A nanny can make sure homework gets done: that the child sits down, gets started and gets help when stuck. She is not a teacher and does not replace what the school teaches. Homework help as a separate service has not qualified for RUT (the Swedish tax deduction for household services) since 2015, but childcare does, and homework at the kitchen table during an ordinary shift is still childcare.
Quarter past four on a Wednesday in a flat in Vasastan. The eight-year-old has a reading assignment and ten maths problems due Thursday. The nanny brought him home from fritids (after-school care) a quarter of an hour ago. The snack has been eaten. The question now is whether the homework gets done now, when you get home at six, or after dinner when everyone is tired. The answer is now, and it is one of the clearest benefits of a nanny for school-age children. Here is how it works, and how it stands with RUT.
What the nanny does, and does not do
| The nanny does | The nanny does not |
|---|---|
| Make sure homework is done at the same time every time | Teach new material the child has not covered at school |
| Listen while the child reads aloud, test vocabulary | Write the essay or solve the problems for the child |
| Answer when the child gets stuck on something they actually know | Correct everything so the teacher cannot see where the child stands |
| Write on the note if something was hard | Judge whether the child is falling behind, that is the school's job |
| Keep to the time: twenty minutes, then play | Sit over homework for the whole shift |
It is easy to want more. A child who struggles with reading worries parents, and a nanny who is there anyway seems the natural solution. But a nanny is not a special needs teacher, and a child who needs more support with reading needs it from the school. Talk to the teacher, ask for a meeting, and let the nanny be the one who turns the everyday homework into a routine instead of a fight.
Why homework help does not qualify for RUT, and what applies instead
Until 2015 you could get the RUT deduction for homework help in the home. It was removed, and since then homework help and other study support do not qualify. Childcare, on the other hand, still does: 50 per cent of the labour cost, for children up to and including the age of twelve, when the work is done in or near the home and paid electronically. Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) decides where the line goes, but the principle is this:
- An ordinary nanny shift where the child does homework at the kitchen table for half an hour while the nanny makes a snack and answers questions is childcare. RUT applies.
- A shift booked as homework help, where the purpose is study support and the nanny sits and teaches, is not childcare. No RUT.
- A twelve-year-old who can manage at home alone and only needs someone to test their vocabulary is in a grey area. Ask Skatteverket, or book it as childcare with an adult who takes the whole afternoon.
We never book homework help as a separate service, and we never invoice anything as homework help. What we offer is childcare, and part of that is an adult making sure the homework gets done. Read more in our guide to RUT deduction for nannies and babysitters.
How homework fits into the shift
- Always first. After the snack, before play. A child who has been playing for an hour does not sit down with the maths book voluntarily.
- Same place, same time. The kitchen table at half past four. The routine does more than any teaching method.
- An adult nearby, not alongside. The nanny potters in the kitchen, the child works. When the child asks, she comes over. It teaches the child to work independently.
- A time limit. Twenty minutes in the early school years. If the homework is not finished, the nanny writes that on the note, and you or the teacher take it from there.
- Praise for doing it, not for getting it right. The child should want to sit down next time.
Children who refuse
There are children who do their homework without complaint and children who make the whole house shake. With the latter, arguments rarely work. What works is that the nanny does not negotiate: homework is done at half past four, and if nothing gets done, nothing else happens until five either. Then play. It takes a few weeks. This is also where it helps that it is the same nanny every time, because a child tests every new adult from scratch.
Be honest with the nanny about how it usually goes at home. She will not think less of you, she will be prepared.
Which nanny suits school children with homework?
For younger school children, patience and experience with children is enough. For mellanstadiet (years four to six), it helps if the nanny's own schooling is recent or if she is a student. For language homework, a nanny with another mother tongue is a real bonus: besides Swedish and English, our nannies also speak Bulgarian, Spanish and Arabic. Tell us at the first meeting what matters to you, and we will suggest someone who fits. Specific requests for skills are priced as a quote, otherwise our usual price list applies, from 165 kr an hour after RUT.
How we do it with our families
Nike has a nine-year-old in Sundbyberg on Thursdays. The routine after fritids: snack, then the reading homework aloud at the kitchen table while Nike peels carrots. Five pages take ten minutes when it goes well and twenty-five when it does not. The maths problems the boy does himself, Nike only checks that they are done. If something will not work, she writes on the note which problem it was, so his mother can look at it in the evening. At five o'clock it ends, whatever happens. Then they build. In the first month the homework took forty minutes with protests, now it takes twenty without. It is not Nike's teaching method, it is that it is her every Thursday.
Would you like a nanny who comes on the same days every week and whom the children know? Book a free first meeting with the nanny at your home, and we will work out a quote for your hours.
Read more: Homework help at home · RUT deduction for nannies and babysitters · A nanny instead of after-school care · Prices
Frequently asked questions
Does homework help qualify for the RUT deduction?
No. Homework help was removed from the RUT deduction in 2015 and no longer qualifies as a separate service. Childcare does qualify. If the nanny sits at the kitchen table while the child does homework during an ordinary shift, it is still childcare, but a shift booked as homework help is not.
What can a nanny help with when it comes to homework?
Making sure the homework gets done: that the child sits down, gets started, reads their reading homework aloud, has their vocabulary tested and has an adult who answers when they get stuck. She is not a teacher and should not teach new material. That is the school's job and your dialogue with the school.
From what age is homework help relevant?
From förskoleklass (the preschool year before year one) and the early school years, when homework is usually a reading assignment and the odd maths problem. There the help is about routine and company. In years four to six there is more content, and that is where it shows if the nanny's own school days are fresh in her memory.
Can we choose a nanny who is good at a particular subject?
Yes, say so at the first meeting. We have nannies who are at university and nannies with another mother tongue, which is gold for language homework in Spanish, English or Arabic. Specific requests for experience or skills are given as a quote.
How much time should homework take during a shift?
As little as possible, and always first. Twenty to thirty minutes for a child in the early school years, up to an hour in years four to six. Then it is play and a snack. A shift that is two hours of homework is not childcare, it is studying, and it rarely works.