Board and Lodging for Au Pairs and Live-In Nannies in New Zealand | Pay The Nanny [ ![Pay the nanny logo](https://assets.paythenanny.nz/images/logo-white.png) ](/) [Parents](https://paythenanny.nz/For-Families) [Nannies](https://paythenanny.nz/For-Nannies) [Agencies](https://paythenanny.nz/for-agencies) [Pricing](https://paythenanny.nz/pricing) [Contact](https://paythenanny.nz/contact) [Sign Up](https://paythenanny.nz/signup) [Log In](https://paythenanny.nz/app/login) Article ------- Board and Lodging for Au Pairs and Live-In Nannies in New Zealand ================================================================= By Mark Hudson · 11 June, 2026 If you are hosting an au pair or a live-in nanny, a room and meals usually come as part of the deal. So can you take something off their pay to cover it? Yes, you can. There are just a few rules worth getting right, and a couple of things families regularly trip up on. ![Board and Lodging for Au Pairs and Live-In Nannies in New Zealand](https://assets.caresies.io/articles/2526/conversions/vDqZO3tcQ5YrzxEWIA5s-webp-featured.webp) What board and lodging actually means ------------------------------------- In everyday chat, people use board and lodging to mean roughly the same thing. New Zealand law treats them differently, and the difference matters when you work out what you can deduct. Under the Minimum Wage Act, board means you provide accommodation and meals. Lodging means you provide accommodation only. So a live-in set-up where you cover the room, the power, the wifi and dinner most nights is board. A room where your nanny sorts their own food is lodging. For most au pair arrangements, board is the one that applies. Can you deduct it from your nanny's pay? ---------------------------------------- Yes, as long as you tick three boxes. The deduction has to be agreed in writing, it has to be reasonable, and it has to sit within the limits the law sets. No written agreement, no deduction. That last part catches out a surprising number of first-time host families, so get it into the employment agreement from day one. Au pairs are usually paid on take-home, not gross ------------------------------------------------- Here is something that sets au pairs apart from a standard nanny, and it shapes everything that follows. Au pair pay is almost always agreed as a take-home figure, the cash that actually lands in their account each week, rather than an hourly gross rate. Take a look at the net weekly ranges in our [2026 au pair rates and hiring guide](https://paythenanny.nz/articles/au-pair-pay-rates) and you will notice they are all quoted that way for exactly this reason. That changes how board and lodging works in practice. Because you are starting from an agreed take-home number, the board and lodging amount becomes the part that flexes. Families nudge it up or down to settle on a weekly result that feels fair to the au pair and still works for the household budget. There is no single right number here. It is a balance between what you can comfortably afford and what makes the placement worthwhile for them. How much can you charge? ------------------------ This is where the old "what feels fair to us" approach lands families in hot water. The cleanest way to handle it is to agree a fixed weekly amount in the employment agreement, written down in dollars, and keep it the same every pay. As long as that figure is reasonable for what you are providing, you are on solid ground. If you don't fix an amount, the law falls back on caps tied to the minimum wage: - Board (accommodation and meals): up to 15% of wages at the minimum rate - Lodging (accommodation only): up to 5% From 1 April 2026 the adult minimum wage is $23.95 an hour. On a 40 hour week that is $958 gross, so those fallback caps come out around $143 a week for board and $48 for lodging. Most families settle well under that with a sensible fixed figure anyway. One detail people get tangled in: your minimum wage check is done on the pay before board and lodging comes off. The deducted amount still counts as wages for that calculation, so a properly agreed deduction won't breach the minimum wage on its own. Put it in writing ----------------- Vague arrangements cause arguments later. Your employment agreement should spell out the amount, whether it covers board or lodging, and that your employee has agreed to it. Something this simple does the job: "The employee agrees to a deduction of $130 per week from their wages for board and lodging provided by the employer." Clear wording protects everyone, your au pair included. How tax fits in --------------- Here is the part people most often get backwards. Board and lodging comes off after tax, not before. Your au pair's full gross wage is taxed as normal, and PAYE is worked out on the lot. The agreed board and lodging amount then comes out of what is left, their take-home pay. It does not reduce their taxable income and it is not a tax deduction. It is simply money you hold back from net pay for the room and meals you provide. A quick worked example ---------------------- Say Emma is your au pair on $850 gross a week, with a $130 weekly board and lodging deduction written into her agreement. Payroll runs like this. Her $850 goes through as gross, PAYE comes off, then the $130 is taken from her net pay and the rest lands in her bank account. Same figure every week, no surprises. Going with a nanny rather than an au pair? The maths is a little different, and our [nanny pay guide](https://paythenanny.nz/articles/nanny-pay-rates) covers that side of things. What about final pay? --------------------- The end of an arrangement can get a little awkward, especially when your au pair is still under your roof while they sort flights home. A practical approach is to stop board and lodging deductions once the employment ends, even if they stay on a few extra days. Say someone finishes up on the Friday but flies out on the Sunday. Most families treat the Friday as the last day for both the job and the board and lodging, then pay out any leave owing with no further deductions. Unless you have a separate arrangement in place, that keeps it tidy and fair. The short version ----------------- Board and lodging works well for live-in childcare when it is handled properly. Agree the amount in writing, keep it reasonable, take it after tax, and ease off the deductions when employment ends. Get those four right and you sidestep nearly every problem we come across. This is the sort of detail we sort every day. If you are setting up payroll for an au pair or live-in nanny, [our team](https://paythenanny.nz/contact) can handle the calculations and keep you compliant from the very first pay. You can also read more about how we [support families](https://paythenanny.nz/For-Families). [ ![](https://assets.caresies.io/articles/585/conversions/uYMSLhL6iiSG0JfrXqNc-webp-featured.webp) ](https://paythenanny.nz/articles/the-difference-between-an-au-pair-demi-pair-nanny-and-nanny-share-explained)By Mark Hudson · 23 September, 2021 ### [The Difference between an Au Pair, Demi Pair, Nanny and Nanny Share Explained](https://paythenanny.nz/articles/the-difference-between-an-au-pair-demi-pair-nanny-and-nanny-share-explained) From au pairs to full-time nannies and nanny shares, every family’s childcare needs are different. Whether you're after cultural exchange, flexibility or professional care, this guide breaks down the pros, cons and payroll tips for each type of nanny arrangement. 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[Read more...](https://paythenanny.nz/articles/understanding-leave-entitlements-for-nannies-and-au-pairs-in-new-zealand) ![Pay the nanny](https://paythenanny.nz/images/logo-white.png)Join Our Community Stay in the loop! Subscribe to receive the latest updates, exclusive content, and special offers straight to your inbox. 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