hour
Malibu
$16.90/hour
Menlo Park
$16.70/hour
Milpitas
$17.20/hour
Mountain View
$18.75/hour
Novato
$16.04/hour
Oakland
$16.50/hour
Palo Alto
$17.80/hour
Pasadena
$16.93/hour
Petaluma
$17.45/hour
Redwood City
$17/hour
Richmond
$16.17/hour
San Carlos
$16.87/hour
San Diego
$16.85/hour
San Francisco (city and county)
$18.07/hour
San Jose
$17.55/hour
San Mateo (city)
$17.35/hour
San Mateo (county)
$17.06/hour
Santa Clara
$17.75/hour
Santa Monica
$16.90/hour
Santa Rosa
$17.45/hour
Sonoma
$16.56/hour
South San Francisco
$17.25/hour
Sunnyvale
$18.55/hour
West Hollywood
$19.08/hour
Colorado
$13.65/hour
Boulder County
$15.69/hour
Denver
$18.29/hour
Edgewater
$15.02/hour
Connecticut
$15.69/hour
Delaware
$13.25/hour
District of Columbia
$17/hour
Florida
$12/hour
Georgia
$7.25/hour – The state’s minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour doesn’t apply to household employees as it is below the federal rate.
Hawaii
$14/hour
Idaho
$7.25/hour
Illinois
$14/hour – Increases by $1/hour every January 1 until it reaches $15/hour in 2025.
Chicago
$15.40/hour (rate for domestic workers regardless of the number employed by a family)
Indiana
$7.25/hour
Iowa
$7.25/hour
Kansas
$7.25/hour
Kentucky
$7.25/hour
Louisiana
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
Maine
$14.15/hour
Portland
$15/hour
Rockland
$15/hour
Maryland
$15/hour – Increases $0.60/hour every January 1 until 2026. On July 1, 2026, the rate increases to $15/hour. (for employers with 14 or fewer employees)
Massachusetts
$15/hour
Michigan
$10.30/hour
Minnesota
$8.63/hour – For small employers.
Minneapolis
$15/hour
St. Paul
$11.50/hour (for five or fewer workers)
Mississippi
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
Missouri
$12.30/hour
Montana
$10.30/hour
Nebraska
$12/hour
Nevada
$11.25/hour (without employee health benefits); $10.25/hour (with qualified employee health benefits)
New Hampshire
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
New Jersey
$13.73/hour (for employers with less than six employees)
New Mexico
$12/hour
Las Cruces
$12.36/hour
Santa Fe (City and County)
$14.03/hour – Annual living wage increases occur on March 1.
New York
$15/hour
New York City, Long Island & Westchester County
$16/hour – For employers with 10 or fewer employees.
North Carolina
$7.25/hour
North Dakota
$7.25/hour
Ohio
$7.25/hour – Ohio has a special minimum wage for businesses with annual gross receipts of more than $319,000 per year ($8.80/hour). However, household employers follow the lower rate.
Oklahoma
$7.25/hour
Oregon
To determine which rate applies to your county, visit Oregon Minimum Wage Rate Summary.
Portland
$15.45/hour
Standard
$14.20/hour
Non-urban counties
$13.20/hour
Pennsylvania
$7.25/hour
Rhode Island
$13/hour
South Carolina
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
South Dakota
$11.20/hour
Tennessee
$7.25/hour – No state minimum wage rate. The federal rate applies.
Texas
$7.25/hour
Utah
$7.25/hour
Vermont
$13.67/hour
Virginia
$12/hour —Increases to $13.50/hour in 2025 and $15/hour in 2026 will be contingent on the General Assembly’s enactment by July 1, 2024. The state’s new minimum wage law removes exempt status from several categories of employees including home care providers and domestic service workers.
Washington
$16.28/hour
Seattle
$19.97/hour – For employers with 500 or fewer employees. If you pay $2.25/hour toward medical benefits, the minimum wage drops to $15/hour.
Tukwila
$16.99/hour
West Virginia
$7.25/hour – The state minimum wage of $8.75 applies if you have six or more employees working at any one separate, distinct, and permanent work location.
Wisconsin
$7.25/hour
Wyoming
$7.25/hour – The state’s minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour doesn’t apply to household employees as it is below the federal rate.
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Sittercity families get a free setup! They’ll take care of payday (live check or direct deposit), quarterly tax filings, year-end tax forms, and much more. All backed by a team of household employment experts available by phone, email, and chat. Sign up online or call (833) 796-1515 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
