What about the "nanny tax" — do I need to do W-2?

IRS Pub. 926 — if you pay a household employee ≥ $2,700 in wages during 2026 (threshold adjusts annually), you owe employer Social Security + Medicare taxes (Schedule H, filed with Form 1040). Casual / occasional babysitters generally fall below this. Full-time nannies always require W-2 + Schedule H. Several states (CA, NY, MA, IL) have additional disability + paid-family-leave employer obligations.

What if the babysitter is a minor?

Most states allow minors 14+ to babysit (Red Cross babysitting course is the de-facto credential). Below age 14, state child-labor laws vary substantially — verify your state's minimum (PA: 14, CA: 12 with supervision, several states: no statutory minimum). Have a parent of the minor sitter sign as a co-party for added protection.

Can the babysitter take my child to a park or the grocery store?

Yes if you authorize it explicitly. Best practice: list pre-approved errands / outings in the contract. Driving children requires the sitter to (a) have a valid driver's license, (b) be on your auto-insurance OR have their own, and (c) use age-appropriate car seats / boosters per state law (every state has booster-seat-to-age requirements: CA 8 years/4'9", FL 6 years, TX 8 years).

What if the babysitter gets injured at our home?

For occasional sitters: typically covered by your homeowner's / renter's liability up to policy limits ($100k-$500k typical). For regular nannies (household employees): most states REQUIRE workers' compensation insurance (CA: any domestic employee; NY: 40+ hr/week; FL: 4+ employees aggregated). Personal umbrella ($1M+) is a cheap add-on for higher-frequency engagements. Verify with your homeowner's insurer before relying on the policy.

Should we ask for CPR certification?

Strongly recommended for any sitter caring for children under 5 or any child with medical conditions. American Red Cross offers a pediatric CPR + first-aid course (~$80, 5-6 hours) and a Babysitting Basics course (~$50, 4 hours). For children with severe allergies or chronic conditions, CPR + EpiPen training should be non-negotiable.

What about the "nanny tax" — do I need to do W-2?

IRS Pub. 926 — if you pay a household employee ≥ $2,700 in wages during 2026 (threshold adjusts annually), you owe employer Social Security + Medicare taxes (Schedule H, filed with Form 1040). Casual / occasional babysitters generally fall below this. Full-time nannies always require W-2 + Schedule H. Several states (CA, NY, MA, IL) have additional disability + paid-family-leave employer obligations.

What if the babysitter is a minor?

Most states allow minors 14+ to babysit (Red Cross babysitting course is the de-facto credential). Below age 14, state child-labor laws vary substantially — verify your state's minimum (PA: 14, CA: 12 with supervision, several states: no statutory minimum). Have a parent of the minor sitter sign as a co-party for added protection.

Can the babysitter take my child to a park or the grocery store?

Yes if you authorize it explicitly. Best practice: list pre-approved errands / outings in the contract. Driving children requires the sitter to (a) have a valid driver's license, (b) be on your auto-insurance OR have their own, and (c) use age-appropriate car seats / boosters per state law (every state has booster-seat-to-age requirements: CA 8 years/4'9", FL 6 years, TX 8 years).

What if the babysitter gets injured at our home?

For occasional sitters: typically covered by your homeowner's / renter's liability up to policy limits ($100k-$500k typical). For regular nannies (household employees): most states REQUIRE workers' compensation insurance (CA: any domestic employee; NY: 40+ hr/week; FL: 4+ employees aggregated). Personal umbrella ($1M+) is a cheap add-on for higher-frequency engagements. Verify with your homeowner's insurer before relying on the policy.

Should we ask for CPR certification?

Strongly recommended for any sitter caring for children under 5 or any child with medical conditions. American Red Cross offers a pediatric CPR + first-aid course (~$80, 5-6 hours) and a Babysitting Basics course (~$50, 4 hours). For children with severe allergies or chronic conditions, CPR + EpiPen training should be non-negotiable.

Babysitter Contract (with Emergency Info)

Agreement between parents and a babysitter with rate, hours, house rules, and a prominent emergency-info section.

