Federal law does not require you to pay a nanny for a holiday she does not work, so holiday scheduling is a matter of agreement between you and your nanny. The families who avoid conflict settle three things early and put them in writing: which holidays are paid days off, what happens when you need her to work one, and which dates are off limits for time away. This guide walks through each, with the numbers and sources behind them.
TL;DR
- The U.S. Department of Labor says the federal wage law does not require payment for holidays not worked. Paid holidays are whatever you and your nanny agree to.
- Most professional arrangements include paid major holidays. A common core is New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- If she works a holiday, decide the rate in advance. One published New York template uses one-and-a-half times the usual hourly rate.
- Blackout dates are periods when time off is limited or not allowed. Agree on them in the contract, not in November.
- Ask for and give at least two weeks' notice for planned time away, and track every change in one shared calendar.
Table of Contents
- What the law requires for nanny holidays
- Which holidays nannies are usually paid for
- When your nanny works on a holiday
- Guaranteed hours in a holiday week
- Nanny blackout dates
- How much notice to give and expect
- What to put in the written agreement
- Our perspective
- Get your holiday payroll right
- FAQ
- Sources
What the law requires for nanny holidays
The short answer is that you are not required to pay. The U.S. Department of Labor explains that the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as holidays, and that these benefits are generally a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee.
That does not mean holidays are optional to plan. It means the terms live in your work agreement. Some places add rules on top of federal law. For example, state and local laws on paid sick leave or vacation can apply to household employers, and they differ by location. Check your state labor department's page for household employers before you finalize terms.
Two practical points follow from this:
- Whatever you promise becomes the standard. If you pay Thanksgiving once without saying why, your nanny will reasonably expect it again. State it.
- Silence creates disputes. A nanny who assumes Presidents' Day is paid and a parent who assumes it is a normal workday will both feel wronged on the same Monday.
Which holidays nannies are usually paid for
Paid holidays are common in nanny work. The International Nanny Association's 2022 salary and benefits survey reports that 82% of respondents receive paid holidays, alongside 69% with paid vacation and 80% with paid sick or personal days.
Which days count is where families differ. Most think in three tiers:
| Tier | Typical days | How families usually treat them |
|---|---|---|
| Core holidays | New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas | Paid day off, widely expected |
| Extended federal holidays | Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Juneteenth, Columbus or Indigenous Peoples' Day, Veterans Day | Paid in many agreements, but a real point to settle |
| Family-specific days | Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, religious holidays, the nanny's birthday | Negotiated individually |
One published example gives a sense of the upper end. A New York work agreement guide from Hand in Hand lists eleven federal holidays on which the nanny does not work but is paid, including Juneteenth, Veterans Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. A parent discussion on the Berkeley Parents Network describes ten to twelve recognized holidays as typical in that area, paid as the contract specifies. Your number may be smaller or larger. What matters is that the list is written down.
When a holiday falls on a weekend
Borrow a simple rule from the same Hand in Hand guide: if a holiday falls on a Saturday, it is observed on the preceding Friday, and if it falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday. Without this rule, a nanny on a Monday to Friday schedule may wonder whether she gets a day when July 4 lands on a weekend.
Holidays your child's school or daycare observes
School closures are a different question from federal holidays. When a school is closed on a day that is not a paid holiday in your contract, your nanny is usually available for a normal or longer day. Decide ahead of time whether those days are regular workdays, and whether longer hours change her pay. The same goes for school breaks and snow days. Name them in the agreement so neither side is surprised.
When your nanny works on a holiday
Sometimes you need care on a day that is normally paid time off. Settle the rate before the request, not during it.
The Hand in Hand New York guide offers one model: if the nanny agrees to work one of the listed holidays, she is paid one-and-a-half times her usual hourly rate. Other families pay her regular rate and give a substitute day off. Both approaches work if they are agreed in advance.
A few points keep holiday work fair:
- It is a request, not an assumption. Phrase it as a question and allow her to say no, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Pay the holiday rate on top of the day off, or give a day in exchange. Pick one and write it down.
