Whether you're new to hiring a nanny or have questions about taxes, leave entitlements, or secure payment options, Pay The Nanny is here to help. Our FAQ page offers clear, concise answers, allowing you to confidently manage your nanny's payroll and focus on what matters most—your family.
Absolutely! When it comes to au pair payroll, the characteristics are predominantly the same as for nannies.
The only difference for an au pair is that they are usually only fixed term and also have what's called a Board & Lodgings deduction included.
If you are hiring an au pair, and not sure around what that entails - don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected]
Pay The Nanny is a New Zealand owned and operated payroll service.
Our team includes certified CAs, financial and taxation specialists who help households make it simple to hire and manage nannies and au pairs.
Our goal is to make it simple, easy and hassle free for households to be able to hire nannies and au pairs.
No, we don't become the employer. When you hire a nanny or au pair then you will become the employer of that Nanny and responsible for paying all the necessary employee entitlements.
With Pay The Nanny, we make it super simple with the IRD. You'll still need an employment contract and will be fully responsible for the work they undertake. However, we assume the responsibilities for paying your nanny and applicable parties like the IRD.
For the purposes of the IRD, all employer returns are filed through Pay The Nanny (rather than you directly as the employer). This means we will assume the obligations of making sure that employers have calculated and paid the correct amount of taxes.
Therefore, you don't actually need to register as an employer via the IRD, as we take care of it all.
Households who employ a nanny or au pair will be required to pay for the employer contributions (work levy) of their employees.
This covers the employee for any work related accidents that occur.
With each nanny's pay, Pay the Nanny will charge an ACC amount of 1.5%. This amount includes our ACC processing fee and once you receive your ACC invoice, we'll pay this directly on your behalf.
Because you are paying ACC with each payroll, it means that you won't receive a surprise when you receive your invoice each year!
We've developed our own custom platform that's cutting edge and best in class.
Previously, we've solely used third-party software but we have developed a custom platform that better meets the needs of our customers. It's been built with the domestic employee in mind and integrates with other key software.
For a demo/preview on the system and some general guidance - view 'Using the system as Employer or Nanny'.
All nannies are paid in arrears on the Friday in line with their payment cycle. Our normal working week runs from Monday to Sunday.
We have different pay cycles, either weekly, fortnightly or monthly and these are dependent on the preference of each customer.
All nannies are paid in the same cycle. For example, all fortnightly cycle nannies are paid at the same time, to ensure we can streamline our processes and so no pays get missed!
Monthly pays are paid on the second working Friday of each month (for the time worked in the calendar month prior).
Pay The Nanny is focused on nannies at the moment but our services really extend to anyone who needs help with managing tax and payroll for a nanny or au pair.
Whilst our marketing and brand is focused on nannies and au pairs, our service lends itself well to any type of domestic worker. This includes elderley care and disability type workers, when a household is employing them directly.
We also have a team of payroll experts on hand and process the payroll for a handful of small businesses. If you are keen to understand how we might be able to help, just get in touch.
Nope. We are not a Recruitment Agency, so we do not source or place nannies with any households.
We are a payroll service and we only manage the payroll for nannies after they have been found, either directly or through an agency.
If you are looking to hire a nanny, send us an email to [email protected] and we can recommend some places to look.
All nannies and au pairs are deemed to be employees of the household they are employed by. Therefore, any employee who meets the criteria for automatic enrollment must be enrolled in Kiwisaver.
Your employer compulsory contributions must be on top of your employee's regular pay.
If your kiwisaver is negotiated as part of the gross rate, ensure that your employment contract clearly states that so you don't get yourself caught out.
For au pairs, if they are here on a working holiday visa, then they likely won't be eligble to contribute to Kiwisaver. If you're unsure, just get in touch.
We've built up a list of our most common queries and provided answers in this system support section.
Nope, you won't need to register as an employer with the IRD at all if you are using Pay The Nanny.
When an Employer signs up with Pay the Nanny we assume the obligation to collect, calculate and submit the correct taxes with the IRD on your behalf.
If you're transitioning from another payroll provider, you might be registered as an employer with the IRD. We recommend you check this, and if you are, de-register as an employer to avoid any late filing fees.
With each payroll we process, Pay the Nanny will calculate the correct amount that needs to be paid to the IRD.
Those amounts, along with the amounts to be paid to your Nanny, will be direct debited from your nominated account.
Pay The Nanny takes full responsibility for ensuring any amounts are paid correctly, once received.
If you need a breakdown of taxes paid at any point, you can always get in touch.
We love to partner with nanny agencies and help them build their offerings to customers.
Whilst we don't license out our software to external parties, we'd be happy to talk about partnership opportunities and how you might be able to integrate our software into your current solutions.
We are always eager to work with agencies, so get in touch and we will be happy to chat around how we can support.
We have an office in Wellington but we operate in the cloud, meaning that we provide payroll services to nannies all over New Zealand.