Customise

State / jurisdiction variant

Parent 1 — full name

Parent 1 — phone (during care)

Parent 2 — full name (if any)

Parent 2 — phone (during care)

Babysitter — full name

Babysitter — phone

Babysitter — age

Most authorities recommend a sitter age of at least 14 (Red Cross babysitting course minimum); CPR + first-aid certification strongly recommended.

Home address

Children (one per line: Name (age) — notes)

Type of engagement

Start date + time

End date + time

Pay rate (USD/hour)

Overtime / late-pickup policy

Payment method

Meals provided to sitter

Screen-time rule for kids

Bedtime

Visitor / door-answering rules

Emergency contact 1 — name + relation

Emergency contact 1 — phone

Emergency contact 2 — name + relation

Emergency contact 2 — phone

Pediatrician — name + practice

Pediatrician — phone

Preferred hospital + ER

Allergies + emergency response

Routine medications

Parent's authorization to seek emergency medical care

State (governing law)

Live preview

BABYSITTER CONTRACT

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

PARENTS (employers):
  Alicia Park     Phone (during care): +1 415 555 0192
  Marcus Park     Phone (during care): +1 415 555 0287

BABYSITTER (caregiver):
  Riley Chen     Age: 19
  Phone: +1 415 555 0316

HOME / WORK LOCATION:
  1247 Cedar Lane, San Francisco, CA 94110

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1. SCOPE OF ENGAGEMENT
This is occasional / one-off care care.

  Start: 2026-05-23 18:00
  End:   2026-05-23 23:30

2. CHILDREN UNDER CARE

Maya Park (5) — high-energy, loves dinosaurs, mild peanut allergy (EpiPen on top shelf of fridge)
Oliver Park (2) — needs nap by 1pm, soothes with bunny lovey, no nuts in any form

3. COMPENSATION
Rate: $22.00 per hour. Payment by Venmo / Zelle / PayPal at the end of the session.

Overtime / late-pickup policy: 1.5x hourly rate after 11pm; 30-minute grace period for late pickup, then $10/hour additional.

4. MEALS + HOUSEHOLD USE
Meals: help yourself to anything from the kitchen. Sitter may use the kitchen, common areas, and main bathroom. Please do not enter the master bedroom or the home office unless retrieving an item for the children.

5. HOUSE RULES
Screen time: Maya: max 30 min of approved kids' TV (PBS Kids OK; no YouTube). Oliver: no screens at all.
Bedtime:     Oliver: 7:30pm (book + lullaby; needs bunny lovey). Maya: 8:30pm (1 chapter book + lights out).
Visitors:    Do not open the door for any visitor; call us first. We are not expecting any deliveries during this engagement.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
6. *** EMERGENCY INFORMATION ***    (KEEP THIS SECTION VISIBLE AT ALL TIMES)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  CALL 911 FIRST for any life-threatening situation
    — fire, choking, unconsciousness, severe bleeding, anaphylaxis,
      seizure, head injury with loss of consciousness.

  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  Emergency contact #1: Sarah Park (grandmother, lives 4 blocks away)
                        +1 415 555 0145

  Emergency contact #2: Dr. Jamie Lin (family friend, pediatrician)
                        +1 415 555 0223

  Pediatrician:         Dr. Aiko Yamada — Mission Pediatrics (4128 24th St.)
                        +1 415 555 0411

  Preferred ER:         UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital — 1855 4th St (Mission Bay) — ER 24/7

  Poison Control (US):  1-800-222-1222 (24/7, free, confidential)

  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  ALLERGIES + EMERGENCY RESPONSE:
Maya: PEANUT — severe, anaphylaxis risk. EpiPen Jr. located on top shelf of fridge (2 of them, expiration 2027-03). If exposure: administer EpiPen to outer thigh, call 911, then call us. Maya: bee stings — moderate, give Benadryl from medicine drawer.
Oliver: no known allergies but no nuts in any form (precaution due to Maya's allergy + age).