- Watch the weekly total. Extra holiday hours can push a week past 40 hours. Overtime rules apply to household employees under federal law, and some states have stricter rules. Our guide to overtime alerts for nannies shows how to catch 40 hours before it happens.
- Record the actual hours. A holiday shift should appear on the timesheet like any other. Our nanny timesheet template shows what to capture.
Guaranteed hours in a holiday week
Guaranteed hours matter most in weeks with a holiday. The National Domestic Workers Alliance describes guaranteed hours as a commitment to provide a set number of work hours and pay, even when those hours are not always needed. It advises spelling out whether guaranteed hours include paid time off and holidays.
Here is a worked example. Your nanny is guaranteed 40 hours a week at 8 hours a day. Labor Day falls on Monday and you do not need her.
- If the holiday is paid: she is paid for 8 hours on Monday and works Tuesday to Friday. Her weekly pay is unchanged.
- If the holiday is unpaid and guaranteed hours apply: she is still owed her guaranteed hours unless the agreement says otherwise. That is why "is the holiday paid" and "are my hours guaranteed" are separate questions.
- If you shift to a four-day schedule: say Tuesday to Friday instead of Monday to Friday. Decide whether holidays falling on the day she no longer works are paid or replaced. Families often get stuck on exactly this, so settle it when the schedule changes.
For part-time nannies, the question is similar. A holiday on a day she is scheduled to work is simple. A holiday on a day she never works usually does not create a paid day, though your agreement can say otherwise.
Nanny blackout dates
Blackout dates are periods when the family needs the nanny to be available, so planned time off is restricted or not allowed. Families usually have a few in mind: the weeks around a parent's busiest work season, a recurring business trip, a family wedding, or school break stretches when both parents work.
The flip side is the nanny's own unavailable dates, such as her family travel, religious observances or her own school schedule. Both belong in the same conversation.
A legal nonprofit's guide on what to include in a nanny contract recommends outlining vacation accrual, payout on termination and any blackout periods. It also advises specifying whether holidays are paid or unpaid and whether time off must be requested in advance. Those are the right building blocks.
How to set blackout dates fairly
- Keep the list short. A few clearly named weeks are easier to honor than long vague stretches.
- Set them at the start of the year. Share the dates when you agree on her time off for the year, not when she asks to book flights.
- Write the reason. "Parent's quarterly travel, two weeks in March" is easier to respect than "busy times."
- Leave room for exceptions. Say who can approve an exception and how quickly you will answer.
- Trade, don't just restrict. If you block the week of a school break, offer her first choice of another week or a few extra days elsewhere.
- Ask for her dates in return. Invite her to name the days she cannot work, so both calendars are on the table at once.
How much notice to give and expect
The Hand in Hand guide recommends at least two weeks' notice for vacation. It also says both sides should try to give at least two weeks' notice of cancellations, and that employers should give as much notice as possible when work hours must change. A Trustline guide to agreements and contracts likewise notes that planned time away should be requested at least two weeks ahead.
Two weeks is a floor. For the busiest holiday periods, earlier is kinder to everyone. A planning rhythm that works for many households:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Early in the year | Share blackout dates and the paid holiday list. Ask for her planned vacation weeks. |
| Six to eight weeks before a major holiday | Confirm whether she is off, whether you need her, and the rate if she works. |
| Two weeks before | Send the final schedule for the holiday week and confirm travel plans or hours. |
| The week before | Re-check any last-minute change and send the hours for the week in writing. |
If a change comes after the deadline, the person asking carries the cost. A parent who cancels a shift late on a guaranteed-hours schedule should expect to pay for it, and a nanny who cancels late should expect a conversation. State that in your agreement so it feels like a rule, not a judgment.
Keep one calendar everyone sees
Most holiday confusion comes from schedules living in texts, emails and memory. A single shared calendar where requests are sent, approved and visible to everyone ends it. A shared calendar and availability tracking tool can help families keep dated records of changes and agreements in one place. For nannies working with more than one family, a calendar that shows every job together prevents double bookings on popular days. Our posts on the best Google Calendar setup for nanny work and family calendar apps for caregivers compare the options.
