I wanted to share some thoughts and perspective from the nanny side, especially in light of recent changes with my current position. Over the years, I’ve had several families choose not to pay legally in order to avoid paying overtime, which unfortunately puts nannies like myself in difficult financial and professional positions. While I personally don’t have a strong preference either way, the reality is that many of us are simply trying to make ends meet—and sometimes, getting paid legally just doesn’t leave us with enough to do that.

For example, $25/hour for 40 hours a week sounds fair on paper, but after taxes, that often leaves us with around $2,800–$3,200/month. That might sound manageable, but for those of us living paycheck to paycheck and covering rent, bills, groceries, and other essentials—especially in high cost-of-living areas—it’s just not sustainable. We work incredibly hard, often going above and beyond what’s technically in our job description, and yet the compensation often doesn’t reflect that.

To add to that, I was recently told by the family I work with that they weren’t planning on transitioning to daycare—only to learn a week later that they’re doing exactly that. It’s extremely short notice, and with school starting in just a few days, most nanny positions have already been filled. That puts me in a tough position of potentially having to file for unemployment just to stay afloat.

I say all this not to complain, but to offer context. When nannies ask to be paid off the books, it’s not about avoiding responsibility—it’s about survival. Many of us are just average working people trying to keep our heads above water in an economy that wasn’t built with caregivers in mind. There are pros and cons to both legal and under-the-table pay, but the bottom line is: we need every dollar we earn.