We provide email and phone support throughout the country. So, whether you are in Cape Reinga or Bluff, we can support.
At Pay The Nanny, we take great pride in ensuring we remove the risks associated with households employing nannies. The relationship is kept between Pay the Nanny and the IRD for tax purposes which takes the risk away from our clients.
We also look after Kiwisaver payments, to ensure everyone is compliant.
We're also experts when it comes to managing the employment obligations of hiring nannies and au pairs. This means Parents can reach out at any point for support or guidance.
To ensure nannies are paid on time we require each household to sign a direct debit form.
Direct debits will go out on the Wednesday of each pay week.
You'll be responsible for ensuring that you have sufficient funds in your account before the direct debit goes out.
If direct debits bounce, we do have a dishonour fee as it can create a lot of work for our team when that happens.
Timesheets need to be submitted and approved before 5pm on the Sunday of each fortnightly pay period.
Any payroll changes need to be received by us before 2pm on the Monday of each week.
While the deadlines appear pretty tight, we're always accommodating, and our number one priority is that everyone gets paid. So if you have any issues, then email us at [email protected] and we'll help to get it sorted.
All nannies and au pairs are deemed to be employees of the household they are employed by. Therefore, nannies are entitled to the same employment benefits as any other employees.
This means there is a requirement to the minimum entitlements under the Holiday Act 2003.
Signing up is super simple. You can create a profile here here
Once you have verified your email, you can complete the sign up form to get your nanny started. There's a bit of information you'll need to collect from your nanny and have handy before you begin the form (such as IRD numbers, bank accounts, tax codes & kiwisaver details).
Once you've completed the form, we'll get you setup in our system and send through a confirmation email along with further details.
If you are a nanny wanting to sign up, we recommend chatting to your Employer as we'll need them to sign up first. If you refer your employer, and they aren't an existing customer, we'll give you a $50 voucher to say thanks!
The main difference is that employees work for you, and contractors work for themselves.
In most scenarios, families employing a nanny are responsible for when and how they complete their work. Nannies aren't able to sub-contract their work which makes it difficult for them to be classified as a contractor.
For more information, we wrote an article on this: here
Au pairs are no different to nannies when it comes to payroll. They are entitled to receive the minimum wage in New Zealand and receive the same employment benefits that a nanny does.
There is a common misconception that Au Pairs don't need to pay tax and can simply be paid a cash in hand amount. However, they are still required to pay taxes, the same as any other type of employee in New Zealand.
The main difference between and au pair and a nanny is that an au pair has a board & lodgings component included in their payroll. This is a deduction made from their wages to reflect the food and acommodation that they are provided with.
If you want a breakdown of the current industry standards for au pair rates, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at [email protected] or view our latest guidance here.
We're definitely not employment lawyers, so we don't provide binding legal advice.
However, we're experts in nanny and au pair employment and can definitely provide generalised HR support for both employers and nannies.
There's no extra fee for this and it's included as part of our standard pricing.
To login to the system, use this link: login.
Before you are able to login, you'll have to have an active contract setup in Pay The Nanny.
If you've forgotten your password, select Forgot your password? and the system will send you a link to reset it.
f you're still having issues, email support at [email protected].
Timesheet entries close at 5pm Sunday each week. Once the timesheets close off, no further time can be entered for that week.
If your nanny needs to complete timesheets each week, we'll send them two email reminders prior to the cut-off. We encourage users to ensure that timesheets are entered before 5pm Sunday so there are no issues with either the invoice or the payroll.
Timesheet approvals need to be completed by employers by 2pm Monday. If no approval is provided, the system will automatically approve these at that time.
Timesheet approvals will be sent automatically from the system at 5pm each Sunday. These will be sent each week, regardless of whether a pay cycle is weekly/fortnightly/monthly. Payroll invoices will still be sent in line with the relevant pay cycle though (i.e fortnightly).
Timesheets can be reviewed either through the email received, or directly through the dashboard.
To review the time, follow the following steps:
If your nanny has fixed time and doesn't need to complete timesheet entries, you'll still receive a timesheet approval email. There are a few options for you:
For both an employer and a nanny, you'll be able to update your key profile information when you've logged in to the app.
Invoices are processed Tuesday each week. Invoices are raised in arrears and will relate to the week/fortnight prior to the invoice due date. Monthly payroll is paid on the second working Friday of each month and relates to the previous calendar month worked.
Direct debits will be processed overnight Wednesday. Please ensure there are sufficient funds in your bank account prior to the direct debit being processed to avoid any issues.
If there are any issues with your invoice, get in touch ASAP once you've received it.
After logging in to the system, head to the timesheet widget, which has the title Logged time this week.
You can then following the following steps:
Time can be added through the method above or through the following steps:
A client can add a leave request or time entries for a nanny, when completing their timesheet review after Sunday 5pm.
To add a leave request, follow the following steps:
The hours/leave will be automatically adjusted and sent to your nanny as a notification.
