If the babysitter wants to take the day off, should she get paid?

just to clarify the issue has not yet arrived because she just told me about wanting the half for the days off yesterday, so this is all new.

No. That is ridiculous. She works at will. Tomorrow, she could up & decide to NOT babysit at all anymore…Then what?

What if you lost your job (God Forbid) tomorrow…would you pay her part of your unemployment just to keep he happy?

Listen, if she’s a good sitter, GIVE her a tip once and a while. And, don’t forget her b-day & x-mas.

Some of it has to do with what state you’re in, and what sort of contract agreement you have with the babysitter.

Frequently being “on call” means that you get paid half your salary, and that can be what she’s considering the days when she COULD HAVE been scheduled to work, but didn’t.

Notification periods, etc. can change that—if you have it be that with 48 hours notice, you can cancel her and pay nothing, vs. within 48 hours pay half….

I think it’s open to negotiation, and you should get whatever you decide in writing

Hell No

Half days off are LUDICROUS! I was a sitter for a Loooooong time & for fairly wealthy people, too. Schedules change. That is the nature of the beast when you babysit. Period!

I also cleaned homes & businesses to earn extra money…NEVER did I get money for something I didn’t do…NEVER! People’s schedules change all the time. “Don’t clean this week, but come next week & do the windows & the fridge too”

Again, it’s very at will employment & it’s a CASH job..she’s asking for too much.

@grumpyfish I highly doubt they have a contract with a babysitter

No. She’s not an employee of a company. She shouldn’t get paid when she’s not working. Plain and simple. If she wants to switch to a salaried position in your household, then you can work out her salary and the demands she’ll need to meet and work out a contract. And it would probably screw her over. Because salaried people don’t get paid extra for staying late or anything like that.

@jca I’m with @EmpressPixie on this one!

If she wants to be your NANNY and help you get groceries, clean the house & make you and your family dinner, get the mail & care for the pets, too…Then, she can get herself a nice little salary or you can work out some other payment arrangement…BUT, under no circumstances should an at will cash worker get paid to sit at home.

I think she might be testing your limits. The idea of being paid for no work is pretty unreasonable to me. If you give in to this latest request she will probably continue to demand more and more from you.

This is exactly why so many parents are sticking their kids in school so early nowadays. Babysitters and nursery schools are expensive and require “coddling” by the parents of the kids. It winds up being cheaper for most parents to enroll their 3yr olds in a Pre-K program at a parochial or private institution.

Maybe you want to find out the prices near you @jca and use that as your reasoning for not giving in to her payment requests.

If you’re paying close to $1200 per month on a sitter, you’d SAVE a considerable amount of dough (when your child is of age), by putting your child in a school instead.

The BEST private school by me charges about $7K a year for the pre-K program & $12K for elementary schooling. The best parochial school charges less than $3K per year.

Exactly what @EmpressPixie said.

Sounds like you’re paying her under the table which I have no problem with But, she can’t be making such demands when she’s being paid like that. Plus, it’s not like a daycare, she’s a private sitter. I’ve been a nanny before, and a babysitter..I would never dream of asking for money for NOT working. And the days I was too sick to work, I didn’t get paid. That’s the business it is. Most hourly workers don’t get paid if they’re sick, it’s not just her.
I hate to say it, but I hope this isn’t a deciding factor for her. I’m really shocked at her audacity to ask though!

@casheroo -I hate to say it, but I hope this isn’t a deciding factor for her. I’m really shocked at her audacity to ask though! I thought the same thing! She’s making some big demands here

If she wants to get paid for holidays, she should build that pay into her base rates. There’s really no reason for a separate charge for holidays, unless she wants to piss off her customers. Or maybe she thinks it’s an easier way to raise her rates than just to raise them.

@SpatzieLover She must view herself as invaluable to the family, but in this economy..it’s quite easy to find someone willing to do the job. I’ve tried finding a job similar, one I could bring my son to, and people are vicious about it on craigslist! They snatch those jobs up quickly.

@casheroo Yup! I think she thinks she must be pretty important. That’s why suggested price shopping for her. She must not grasp the concept of price shopping for kid care.

And, you are correct, this economy is vicious. Most of the people I know with children in neighborhood sitter homes have worked out a deal where they take the sitter’s kid for an hour or so a week, because of their own work schedules being lighten due to the economy. (One of which is my BIL. He’s in real estate and it’s slow for him, thus they need the sitter less than they normally would)

How many days a week do you use her? Do you have a contract of any sort?

