An employed nanny in Stockholm normally earns 140 to 180 kronor an hour in gross pay. The family's hourly price is 300 to 400 kronor before the RUT deduction, because employer contributions of 31.42 per cent, holiday pay and insurance come on top of the wage.
The pay question comes from two directions: from nannies wondering what is reasonable to ask for, and from parents wondering why the hourly price is twice the wage. Both answers are in the same sum, so here it is, in the open. At the bottom you will also find what we think you as a nanny should ask about before you accept a job.
What a nanny earns
| Arrangement | Gross pay per hour | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Nanny employed through an agency | 140 to 180 kr | Wage, holiday pay and pension included |
| Employed directly by the family | 140 to 180 kr | The family becomes an employer with everything that entails |
| Teenager helping the neighbours | 80 to 150 kr | Usually untaxed. No insurance, no pension. |
The figures above are levels, not official wage statistics. Experience with infants, a driving licence, language skills and unsociable hours push them upwards.
What affects the pay
- Experience with infants. Families with a baby under one would rather pay a little more for someone who has done it before, and agencies that place nannies with babies sit at the upper end of the range.
- A driving licence. Being able to drive to swimming lessons or collect from two different preschools is worth money to a family outside the city centre.
- Languages. English-speaking families, or families who want their child to hear Spanish or Arabic in the afternoons, are prepared to pay for it.
- Time of day. Evenings, nights and weekends carry a supplement with most employers, just as in other jobs.
- Number of children. Three children are more work than one. With us the third child costs the family extra, and that shows in the pay too.
- Regularity. What decides the monthly income is not the hourly rate but the hours. A nanny with the same three families every week earns more over a year than one who takes occasional shifts at a higher hourly rate.
Why the family pays double
This is the most common misunderstanding in the industry, and it is easy to clear up with a table. Based on a gross wage of 150 kronor an hour:
| Item | Per hour |
|---|---|
| Gross pay to the nanny | 150 kr |
| Employer contributions (arbetsgivaravgifter), 31.42% | 47 kr |
| Holiday pay, 12% | 18 kr |
| The employer's direct cost | 215 kr |
| Insurance, administration, recruitment, matching | On top |
An agency charging the family 220 kronor an hour is therefore losing money before a single administrative cost has been counted. That is why the market sits at 300 to 400 kronor before RUT, and why a price that looks too good almost always means the employer contributions are not being paid.
On top of the 215 kronor comes what does not show on the payslip: the liability insurance that covers the nanny while she is in your home, the time it takes to interview and reference-check each person, the criminal record extract, sick pay, and the time spent finding a replacement when someone falls ill. None of it is large on its own. Together it is the difference between an agency that is still around in three years and one that is not.
What is included, and what is missing with cash in hand
| Employed through an agency | Employed by the family | Paid cash in hand | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wage paid into an account with a payslip | Yes | Yes | No |
| Employer contributions paid | Yes | Yes, by you | No |
| Holiday pay | Yes | Yes, by you | No |
| Sick pay and income that counts towards sickness benefit | Yes | Yes | No |
| Insurance during working hours | Yes | Only if you take one out | No |
| RUT deduction for the family | Yes, taken off the invoice | Yes, but you handle it | No |
| Someone who arranges a replacement in case of illness | Yes | No | No |
What it means after the RUT deduction
For the family, the labour cost is halved. At a price of 330 kronor an hour you pay 165 kronor after the deduction, which in practice is roughly what an untaxed cash payment costs, but with employment, insurance and responsibility included.
With us the price is from 165 kronor an hour after RUT (the Swedish 50 per cent tax deduction for household services) for a family with a regular full-time nanny, and 199 kronor after RUT for occasional bookings. We take the deduction off the invoice directly, so you pay only half the labour cost and do not need to do anything yourself. The full pricing is on the prices page, and the rules for the deduction are in our guide to RUT deduction for nannies and babysitters.
Employee or contractor?
Some agencies in the industry do not employ their nannies but have them invoice as sole traders, or work as contractors without employment. Then the holiday pay, the sick pay and often the insurance disappear, and the nanny has to pay her own social security contributions out of what she invoices. An hourly rate that looks higher can therefore be lower in reality. As a nanny you should know which of the two it is before you compare figures. As a family you should know it too, because it decides who is responsible if something happens in your home.
For you who work as a nanny
Ask for pay as an employee, not cash in hand. The difference does not show in the first month but it shows in sickness benefit, parental benefit, income that counts towards unemployment insurance (a-kassa) and pension. Working off the books is borrowing money from your future self at a bad rate of interest.
And ask to see the whole picture: are you an employee or a contractor, is holiday pay included in the figure quoted or on top of it, and what happens if a family cancels at short notice.
Five questions to ask before you say yes:
- Am I employed, with a payslip and an employer's certificate if I need one?
- Is the hourly rate inclusive or exclusive of holiday pay?
- Do I get paid if the family cancels on the same day, and if so how much?
- What insurance applies if I get hurt, or if something breaks in the family's home?
- Do I get the same family every week, or new families every time? That shapes both how much you enjoy it and how many hours you get.
If you want to read more about what the job looks like in practice, see our guide Working as a nanny.
How we do it with our families
At Happy Nanny every nanny is employed, with pay into her account, employer contributions, holiday pay and liability insurance with Trygg-Hansa during working hours. Aleksandra interviews every person herself, obtains a criminal record extract and calls two or three references before anyone is given a family. The nanny then has the same families week after week. Denise, who has been with us since February 2024, knows at the start of each month roughly which afternoons she is working and for whom, and that is exactly what makes the pay something you can live on: the hours, not the hourly rate.
Would you like to work as a nanny with us? We are always looking for people who want the same families week after week. Read more and apply.
Read more: How much does a nanny cost in Stockholm in 2026? · RUT deduction for nannies and babysitters · Paying a babysitter cash in hand · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What does a nanny earn per hour?
An employed nanny in Stockholm normally earns 140 to 180 kronor an hour in gross pay. On top of that the employer pays 31.42 per cent in employer contributions plus holiday pay, which puts the family's hourly price at 300 to 400 kronor before the RUT deduction.
Why is the family's price twice the wage?
Because the wage is only part of the cost. Employer contributions of 31.42 per cent, holiday pay, insurance, administration and time for recruitment and matching come on top. An hourly price close to the nanny's wage means something in that list is not being paid.
What does a teenager earn babysitting for the neighbours?
Between 80 and 150 kronor an hour, usually untaxed. It is a completely different thing from an employed nanny: no insurance, no pension, no RUT deduction and nobody taking responsibility if something goes wrong. For the odd evening at the neighbours' it works, as regular childcare it does not.
Do you get the RUT deduction if you employ the nanny yourself?
Yes, but then you become an employer. You pay employer contributions of 31.42 per cent, deduct tax, file an employer declaration every month and are responsible for insurance and the working environment in your own home. We have a separate guide to employing a nanny yourself.
Does the nanny get holiday pay?
Yes, an employee is entitled to holiday pay under the Swedish Annual Leave Act, normally twelve per cent of the wage. It is either paid out with each wage or saved for the holiday. Ask whether the figure you are quoted is inclusive or exclusive of holiday pay, it makes quite a difference.