Nanny Tax DeskNanny payroll calculator for 2026
Hold back 7.65% of each paycheck for Social Security and Medicare once yearly pay reaches $3,000. A nanny paid $800 a week: $61.20 held back each week, and about $862.01 a week costs you, pay and employer taxes together.
General information from IRS Publication 926, not tax advice. Check with a tax professional for your household.
An $800 weekly paycheck
- Social Security6.2% of $800: $49.60 held back.
- Medicare1.45% of $800: $11.60 held back.
- The nanny's check$800 less $61.20: $738.80, before any income tax you agreed to withhold.
- Your sideThe same $61.20 again, and federal unemployment on the first $7,000 of the year ($42 in all), so most of it falls in the first nine weeks.
This calculator does not work out federal income tax withholding. That is optional for household workers; if you both agree to it, the IRS's tables in Publication 15-T give the amount for the worker's Form W-4.
General information from IRS Publication 926 (2026), not tax advice. Check with a tax professional for your household.
Questions people ask next
Do I start holding back before pay reaches $3,000?
If you expect to pay $3,000 or more in the year, you can hold back from the first paycheck. If you held back and pay ends up under $3,000, the IRS says to repay the worker.
What if I pay my nanny's share myself?
Then nothing comes out of the check, and the amount you pay counts as more wages for income tax. Pick "I pay it myself" in the calculator to see the cost.
Do I have to give a pay stub?
Federal rules don't require one for household workers, but some states do. Keep a record of each payday's pay and what you held back either way.
Does overtime change this?
The same 7.65% applies to every dollar of cash pay, overtime included.