How to Set Babysitting Rates
- 1). Visit online bulletin boards that babysitters frequent. Make note of the average pay for sitters in your area. Use an online calculator like the one at sittercity.com that takes into consideration your location (babysitters in big cities expect more pay), the number of children you have, and the experience of the babysitter.
- 2). Speak with your babysitter ahead of time. Explain exactly what you expect of the babysitter and what she expects in pay for those actions. Negotiate if you must, but you must know in advance what the average babysitter is paid in your city.
- 3). Consider what you are paying for. If the babysitter is an older individual with a lot of experience, or if she brings over crafts for the kids, she deserves extra pay. If you are going to be gone a long time, if your children are babies, if you have several children, or if it is a special occasion (like New Year's Eve) you should adjust your pay accordingly.
- 4). Set the terms and any overtime pay conditions before you leave the babysitter with the children.
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