Both employers and nannies are able to change the bank account information where direct debits and payroll are processed from/to.
To do this:
Payroll payments are always made on a Friday but may take up to 1 business day to clear in to your bank account but should be sooner.
Payroll is processed in arrears in line with your set payroll cycle. For each week/fortnight worked, the payroll will be processed and paid the following Friday.For Monthly pay cycles, this is paid on the second working Friday of each month and relates to the prior calendar month worked.
If you are a nanny who has fixed time and doesn't need to complete timesheet entries, you can still access and edit time on a weekly basis.
A few important notes:
In short, if you have fixed, recurring entries then you don't need to do anything on a regular basis. However, you'll always be able to go in and edit/add additional time or expenses.
Payroll invoices will be sent to clients on a Tuesday. Payroll invoices will only be sent in line with each pay cycle. I.e fortnightly cycle nannys will only receive one payroll invoice every two weeks.
Once you've received your payroll invoice, there's nothing you need to do. We'll process the direct debit overnight on Wednesday and payment will be made to your nanny on Friday.
We've added some additional details to the invoices though to provide more granular information to customers. If you do have questions on the invoice, or something doesn't look right, just get in touch.
Expense reimbursements are loaded in a similar way to timesheets. Select Logged expenses this cycle on the dashboard.
You can then enter expenses in the following way:
The expenses entered should now be showing on the dashboard. If you've made an error:
Leave balances are updated after each payroll is processed.
After logging in to your dashboard, you'll see the Available Leave Balances widget. On there, you will see the following leave balances:
A few notes:
Leave balances are only updated after each payroll is processed.
After logging in to your dashboard, you'll see the Available Leave Balances widget. On there, you will see the following leave balances:
A few notes:
If you can't see any balances when you first login to the system, that's OK. These won't be updated until after the first payroll has been processed via the new system.
We're always happy to help and we're available during normal business hours to assist.
Our contact details are:
We're only a small team, so if you can't get through our phone line - leave us a message and we'll call you back, or send us through an email.
Leave requests are able to be made through either the Leave tab in the navigation panel or by clicking on Request Leave under the Available Leave Balances widget.
The following steps can then be followed:
Once that has been completed a leave request will be sent to your employer to either approve/deny. To review the status of your leave request:
If a leave request is sent to an employer but is not approved prior to the payroll being processed, the system will automatically approve this and it will be included in the next applicable pay.
When a nanny makes a leave request, you'll receive an email notification. The leave request will also be available in the system when you next login.
After logging in to your dashboard you can follow the following steps:
Note: Leave requests follow the same timeframes as expenses and timesheets. If a leave request is not approved/denied before the timesheet cut off for the relevant week it will automatically be approved and paid. Therefore, we would encourage employers to request their nannies to load any leave as soon as possible to ensure there is enough time for employers to review the request.
Payroll invoices will automatically be sent via email after each payroll is processed and will be available through your employer dashboard.
You'll also be able to view historical payroll invoices through the My Invoices tab in the navigation panel.
Note: this tab won't show in the system until after the first pay has been processed. So when you login for the first time, don't worry if you can't see this tab.
If you need a summary or statement for a specific period, like a tax year, then don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] and we can help pull something together.
Once you have submitted a leave request, you won't be able to amend it. This is done to ensure that the leave request which your Employer is reviewing doesn't change.
If you need to change a leave request, or cancel it, just reach out to the support team at [email protected] and we'll be able to help get it sorted for you.
To ensure we process the correct payments, our timesheets cuts off at 5pm Sunday of each week. Timesheets then need to be reviewed and approved by 2pm on Monday.
Our timesheet cut offs are strict, so any information not received by 2pm Monday might have to be included in the next payroll.
Having said that, we are always pretty flexible and it's important that everyone gets paid! So, if you forget to complete timesheets, just get in touch with us ASAP.
If you know in advance that it's likely you won't be able to meet the cut-offs, definitely send us an email to [email protected] and we'll be able to get it sorted for you.
Finalising time for the week is simple and there isn't any manual input required from nannys.
The key points to note on finalising time for the week:
The most important point to note with timesheets is that all time in the system at 5pm Sunday will be sent through to your employer for approval. If no time is entered, the system won't generate a timesheet approval for your employer.
Payslips will automatically be sent via email after each payroll is processed usually on a Tuesday afternoon.
You'll also be able to view historical payslips through the Payslips tab in the navigation panel.
Note: this tab won't show anything in the system until after the first pay has been processed. So when you login for the first time, don't worry if you can't see anything here.
Experience the freedom and confidence that comes with knowing your nanny's payroll and finances are in order. At Pay the Nanny, we're dedicated to providing a smooth and stress-free experience, so you can focus on nurturing a strong bond with your nanny and enjoying quality time with your loved ones. Our customers rave about the peace of mind, time savings, and exceptional service they've received from our comprehensive finance and payroll management.