Help ASAP--Fair price for babysitting??

[danacath]

I'm going to start babysitting my friend's 3-year-old DD this Friday, Oct. 4. (Wish I'd thought to post this sooner!) It will be for 8 or 9 hours a day--several days/month. I'll be providing lunches and snacks. I won't be caring for any other children, except for my own 3-year-old DD. (My older two are in school all day.) My friend and I still haven't established what the fee will be, and she would like for me to name my price. It's awkward because we're friends. I don't want to appear greedy, but I don't want to shortchange myself either. Daycare prices are $16-23/day around here, but that's in a group setting. What would YOU charge if you were in my shoes? Thanks for any input!

Looking forward to some extra $ for my Disney Vacation Fund!

 

[becka]

I think my daycare charges $25/day for that age group. Usually home care is about $5/day cheaper in our area so I would say around $20/day.

Hope this helps....

 

[worm761]

the average for daycare around here is $3-5/hour.

 

[Chrissi Pooh]

My daughter is in a licensed home daycare and I pay $17 a day / 85 a week so i think it would be fair to charge around 13-17 a day especially if your feeding the child!!! Good luck!!

 

[Pin Wizard]

I know someone who charges between $5 and $7 an HOUR!

 

[tar heel]

My gut answer is $25, but I think you have to consider a couple questions. Are you going to get licensed? Will you file self-employment tax, so she is able to take the child care credit? If the child was in day care, she would get in the form of a tax credit at least 20% of what she pays plus whatever credit your state has.

 

[RUDisney]

Over the summer, I paid $30 per day for one of my friend's daughter's to come into our house to watch our 2 kids for the day. I provided the meals for my kids and the sitter.

My kids graze all day long. Snacks can get expensive. I never had to do the daycare thing. What happens with that? Are meals provided or "brown bagged?"

I always made sure that I'd send some type of snacks for my kids when my Mom watches them for an entire week. Even if it is a box of popsicles, or a 3# bag of apples.

I was shocked that kids' snacks, and I'm talking healthy ones... fruit, etc., caused my weekly food bill to grow by about $40-50 when we got the kids.

 

[danacath]

I'm pretty amazed at how cheap daycare rates are! I've always been a SAHM, so really didn't have a clue what the going rate was. At the risk of sounding like a money-grubber, I was making $3.00/hr babysitting a little girl about 20 years ago when I was a college student. Have prices really not gone up in the past 20 years or was I just very well-paid back then? DH and I have always paid our teen-age sitters $3-4/hr when we go out. The quotes I'm getting from people average out to about $2.50/hr. Any comments on this? Thanks!

 

[tar heel]

danacath -- You MAY be able to get a lot more than $25 a day, but you can't really compare this to what you got in college or what you pay the teens because they come to YOUR house. People don't generally pay the same rates when they take the child somewhere else. You would expect to get much higher if you were going to the child's house.

 

[Amzey]

The going rate here which I make for regular babysitting (ie, evening, a few kids) is $10-15/hour.. then again, it IS Manhattan. Cape Cod was $7-10/hour.
Perhaps it's different when it counts as daycare?

 

[danacath]

tar heel, your explanation is really helpful. Since I'm in the comfort of my own home, I can't expect to be paid as much. My initial gut feeling was also $25/day, but then when my friend said what she had been paying previously (between $18-23/day) and after reading these posts, I thought I might be thinking a bit high. I won't be getting licensed. I'm mainly doing this as a favor to my friend, and to boost my Disney Fund at the same time.

RUDisney, I agree that I need to take into consideration the cost of meals/snacks when figuring my fee. I'm not sure whether the quotes I'm getting here are with meals or without?? My friend has said that her DD is a big eater/milk drinker, and offered to help with grocery costs. I'm a big bargain shopper, though, so I think it would be easier to just quote her a flat rate that includes all food. (When her DD eats us out of house and home, I may change my tune! lol )

Does $22/day incl. all food sound fair enough? Opinions??

