Pay The Nanny: Nanny Payroll Services

Your Guide to Streamlined Nanny Payroll

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.

FAQ's

About Pay The Nanny

Employment Obligations

Kiwi Savers, Acc, Taxes

Software

Payroll and Timesheets

Other Services

Will I still have to pay ACC?

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!

What payroll system do you use?

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'.

How often do the nannies get paid?

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!

Who is Pay The Nanny?

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.

Do you become the employer of my nanny or au pair?

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 responsibilites 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.

How often do the nannies and au pairs get paid?

Can you provide a service for anyone that isn't a nanny?

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.

Do you also process the payroll for au pairs?

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]

Who is responsible for managing payments to the nannies and the IRD?

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.

Do I need to pay Kiwisaver to my nanny?

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.

I've got some questions around using the system

We've built up a list of our most common queries and provided answers in this system support section.

Do I need to register as an employer with the IRD?

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.

Does Pay The Nanny recruit nannies?

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.

Who is responsible for managing payments to the nannies and the ATO?

With each payroll we process, Pay the Nanny will calculate the correct amount that needs to be paid to the ATO.

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.

Can I use your software for my nanny agency?

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.

Why do I need to sign a direct debit form?

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.

Where abouts is Pay The Nanny based?

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.

How can Pay The Nanny mitigate risks of employing nannies and au pairs?

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.

Do I need to pay nannies for sick leave and holidays?

All nannies 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.

How do I sign up?

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!

Do I need to pay nannies or au pairs for sick leave and holidays?

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.

When is the cut-off times for each payroll period?

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.

My nanny forgot to submit her time for this week will she still get paid?

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.

Do you have a mobile app?

We sure do! We have a mobile app that families and nannies can use in both NZ & AU for their payroll.

To check it out, download it via the links on the app or play store.

Play store: here
App store: here

Can my nanny be a contractor?

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 making it difficult for them to be classified as a contractor.

For more information, check we wrote an article on this here.

Can my nanny or au pair be a contractor

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

How do I process the pay for an Au Pair

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]

Do you provide HR support?

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.

System Support

General

Timelines & Cutoffs

Using the system as a nanny

Using the system as an employer

Timesheet cut-offs

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.

System demo

We've recorded a quick demo video to provide nannys with an overview of the system:

You can view the demo video for the web app here.
You can view the demo video for the mobile app here.

System demo

We've recorded a quick demo video to provide employers with an overview of the system:

You can view the demo video for the web application here.
You can view the demo video for the mobile application here.

How do I login?

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].

Updating profile information

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.

On the navigation tab, head to My Profile
On that tab, you'll be able to change your personal info, address info and payment info
Update the information that requires changing and select save
When you refresh the page, the updated details should now be available

Invoice schedules

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.

Completing timesheet entries

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:

Select the Log Time button
You'll only be able to enter time for the current calendar week
Select the Date and the day on which you are logging time.
Select the work type. In most cases, this will be Nanny Services unless it's a public holiday
Enter your start time and end time as well as any breaks that you had
Click save
The time entered should now be showing on the timesheet widget

Time can be added through the method above or through the following steps:

On the timesheet widget, select the ... button under the action column
After clicking that you will be able to do three things - either edit, duplicate or delete
To repeat the previous entries in the week select duplicate. The entries will automatically be recreated.
If you've made an error you can either edit or delete the timesheet entry.

Approving timesheet entries

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:

Review each time entry to ensure that your comfortable with what has been entered
If there are no issues, select approve. The pending approval will disappear from your page and the invoice/pay will be processed accordingly
If there are timesheet lines which need adjusting select Fix incorrect entries
You will now be able to edit the individual time entries. To edit time, select the ... button next to each of the entries
You'll be given an option to either edit, duplicate or delete.
After you've made the relevant adjustments add a quick note for the nanny so they're able to see what changes were made and why
Select approve. The time will now have been updated and approved in the system

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:

Do nothing and the time will be automatically approved and paid
Approve the time
Correct entries
Add additional time, leave or expenses
It's important to note that the system will generate the correct hours worked on each day but the start time will automatically show as 8am.

Updating bank account

Both employers and nannies are able to change the bank account information where direct debits and payroll are processed from/to.

To do this:

Select My Profile on the navigation panel.
Under payment info, select Change next to the bank account number
Enter the new bank account information and press save
For security purposes, admin will review bank account changes before they are updated in the system.
Once the bank account change has been approved, you'll receive a notification in the system and the bank details will be updated under My Profile

Payroll schedules

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.

Fixed time nannies (no timesheets required)

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:

The system will automatically populate your timesheet with your regular hours on Monday morning of each week
If there are no changes needed, you don't need to do anything and the time will automatically be sent, approved and paid.
You can still edit each time entry or add additional time worked on a specific day
It's important to note that the system will generate the correct hours worked on each day but the start time will automatically show as 8am.

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.

