Do Nannies Get Paid for Holidays?

No matter whether full-time or part-time, most employees are entitled to holidays and should receive an amount of holiday pay for this by law. Nannies can work different lengths of time - a maximum of five days per week - and this will be factored into how much holiday pay they can earn. 

There is often confusion from both employees and employers about whether workers who do not necessarily work typical hours should receive the same benefits as those that do. In the following guide, the experts at Nannies Matter will outline how holiday pay works for nannies in line with legal HMRC requirements.

How many holidays should a nanny have?

As stated above, the answer to this question will vary depending on how many hours a nanny works. By law, employees of UK businesses must have a minimum 5.6 weeks of paid holiday available to them per year. This calculation is based on the number of days worked each week, meaning that, in the context of the average full-time job, a week’s worth of holiday is not seven days, but five days. If an employee works fewer days each week - four, for instance - the number of holidays available to them per year will be less than a nanny who works five days per week. 

This number also includes yearly bank holidays. This means that if an employee does not work on a bank holiday, this counts as a use of one day of their holiday allowance. Where bank holidays were previously not included as paid holidays, schemes that include these by law require employers to pay their workers for leave on bank holidays.

Employers can provide more holidays if they choose. These could be contracted or awarded for good work, which is something many employers do to incentivise employees, but there is no legal requirement to do so. 

Due to the nature of the job when working as a nanny, you should ensure that holidays are planned around key dates when you may be required to look after children - for example, you may be required to work more during school holidays and you should discuss this with your employer before planning your own holidays during this time.

Employers should include information about holiday allocation in their nanny’s employment contract, to make sure that all parties understand their rights and are meeting their legal obligations.

How much holiday pay should nannies receive?

The amount that you are paid for holiday leave should be the same that you are paid for working. However, this may depend on whether or not you work a fixed number of hours each week. If you do not, the amount will be calculated based on your average pay from the previous 52 weeks of your earnings. If you missed a week of work, do not include it in your calculations, but you can not count back further than 104 weeks.

To calculate this, find the sum of your pay over the last 52 weeks that you worked, and divide the number by 52, which will leave you with a mean average of your weekly pay that will indicate how much you should be paid for a week’s holiday. To find the daily amount, divide this again by how many days you work per week.

If you are struggling to understand any aspects of your pay, it is important that you seek advice. The team at Nannies Matter is committed to pairing talented childcare professionals with families who need them, and we work with both nannies and employers to help them to fulfil their obligations. We can explain all aspects of the job and break down both your responsibilities and those of your employer.

For help, call Nannies Matter today on 0800 121 4881, email us at ​​info@nannies-matter.co.uk or fill in our contact form and we will get back to you.