 

[wovenwonder]

If you are not going to claim on income taxes --and give DF the benefit of the tax break that she would be getting in a group daycare setting, then I surely would not charge more than $15-20/day or $2 hour. If she was going to a group daycare and paying $25 day she would be getting 20% of that or $5 back at the end of the year in a tax credit.

 

[crazyme5kids]

I have worked in childcare, and have taken care of children at home. From my experience, and this is my opinion, you should charge what you would expect to get paid (within reason) if you were working in a childcare center. Remember, in a center there would be more than 1 child per care taker. So they cost of food etc.. is offset by multiple children per hour.If the center provides food, drinks and snacks, that is the cost of doing business for said center, it does not come out of the caregivers pocket. Also, your friend obviously trust you, which is why she asked you and not a stranger or placing her child in a group childcare center. You should be paid what or close to what she would have to pay someone else. In my state NY, you can care for up to 2 children in your home and not be licensed. Yet one more thing to consider, is that while it may not be completly disruptive to your daily life, you will have to make changes and sacrifices on the days that you are caring for her child. If this is a steady job, look at it as such. Don't short change yourself, you will on wind up resenting the situation.

 

[janette]

I agree with wovenwonder, it depends on how you plan to do the taxes. If you aren't going to claim the money neither can she so she will lose the tax benefit but you gain one. In that situation I wouldn't charge more than $20 a day.

I pay a teen $30 a day for the summer when she comes to my house and watches my girls. If only one is home she gets $20.

 

[lovemickeya]

I watch my best friends little boy(1yo) and also an other friends little girl(14 mo) and I charge them $20 a day. No matter what.-- Even if I only have them for one hour- b/c chances are I will have them for 7 or 8 hours the next day that way it evens out.

 

[snoopy]

$25/day would sound like a reasonable amount since you are providing the food.

I pay $35/day for my 3 year old to go to daycare 3 days per week, at 4 hours per day (he goes to nursery school the other half, and that costs me $40/day). $35/day is a dirt cheap rate in this area, plus she provides lunch and a snack on that rate, highly unusual for this area. Of course, the daycare provider makes $35/day x 6 kids, so in the end she makes a pretty decent salary. She is also a licensed daycare provider, and I do claim it on my taxes.

 

[crazyme5kids]

One more thing. You should not worry about basing your price on her not being able to get a tax credit. That is her choice, if a tax credit is important to her she should look at other options. Yes you are getting paid off the books (unless you decide to claim it), but you should not get paid less than what you would make if taxes were taken out. Babysitting is hard work!

 

[janette]

Originally posted by crazyme5kids
One more thing. You should not worry about basing your price on her not being able to get a tax credit. That is her choice, if a tax credit is important to her she should look at other options. Yes you are getting paid off the books (unless you decide to claim it), but you should not get paid less than what you would make if taxes were taken out. Babysitting is hard work!

If you charge $20 a day and pay no taxes on it even in a 15% bracket that is worth $23. Yes the taxes make a difference and should be taken into account. If it isn't talked about upfront than both parties can find themselves in an akward position come tax time. To get the tax credit you have to provide the social security number of the provider. I think I'd decide how to handle it.

 

[danacath]

Tax talk...ugh. An awkward situation just got even more awkward! Actually, money doesn't seem to be that big of an issue with my DF. She's from a pretty affluent situation. Over and over she has said that she wants me to set the price and that she's just "so very excited and thrilled" that I have offered to watch DD. She much prefers having her in a private home setting vs. a group situation, and was having trouble finding anything suitable. Also, I'm in the perfect location, our daughters are already pals, etc. etc. Not to "toot my own horn" or anything, but I get the impression that DF thinks it would be worth a few extra $ to have DD stay in my home. I just needed to hear a ball park figure from other people because I didn't have a clue what to charge.

Thanks for all of your prompt responses, everyone! Sure do appreciate it! You've given me lots to think about overnight, and hopefully I'll wake up with a clear answer for DF.

 

[justjulie]

I pay $145/week for my son to attend a daycare centre (they provide lunch) and a receipt at year end.

I pay $6/hour for the teenage babysitter I use for an evening out.