Nanny pay planning

Free Travel Nanny Pay & Trip Cost Calculator

A travel nanny pay and trip cost calculator estimates what a nanny earns while traveling with your family and what the whole trip costs, by adding care hours, paid transit time, overtime, overnight fees, per diem, mileage, and other reimbursements. Enter your trip details below to get an itemized total you can share before you book.

Weekly overtime awareFees and reimbursements itemized

Your trip

Results update as you type. Everything stays in your browser.

Trip and hours

Calendar days away, including travel days.

Nights the nanny sleeps away from home.

On-duty hours caring for the children across all trip days.

Flights, drives, and airport time you agreed to pay, not already counted as care.

Pay rate and overtime

The nanny's normal gross hourly pay.

Regular hours worked earlier in the same workweek, before the trip starts.

40 hours is the federal standard for most live-out nannies.

1.5 means time and a half. Use 1 if overtime does not apply.

Fees and reimbursements

Flat inconvenience fee for each night away. Log on-duty night hours as active care instead.

Daily meal and incidentals allowance. Use 0 if you cover meals directly.

Miles driven in the nanny's own car for the trip.

Many families use the current IRS standard mileage rate.

Bag fees, parking, tolls, or anything the nanny paid out of pocket.

Trip estimate

Total trip cost

$2,284.00

$1,850.00 nanny compensation plus $434.00 in reimbursements for a 5-day trip ($456.80 per day).

Nanny compensation
$1,850.00
Wages plus overnight fees
Effective hourly
$35.58/hr
Over 52 hrs worked
Regular paid hours
24 hrs
$600.00 at $25.00/hr
Overtime hours
28 hrs
$1,050.00 at 1.5x

Nanny compensation

Active care pay45 hrs x $25.00
$1,125.00
Transit pay7 hrs x $25.00
$175.00
Overtime premium28 hrs x $25.00 x 0.5
$350.00
Overnight fees4 x $50.00
$200.00
Total nanny compensation
$1,850.00

Reimbursements

Per diem5 x $40.00
$200.00
Mileage120 mi x $0.70
$84.00
Other expensesAs entered
$150.00
Total reimbursements
$434.00
Total trip cost$2,284.00

Planning estimate only. Paid travel time, overtime, reimbursements, taxes, and labor rules vary by contract and jurisdiction. This is not legal, tax, payroll, or employment advice. Confirm your obligations with your state labor department or a payroll provider.

How it works

Estimate travel nanny pay in four steps

  1. 1

    Enter the trip length

    Add trip days, nights away, total active care hours, and paid transit hours.

  2. 2

    Set pay and overtime rules

    Enter the hourly rate, hours already worked that week, the overtime threshold, and the overtime multiplier.

  3. 3

    Add fees and reimbursements

    Enter the overnight fee, daily per diem, reimbursable miles and rate, and other out-of-pocket expenses.

  4. 4

    Review and share the estimate

    Check the itemized breakdown, total compensation, total trip cost, and effective hourly pay, then copy the summary.

The formulas

  • Working hours = active care hours + paid transit hours
  • Overtime hours = hours above the threshold in each workweek, counting hours already worked that week toward the first week
  • Regular pay = regular hours x rate; overtime pay = overtime hours x rate x multiplier
  • Nanny compensation = regular pay + overtime pay + nights x overnight fee
  • Reimbursements = days x per diem + miles x mileage rate + other expenses
  • Total trip cost = nanny compensation + reimbursements
  • Effective hourly = nanny compensation / working hours

Trips longer than 7 days are split into 7-day workweeks starting on the first trip day, with working hours spread evenly across days. Daily overtime rules and regular-rate adjustments for fees are not modeled.

Common questions

Travel nanny pay FAQ

What is a travel nanny pay and trip cost calculator?

It is a planning tool that adds up what a nanny earns while traveling with a family, including care hours, paid transit time, overtime, overnight fees, per diem, mileage, and other reimbursements, so you can see total nanny pay and total trip cost before you go.

How much do travel nannies charge?

Most travel nannies charge their usual hourly rate for every on-duty and travel hour, plus overtime after 40 hours in a workweek where it applies. Many also ask for a flat overnight fee, a daily per diem, and reimbursement for travel expenses. Rates vary widely by city, experience, and number of children.

Should a nanny be paid for travel time?

Many families pay transit time when the nanny is traveling with the children or on the family's behalf, because the nanny is not free to use that time for themselves. Whether it is legally required depends on your jurisdiction and the arrangement, so put the policy in your nanny contract.

How is travel nanny overtime calculated?

Add hours already worked that workweek to the trip's care and transit hours. Hours above the overtime threshold, often 40, are paid at the multiplier, often 1.5 times the rate. Some states also require daily overtime or include fees in the regular rate, which this calculator does not model.

Are per diem and mileage taxable?

Treatment depends on how the reimbursement is structured and documented. Reimbursements for actual, documented expenses are often handled differently from wages, but rules vary. Ask a payroll provider or tax professional how to report them for household employees.

Is this calculator legal, tax, or payroll advice?

No. Paid travel time, overtime, reimbursements, taxes, and labor rules vary by contract and jurisdiction. Results are a planning estimate based only on your inputs. Confirm requirements with your state labor department, a payroll provider, or an employment attorney.

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