Adding Leave Requests to Timesheet Reviews

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:

Review each time entry to ensure that your comfortable with what has been entered
If there are no issues, select approve. The pending approval will disappear from your page and the invoice/pay will be processed accordingly
If there is a leave request that needs to be adjusted select Fix incorrect entries
At the bottom of the screen select Add Leave Entry
To request a new leave enter start date and end date
A dropdown should automatically show with all the days in the period that was taken as leave
On each day of leave, enter the amount of Leave Hours that you require. To make it simple, the system will automatically show your average working hours on a specific day but these can be overriden (and should be reviewed)
Select the applicable Leave Type from dropdown box and enter save
Once you've entered the leave request, add a note to the bottom of the timesheet review around what changes have been made. This will be included in the notification sent to your employee
Make sure any normal time worked, on the same day as the leave request is deleted from the timesheet review, to avoid the day being double counted
Enter approve on the timesheet review to finalise the time

The hours/leave will be automatically adjusted and sent to your nanny as a notification.

Is there a mobile app?

There sure is and this can be accessed on either Android or Apple.

Download it via the links on the app or play store.

Play store: here.
App store: here.

Completing expense reimbursements

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:

Select the blue Log Expense button
A small window will pop up where you can enter the expenses
Select the date which the expense reimbursement relates to. N.B you'll only be able to enter reimbursements for the current calendar week
Select the reimbursement type as either travel or expense. Travel is paid at the IRD approved mileage rate and expenses are paid at the monetary value which is entered
Add the KM or $$ amount in the field which pops up
Add a note around what the reimbursement relates to. This will show on the invoice to your client
Select save

The expenses entered should now be showing on the dashboard. If you've made an error:

Select the ... button underneath the action column
You will be able to either edit, delete or duplicate the entry
Add the relevant task and click save
The updated amount should now be showing on the expense widget on your dashboard

Reviewing Invoices

Invoices will be sent to clients on a Tuesday. Invoices will only be sent in line with each pay cycle. I.e fortnightly cycle nannys will only receive one invoice every two weeks.

Once you've received your 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.

Reviewing Payroll Invoices

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.

Reviewing leave balances

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:

Annual Holidays
Sick Leave
Alternative Holiday Leave

A few notes:

If your holiday pay is paid with each payroll (i.e holiday-pay-as-you-go) the annual holidays balance will always be zero
If you haven't been employed for six months continuously, you'll also notice that your sick leave is likely to be zero as well
To make it simple, annual holidays will always be shown as hours, rather than days or weeks.

Viewing leave balances

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:

Annual Holidays
Sick Leave
Alternative Holiday Leave

A few notes:

If your nanny has their holiday pay paid with each payroll (i.e holiday-pay-as-you-go) the annual holidays balance will always be zero
If your nanny hasn't been employed for six months continuously, you'll also notice that your sick leave is likely to be zero as well
To make it simple, annual holidays will always be shown as hours, rather than days or weeks.

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.

Contacting support

We're always happy to help and we're available during normal business hours to assist.

Our contact details are:

email: [email protected]
phone: (04) 560 7397

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.

Making leave requests

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:

To request a new leave enter the Start Date and the End Date
A dropdown should automatically show with all the days in the period that you have requested leave
On each day of leave, enter the amount of Requested Leave Hours that you require. To make it simple, the system will automatically show your average working hours on a specific day but these can be overriden and should always be sense checked.
Once you've entered the hours, add a note around what the leave request relates to. This will be included in the information being sent to your employer
Select the applicable Leave Type from dropdown box and enter save
Under the timesheet widget the leave request will now be showing on the applicable day. You don't need to enter leave in to the timesheets, so if there is a double up of time, delete the timesheet entry.

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:

Under the Leave tab in the navigation panel you will see a history of all leave requested
Under status the leave request will be showing as either closed/pending or approved
If the status is closed this means that the leave was approved and has already been paid
If your leave is denied then you'll receive a notification via your dashboard as well as via email and the request will be removed from your history

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.

Approving/Denying Leave Requests

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:

Any leave request should be showing at the top of your dashboard
The leave request will show the total hours being request and the days which the leave relates to
It will also show you the type of leave - i.e Annual Leave, SIck Leave etc
Review the leave request and if you're comfortable with the request, select approve
If the request is incorrect, or not approved, select deny
Regardless of whether you approve or deny the request, your nanny will still receive a notification of the outcome
You can review the status of any leave requests under the leave tab under the navigation panel
Any approved leave will be paid in the next applicable payroll. Any denied leave will be deleted from the system and won't be paid

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.

Viewing Invoice History

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 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.

Note: if you previously used Invoxy, you won't be able to see old invoices processed through there under the new system. If you require historical information, send us an email to [email protected]

Updating Leave Requests

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.

Viewing Payroll Invoice History

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.

Finalising time for the week

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:

At 5pm Sunday of each calendar week, timesheet entries will cut off
After this time, nannys won't be able to enter any further time for that week or previous weeks.
The system will then automatically generate a timesheet review and send this to your employer for approval
If there are any changes required, your employer will be able to make these as part of the timesheet approval process at their end

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.

Viewing pay history

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.

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