How Much Do Babysitters Make? Updated Rates for 2026

Have you found a babysitting job but aren’t sure what to charge? Or are you already working as a babysitter and want to know whether your hourly rate is fair for Germany? This article has the answers.

According to data from platforms like Sitly, which tracks rates from thousands of babysitters across Germany, the average babysitter rate in 2026 is between €13 and €15 gross per hour. That figure is only an average, though. Your actual earnings can vary significantly depending on your city, experience, the number of children you look after, and the tasks involved.

Legal minimum wages also play a role: the current statutory minimum wage is €13.90 gross per hour. This gives you a solid baseline for working out what you should realistically be earning

How Much Does a Babysitter Earn Per Hour?

As mentioned above, the average hourly rate for babysitters in Germany is around €13 to €15 gross. That’s only a guide — your actual rate can be higher or lower depending on your situation.

The best starting point when calculating your rate is the statutory minimum wage. It gives you a firm floor to make sure you’re not underselling yourself.

From there, a number of personal and practical factors come into play:

• the city or region where you work
• your experience and qualifications
• the ages and number of children
• when you work (daytime, evenings, or weekends)
• and the type of arrangement (occasional or regular)

The sections below explain how to work out your babysitting rate and set the right price for your work.

Legal Employment Arrangements for Babysitters in Germany

If you work regularly for a family, your job should be officially registered. In most cases, this means being employed as a mini-job worker through the Minijob-Zentrale. From 2026, Germany’s statutory minimum wage is at least €13.90 per hour, that’s the lowest rate a family can legally pay you.

What families pay on top — and what you should know

When a family registers you officially, they also take on some additional costs:

• Flat-rate social security contributions (approx. 14–16%)
• Accident insurance
• Levies for continued pay in case of illness and maternity protection

This means the total cost to the family is typically around €14–16 per hour, depending on the employment arrangement. For you, this means: if your job is registered, you’re covered by social security and entitled to your legal rights.

When Are you not Entitled to the Minimum Wage?

You are not entitled to the statutory minimum wage if:

• you work independently for several families and issue invoices rather than being employed, or
• you are under 18.

If you’re under 18, the Youth Employment Protection Act applies to you. It sets out when and how long you can work (for example, no late evening hours) and requires reasonable pay — usually between €8 and €12 per hour. If you work regularly for a family, they should register you as a mini-job worker to make sure your arrangement is both legal and protected.Here’s a realistic breakdown:

Hourly Rates for Babysitters in Germany’s Largest Cities

The minimum wage figures above give you a useful reference point for what counts as fair pay. But your actual hourly rate will always be agreed individually between you and the family, and depends on a range of factors.

One of the most important is where you work. Babysitter rates in Germany can vary considerably from city to city. A babysitter in Munich or Frankfurt tends to earn more on average than one in Leipzig or Dresden — but ultimately it comes down to the specifics. If you work in a smaller city but look after several young children at once, or have plenty of experience, you can still earn more than a newcomer in a major city.

The chart below shows average babysitter hourly rates across different German cities, to help you set a realistic and fair rate for your work.

Infographic: Babysitting hourly rates in Germany by city

Average babysitter hourly rates in Germany

City	Hourly rate
Hamburg	€11.30
Bremen	€10.90
Dortmund	€11.00
Cologne	€11.30
Frankfurt am Main	€12.00
Stuttgart	€11.30
Munich	€11.30
Erfurt	€11.20
Berlin	€11.20

Working Out your Babysitting Rate

Alongside location, several other factors affect what you can earn: your experience, your qualifications, the number of children you look after, and any additional tasks the family asks you to take on. All of these directly influence your hourly rate and, ultimately, your income.

The calculator below helps you work out a fair, realistic hourly rate based on the type of work you do, your responsibilities, and what the family expects of you.

Try the Sitly calculator to see babysitter rates in your area straight away. Enter your city, the tasks involved, and the number of children — and get an instant average price.

Infographic: Calculating your babysitting rate

1. Babysitter with Experience and Training

If you’ve been working with children for several years, or have a relevant qualification (such as a childcare worker, nursery nurse, social work background, etc.), you can charge more than the statutory minimum wage. Families are happy to pay more when they can see that you’re professional, reliable, and bring real childcare knowledge to the job.

2. Rate for Looking after Two or more Children

If you’re caring for two or more children at the same time, your hourly rate can reasonably be 10–20% above the base rate, depending on the workload. Looking after two young siblings, for example, requires more attention and energy than caring for a single older child. And if the children are very different ages, meeting both their needs is even more demanding — something that should be reflected in your rate.