  ROUTINE MEDICATIONS:
Maya: Singulair 5mg chewable, 1 tablet at bedtime (in white pill organizer on kitchen counter).
Oliver: no routine medications. Children's Tylenol may be given for fever > 101°F per the dosing chart in the medicine drawer.

  PARENT MEDICAL AUTHORIZATION:
  AUTHORIZED to seek any necessary emergency medical care, including transport to the preferred hospital ER, administration of medication per parental instructions (including EpiPen), and consent to emergency treatment when parents cannot be reached within a reasonable time. This authorization extends to all licensed medical providers under the doctrine of implied parental consent (informed by parents' written direction here).

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

7. CONFIDENTIALITY + HOUSEHOLD PRIVACY
Sitter agrees to keep household information confidential (family routines, security codes, names of children, photos / videos of children) and not to share photos or videos of the children on social media without express written consent from the parents.

8. GOVERNING LAW
This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California.

9. SIGNATURES

PARENT:                                        BABYSITTER:

_____________________________     _____________________________
Alicia Park                  Riley Chen
Date: ____________________      Date: ____________________

About this template

A babysitter contract serves three purposes: setting clear expectations on schedule and pay; documenting house rules around screens, bedtime, and visitors so the sitter is empowered to enforce them without being second-guessed; and — most importantly — putting all the emergency information in one place where it can be found in 5 seconds during a stressful event. The "emergency info" section is the critical safety component: in a real emergency a frantic sitter cannot dig through a phone for contacts; a printed page on the fridge with allergies, EpiPen location, pediatrician number, and preferred ER saves precious minutes. Most US states exempt occasional / casual babysitting from child-care licensing (CA Health & Safety Code §1596.792; Tex. Hum. Res. Code §42.041; NY SSL §390) — but a recurring nanny is a household employee for whom IRS Pub. 926 nanny-tax rules apply (Schedule H Form 1040 if wages ≥ $2,700/year in 2026, federally; state minimum wage + overtime per state domestic-worker laws). Travel babysitting and overnight engagements should include extra emergency contacts in the destination + the hotel front-desk number.

When to use it

Hiring a regular weekly babysitter for date nights.
Engaging a part-time after-school sitter.
Travel babysitting / hotel sitting on vacation.
Full-time nanny — pair with separate W-2 nanny-tax compliance.
Grandparent / family-friend caregiver — even informal arrangements benefit from written emergency info.

What to include

Parent contact numbers during the care period.
Children's names + ages + key behavioral / medical notes.
Allergies (severe ones in BOLD), medication locations, dosing instructions.
Multiple emergency contacts (in case parents are unreachable).
Pediatrician + preferred ER with address.
Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222.
Parent's written authorization for emergency medical care.
House rules: screen time, bedtime, visitors, meals.
Pay rate + payment method + overtime / late-pickup policy.

Frequently asked

Legally no, but having an emergency-info sheet IS strongly recommended even for a single evening. A simple printed page with allergies, EpiPen location, ER, and pediatrician saves precious minutes if something happens. The bare minimum: emergency contacts, allergies, location of medications, ER address. Pay rate and house rules can stay verbal for casual one-offs.

⚠ Legal disclaimer. This template is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal advice from a qualified attorney. Always consult a licensed professional before using this document for any binding agreement.

Jurisdiction: United States — state child-care licensing thresholds (CA Health & Safety Code §1596.792 — exemption for casual / non-recurring care; NY SSL §390 — registered family day care for >2 unrelated children > 3hr/day on a regular basis; Tex. Hum. Res. Code §42.041 — exemption for "babysitters" caring for children of one family on irregular schedule); IRS household-employee rules (Pub. 926 — "nanny tax" Schedule H Form 1040 if wages ≥ $2,700 in 2026, increasing annually); state minimum wage + overtime rules (FLSA exempts "casual babysitters" 29 CFR §552.5 but not nannies; CA AB1513 of 2025 expanded domestic-worker overtime); workers' compensation coverage for live-in / regular nannies (varies by state).

Last reviewed: 2026-05

Reviewed by ScoutMyTool — consult a licensed attorney for binding use.