What to put in the written agreement
A holiday policy is only as clear as the document that holds it. The National Domestic Workers Alliance says a written agreement should cover job responsibilities, schedules including work hours, time off and how schedule changes are communicated, compensation and benefits, working conditions, communication, confidentiality and length of employment. The Trustline guide adds that the employer should provide a list of paid and unpaid holidays in the contract.
A holiday section can be short. Cover these points:
- The list of paid holidays, with the weekend observance rule
- Any holidays that are regular workdays, such as school closure days
- The pay or time-off exchange if she works a listed holiday
- How guaranteed hours work in a holiday week
- Blackout dates and who can approve exceptions
- The notice period for vacation requests and schedule changes
- How vacation accrues and what happens to unused days
The NDWA also notes that some cities and states require written agreements by law, so check your local rules. If your agreement is out of date or never existed, a one-hour review is cheaper than a dispute.
Our perspective
We built Caretracker because most holiday friction is not about money. It is about memory. A family remembers saying Christmas Eve was a half day. A nanny remembers it was off. Nobody is lying. Nothing was recorded.
That is why we believe the best holiday policy is the one both sides can see. When schedule requests are sent and approved in the app, when time off and reimbursement requests have a clear record, and when the week's hours are tracked as they happen, there is little left to argue about. Our app is designed to give caregivers one calendar for all their jobs and to let families share the details that matter, from allergies and emergency contacts to nap schedules.
We also see the payroll side. Holiday pay, guaranteed hours and overtime all show up on the same paycheck, and state rules vary. We designed the app to support state-specific pay period and overtime tracking, and it is free for caregivers. For families, we think a clear holiday agreement and accurate hours are the simplest way to build trust and peace of mind with someone who cares for your child or parent.
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Get your holiday payroll right
If you are setting up a holiday policy and want to be sure the pay side is handled correctly, we offer a Standard Payroll Consultation package for $150 one-off, and a Premium consultation, also $150 one-off, for household employers who need more help. Start with the Standard Payroll Consultation package or see the Premium consultation and payroll cleanup services. Your nanny can track her hours and schedule in the free app at Caretracker.
FAQ
Do I have to pay my nanny for Thanksgiving and Christmas?
Federal law does not require it. The Department of Labor says holiday pay is generally a matter of agreement between employer and employee. Still, paid major holidays are the norm in professional nanny arrangements, so most families put Thanksgiving and Christmas in the paid list and say so in the contract.
What is a fair rate if my nanny works on a holiday?
There is no legal holiday rate for household employees under federal law, so you set it in advance. One published New York template pays one-and-a-half times the usual hourly rate when the nanny agrees to work a listed holiday. Whatever you choose, make sure the hours count correctly toward weekly overtime.
Can I require my nanny to work holidays?
Only if your agreement says so. Many families make holiday work optional, and ask rather than require it. If you know you will need coverage on certain days, such as a parent's regular holiday shift, put those days in the contract before hiring so she can accept the job knowing it.
How far ahead should we plan holiday schedules?
Two weeks is the commonly recommended minimum for vacation requests and cancellations. For busy periods like late November and December, confirm plans six to eight weeks ahead. Confirm in writing so everyone is working from the same schedule.
What if my nanny's schedule changes from five days to four?
Revisit the holiday terms at the same time. Decide whether a holiday on a day she no longer works is paid, replaced with another day, or not applicable. Update the written agreement so the new rule is clear from the first week.
Sources
- Holiday Pay | U.S. Department of Labor
- INA Salary and Benefits Survey Report 2022
- How Much to Pay a Nanny | Berkeley Parents Network
- A Guide to Developing a Work Agreement with a Nanny in New York | Hand in Hand
- Nanny Employment Guide | National Domestic Workers Alliance
- Fair Contracts for Domestic Work | National Domestic Workers Alliance
- What to Include in a Nanny Contract | Catalyst Legal
- Agreements, Contracts, and Expectations | Trustline
- Custody journal app features | Casewell