There is no reason you should be paying her at all when she is not actually babysitting.
Now, in the state of Ohio, if you are a type B registered in-home daycare provider, you can claim up to 10 days every 6 months. Meaning, there are 10 days you can have off but still get paid.
If she wants to have the option of getting paid for a day off, then maybe she should change from being a private babysitter to a state registered in-home daycare provider.

She’s off the books – i use her three days a week which is $60×3 = $180 when she works three days. So she wants half now for a holiday, which would be $60×2 + $30 = $150.

She watches baby in her home, and it’s an informal arrangement – no contract – it was just $50 a day (like i said she raised it to $60 about a year ago) and no other arrangements.

I was thinking if i have to pay her half for my day off, i should just pay her the full amount, take the baby there and spend the day without the baby, shopping or whatever.

@jca That’s what I would do. Drop off the baby and get ahead on chores and errands

I was all prepared to side with the child-care provider, but nope. A part time provider without a contract should get paid for the time she works for the most part.

However, I do agree that if you chose not to use her for one of your regularly scheduled days she shouldn’t be completely screwed. She’s counting on making x amount of money a week and is prepared to work according to the pre-set schedule. There really should be some sort of contract that both parties agree to about policy for days off, sick days, and holidays.

I think it would be fair for her to ask for half-payment if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice if you’re okay with that, but to ask for half-pay for just any day she doesn’t work is ridiculous.

You are already paying her for taking the day off when you pay her half days for holidays. If you are paying a half day, she needs to take the child for half the day, twhich might work out to your benefit. You can use that half day for a little holiday of your own to shop, get your hair done, whatever.

I believe that the child care provider should have the benefit of having a regulasr income. You need a contract that states something to the affect that she will provide care Mon-Fri, 7:30 am-5:30 pb at a rate of $300/wk. There should be a provision for regular holidays, sick days, and emergencies. For example if she wants holidays off, you don’t pay for those days, if she is open on the holidays then you pay and you have the choice of using her or not. If the child is sick, you pay, if she is sick you don’t.

There is a different relationship between an employer and employee than a business owner and customer. You are not her employer and do not owe her benefits and perks, She sets the price for her services and should not expect to be paid for time unless she is prepared to offer her services.

This is a tough one for me. I can see both sides of it, but I guess what really decides it for me is the distinction between “babysitter” and “daycare provider.” When I was a babysitter, I was paid only for my time actually watching the child/children. However, this was a part-time thing when I was in high school.

Every daycare I have worked for or used myself, whether in a center or someone’s home, had a set fee for the week/day, and that fee was paid even if the child was sick, the parents took a vacation day, the caregiver was sick, etc. We paid $115 a week no matter what. The only time we didn’t pay for the week was when the caregiver took a week’s vacation (with a lot of advance notice). This was in our contract, and I think was fair. The daycare center we used later had the same policy—tuition was paid regardless of missed days.

That said, I think if your sitter wants to change her policy she should write up a contract for parents to sign. If/when the contract changes, she should give the parents a few weeks notice before implementing those changes. If I was her, I would also give serious consideration to becoming licensed. I know the laws vary from state to state, but here in CT if you are reported for caring for a child other than your own on a regular basis without being licensed, you will be fined.

Try to see things from the sitter’s point of view. She has bills to pay, and would probably like the security of being able to count on making a certain amount of money each month. If she is trying to budget her finances and can’t reliably predict what she’ll be making from one week to the next, she might be having trouble. Also, having a child to care for part-time means she has a harder time filling those other part-time spots left open. It’s easier to fill a full-time spot in childcare than a part-time spot. It’s pretty standard for parents only using care part-time to pay a higher daily/hourly rate to help cover the lost pay from those times that aren’t being used.

If you are really happy with this sitter and do not want to go through the hassle of finding someone else or possibly damaging your relationship with a disagreement, either pay what she asks or take your child in on those days off. If you feel like you know her well enough, suggest that she write up a quick contract for the parents. I’m sure she can find many examples online of home daycare contracts. It doesn’t have to be fancy and full of legal jargon, just an outline of what she expects and what parents can expect.