3. Rate when Household Tasks are Involved

Tidying up the children’s room, preparing meals for the kids, or doing the washing up are all part of a typical babysitting session. But if the family asks you to take on additional household tasks — such as hanging out the family’s laundry, dusting, or vacuuming — these are extras that should be paid for separately.

4. Rate when Using your Own Car

Many babysitters drop children at school, take them to activities like swimming or music lessons, and bring them home again. If you’re using your own car to do this, you should agree a flat weekly or monthly reimbursement with the family to cover your fuel and vehicle costs.

How Much does a Babysitter Earn in the Evening or Overnight?

Evening babysitting generally pays slightly better, since working late or overnight is less convenient. As a rule, you can charge around 10–20% more for evening or overnight work than for daytime sessions. So if you earn €13 per hour during the day, you can ask for between €14 and €15.50 per hour in the evening — especially if you’re working after 10pm or staying overnight.

The exact rate also depends on how much care is actually involved. If you arrive after the children have already eaten, they go to bed shortly after, and they sleep soundly through the night, a slightly lower rate is reasonable. But if the children are young or wake frequently and you need to stay actively on the go during the night, asking for a higher rate is entirely fair.

Safety tip for babysitters. Before any evening session, talk to the parents about how you’ll get home. Will they take you home? Pay for a taxi? Or at least see you to your car or the nearest stop? Your safety always comes first, and these things should be discussed openly and fairly between you and the family.

Babysitter Pay: Hourly Rate or Flat Fee?

Should you charge by the hour, or agree a fixed amount? It depends on how regularly you work for a family. If you work occasionally or irregularly and your hours change often, an hourly rate is the best approach. You’re paid for exactly the time you work, and both sides keep the flexibility they need.

If you work regularly for the same family, however, a monthly flat fee can make more sense. The important thing is to agree clearly on what’s included:

• Will you be paid even on days the family doesn’t need you?
• What happens if they ask you to stay two hours longer at short notice? Will overtime be paid separately?
• And if you only work on Tuesdays but a particular month has five Tuesdays, how does that work?

It’s best to sort all of this out upfront to avoid misunderstandings and build a professional, trusting relationship with the family.

Babysitter Rate for Last-minute or Emergency Sessions

What if a family asks for your help at very short notice — early in the morning, say, because a child has fallen ill? In those cases, you can charge a higher rate for the last-minute call-out, usually 10–20% above your standard hourly rate.

It’s worth discussing a “call-out supplement” with the family in advance so that expectations are clear on both sides, and your flexibility and availability are properly recognised.

How Much does a Babysitter Earn per Month?

Monthly earnings can vary considerably depending on your hours and experience. A part-time babysitter working around 20 hours a week earns on average between €700 and €900 per month. If you work full-time and are qualified or have experience with babies or children with additional needs, your income can exceed €1,200 per month.

Some nannies who take on greater responsibility or live with the family can earn even more. In those cases, the arrangement is usually a formal employment contract with social security and regulated contributions.

How much does a babysitter earn per day?

If you only work on individual days — during the school holidays, for example, or when parents are away for work — you can agree a daily rate instead of an hourly one.

The calculation is straightforward: multiply your hourly rate by the actual hours worked. An 8-hour working day typically comes to between €70 and €90, though it can be higher if you’re caring for young children, preparing meals, or staying on into the evening.

Tip: agree with the family upfront on:

• what the working hours will be
• which tasks you’ll be taking on
• and how overtime or longer sessions will be paid if things run on

That way, you avoid misunderstandings and make sure your work is fairly paid.

How to Set your Babysitting Rate

To work out the right hourly rate for you, think about the following:

• your training and experience
• the number and ages of the children
• the average babysitter rate in your city or region
• when you’re working (daytime, evenings, or weekends)
• and any additional tasks you’ll be taking on

Once you have a clear sense of what’s fair, talk openly with the family about it. It can feel a bit awkward at first to discuss money, but being upfront from the start is the best way to avoid misunderstandings and build a professional working relationship.

A good approach is to go into the conversation prepared: find out what the going rate is in your city and explain calmly how you’ve worked out your price — based on the children’s ages, the hours, or any extra responsibilities. You can also ask the family what they had in mind. That makes the conversation open and transparent, and makes it much easier to find a fair agreement that works for everyone.