HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

How to hire a babysitter in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to babysitters in your own home in any UK nation. Here are the checks that matter and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a babysitter in five steps

  1. Phone two referencesFamilies they sit for.
  2. Ask about vettingPVG in Scotland; DBS or AccessNI if they hold one.
  3. Ask about first aidEspecially for a baby.
  4. Agree rate, minimum and lift homeBefore the night.
  5. Leave the detailsAddress, numbers, allergies, bedtimes.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No compulsory register applies to babysitters in any UK nation. England: a babysitter working in your home between 6pm and 2am is exempt from Ofsted registration, as is a friend minding for under three hours a day. Scotland: babysitting needs no registration. Wales: care in the child's own home and care between 6pm and 2am are outside registration. Northern Ireland: home childcare need not be registered.

Rely on references you phone yourself, photo ID that matches, and the criminal record check the babysitter holds.

PVG in Scotland

In Scotland a babysitter hired by a parent is a regulated role, so the babysitter should be a PVG scheme member.

Ask a Scottish babysitter to share proof of PVG membership from their Disclosure Scotland account. mygov.scot →

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

England and Wales: childcare can get the enhanced DBS check with barred lists, and Ofsted requires it of a registered babysitter. Scotland: PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, through an Umbrella Body for the self-employed. A parent cannot apply on a carer's behalf.

Ask to see the babysitter's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry. gov.uk →

First aid and references

No register applies to first aid for an occasional babysitter, so ask — paediatric first aid matters most with a baby or toddler.

Ask for the certificate and phone two families the babysitter sits for.

VAT

Babysitting is exempt from VAT only when a state-regulated childcare provider — registered with Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Health and Social Care Trust — a charity or a public body supplies it; otherwise it is standard-rated. A babysitter who is an individual and not state-regulated falls outside the exemption — but an individual under £90,000 does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask the babysitter whether the hourly rate is all you pay; an individual sitter should add nothing for VAT. gov.uk →

“Who else do you babysit for, and can I call them?”

A good answer: Two families you can phone.

“Does the babysitter have paediatric first aid?”

A good answer: A certificate, or an honest no.

“Which criminal record check do you hold?”

A good answer: PVG in Scotland; DBS or AccessNI elsewhere if they have one.

“How do you handle bedtime when babysitting?”

A good answer: Your routine, followed.

“What would a babysitter do in an emergency?”

A good answer: Call 999, then you.

“What is your rate and minimum booking?”

A good answer: Hourly rate and minimum hours.

“How will you get home?”

A good answer: Lift, taxi or walk — agreed.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and any higher rate after midnight or at weekends
  • The minimum booking, and whether it is paid in full if you come home early
  • A taxi home after dark, or a lift, agreed in advance
  • The rate for each extra child
  • The list agreed before the first hour: bedtimes, food, screens, who may call or visit, how to reach you
  • ID checked, the rating, references, and the cancellation notice

Walk away if

  • No references
  • Brings friends without asking
  • No first aid with a baby
  • Unwilling to follow your routine
  • Will not share contact details
  • In Scotland, no PVG membership
LOW
£10
TYPICAL
£11
HIGH
£13

What a babysitter costs: £10–£13 per hour

Babysitters charge by the hour, often with a minimum of two or three hours. Babysitter price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Babysitters near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. ArrivalShow round: keys, fuse box, monitor.
  2. Evening routineTea, bath, stories.
  3. BedtimeLights out at your time.
  4. ChecksRegular checks on the children.
  5. HandoverHow the evening went.

Babysitting exemption
England's exemption for sitters between 6pm and 2am.
PVG
Scotland's membership scheme for regulated roles.
Paediatric first aid
First aid for children.
Minimum booking
The fewest hours charged.
Sole charge
Looking after children alone.
Baby monitor
Audio or video monitor for sleeping children.

AFTER

When the job is done

Get the handoverHow the children were.
Pay as agreedAnd keep it simple.
Book again if it went wellA regular sitter helps.
Share how it wentA short review of the babysitter — punctuality, care, value — is what others read. Use the make-it-right step first if anything needs putting right.

STEP 1Complain to the babysitter directlyWrite down the date, the problem and your remedy. A babysitter who sells the babysitting is held to reasonable care and skill by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and section 54 lets you insist it is put right without charge, or pay a reduced price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightWhen a booked babysitter gets under four stars, you choose whether they see the problem first, and we follow it up with them. Then you review.
STEP 3Ofsted, if they are registeredWhere the babysitter is on Ofsted's register in England, you can complain to Ofsted if talking to them fails; otherwise a babysitter trading as a business can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland. If a child is at risk, call the council or 101, and 999 in an emergency.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsA claim against a babysitter for money back can go to court without a solicitor — £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a babysitter: questions people ask

Not in your own home in any UK nation; England exempts sitting between 6pm and 2am, and Scotland says babysitting needs no registration.

In Scotland a babysitter hired by a parent should be a PVG member. Elsewhere, ask whether they hold a check.

No age is set in law for babysitting; judge maturity, references and first aid.

£10 to £13 an hour, typically around £11. Late nights and more children can raise the rate. The babysitter price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above for prices from babysitters near you.

Only for approved childcare; most babysitters are not registered.

Raise it with the sitter; a babysitter in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in childcare & family

How to hire: Evening BabysitterHow to hire: NannyHow to hire: ChildminderHow to hire: Au PairHow to hire: Mother's HelpHow to hire: Part-Time NannyHow to hire: After-School CareHow to hire: School Run / PickupAll 701 hiring guides →

Babysitters near you

Babysitters in LondonBabysitters in ManchesterBabysitters in BirminghamBabysitters in GlasgowBabysitters in BelfastAll babysitters on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — become a childminder or nanny (England)
  2. gov.uk — register as a nanny with Ofsted
  3. gov.uk — choose which Ofsted register to join
  4. Ofsted — registration exemptions (England)
  5. Ofsted — check if childcare is registered
  6. gov.wales — get up to 30 hours of childcare for 3 and 4 year olds
  7. gov.uk — registering as a childminder (Scotland)
  8. mygov.scot — the PVG scheme
  9. nidirect — home childcarers
  10. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  11. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  12. gov.uk — employing someone to work in your home
  13. gov.uk — National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
  14. gov.uk — Tax-Free Childcare
  15. nidirect — help paying for approved childcare
  16. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  17. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  18. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  19. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.2.1 Care and protection of children that are exempt; 3.3 State regulated providers
  20. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  21. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register