I didn’t read all the posts so this may have already been said. Since she JUST told you about this change in the contract, this is the time to discuss it WITH HER! You are negotiating a change of terms, if you have questions, this is the time for you two to clarify it together, rather than guess and ask us.
What is appropriate is what ever the two of you negotiate. What we have to say doesn’t really matter. This is the perfect time to come to an agreement. The longer you wait to discuss it the more awkward it will get.

When I was working full time, my philosoophy was to pay the babysitter for every day I got paid. If I had a paid day off, she also got paid, if I got a paid vacation, she also got paid.

All of the answers have been very insightful and interesting – and from different viewpoints. I appreciate them all.

@MissAusten: the main difference between what you said and the situation with my babysitter is that mine is off the books, so since she’s not a regular day care center, it’s not tax deductible. when i looked at centers vs. her when i was returning to work, the difference is a center charges more, but charges whether or not you use it (like if child is sick they have a few sick days but basically you’re paying the same price, but the center is a tax deduction, whereas my babysitter is not.

I spoke to her last night about it, since it was just the day previous to that when she told me her new policy. I told her my idea is on a holiday, like Election Day, Columbus Day, or Veteran’s Day (not a relious family holiday but a holiday where some people have to work anyway – and they’re all coming up in Oct or Nov) i was thinking instead of paying half for no service, i would pay her the whole day, bring the baby anyway, and use the day to shop or do something for myself. That way she gets the full pay, so her income does not change, and i get the day to myself. She told me if she is not babysitting for other kids (because their moms are off too) she wants to take the day off. To me, then, it’s not that it’s a holiday, it’s that she is not available, and i don ‘t think i should pay for that. She said that she would not make me pay if i didn’t want to, she loves the baby and does not want to lose her. She said she thought her idea was fair. We had a really diplomatic conversation and I told her i am not complaining in any way about her or her service. So for now it seems like I won’t be paying for the holidays. Christmas and New Year’s are falling this year on a day when i would not use her anyway, as my mom does it a few days a week.

Don’t think because i am posting this you can’t keep putting your thoughts and answers down. I am still interested in your thoughts and viewpoints. Thanks for all.

still think she has large Kahunas for asking to be paid to take a day off

@SpatzieLover : I agree. When i came up with my “solution” which was to bring the baby anyway on a holiday and pay her the whole amount so she could make the money and i could get the service and she told me she wanted the day off regardless (perfectly understandable to want the day off but not to get paid), then i was thinking so why should i pay when the issue is not that it’s a holiday, the issue is that she wants to take the day off? so i agree with you. but i am not mad at her because she is a good sitter and from what i understand from other working parents i know, it’s hard to find a good one who is cooperative, and trustworthy (when you see those hidden camera expos on TV), so i can overlook her ballsiness this time!

I sort of agree with @YARNLADY . You are asking someone to care for your most precious blessing. Should your boss not pay you because you got the day off? Is the job she does any less valuable to you than the job you do for your boss?
I don’‘t think it is “ballsy” to ask to be paid what you’re worth. It sounds like this woman is a Gem! If it were me, I would not only pay her for my holidays, but I would bring her flowers every week to let her know how much I appreciate her. A good sitter is hard to find.

@Judi I agree that if you get good service and appreciate your sitter she/he should be well compensated. Personally I can’t imagine asking to be paid for an hourly (not salary) job when not working those hours. To me it’s like demanding a tip, and a specific tip at that.

@jca She sounds like a keeper. I wouldn’t be mad, just a bit guffawed at the idea of the paid vacation days. If I were the parent she said it to, I’d probably be re-thinking the whole thing, only because I’m a gift-giver by nature. She’d be well compensated with tips, gift cards, etc.

@Judi That’s what I was thinking, if you are worth paid days off, why isnt’ she?

Hourly people get paid vacations, holidays and sick pay too! The really lucky ones even get medical insurance.

The best thing I’ve heard about these situations is this: Take care of the people who take care of your children.
You really should sit down with her and discuss all these things- and lean towards letting her get her way, within reason.

My son is 8 months old and my daughter watches her brother while I go to work from 8 – 5pm. I pay my daughter monthly $800 and I deduct $240 for her rent etc. Her final payment is $560 montly and she gets paid $140 weekly in cash. My daughter now wants to get paid for holidays (when I’m off for the holidays) and she also want to get paid for days that I do not have to work, is this rational?