HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a night nanny in the UK The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
A night nanny cares for a baby through the night in your home, so no registration is required in any UK nation — but England's voluntary Ofsted register, the vetting check for your nation and the question of who handles tax all matter. This guide covers those checks, what to ask about newborn care and safe sleep, and what the nightly rate should include.
Night nannies do not have to register in any UK nation. Here are the checks, the safe-sleep questions and what to ask.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a night nanny in five steps
1Check vetting and first aidDBS, PVG or AccessNI; paediatric first aid.
2Ask about newborn experienceAnd references from families with babies.
3Agree employed or self-employedAnd who handles tax.
4Talk through feeding and safe sleepYour plan, written down.
5Agree how to wake youFor breastfeeds or worries.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
Ofsted voluntary Childcare Register (England)
In England a night nanny caring for children in the family's own home, for no more than two families at a time, does not have to register. They may join the voluntary part of Ofsted's Childcare Register, which needs an enhanced DBS check with barred lists, first aid training and public liability insurance — and it is what lets you pay through Tax-Free Childcare.
Ask the night nanny for their Ofsted URN and check it in Ofsted's 'check if childcare is registered' service; Ofsted does not publish nannies' names, so the URN is the route. reports.ofsted.gov.uk →
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Wales: care in the child's own home is not childminding, and a night nanny cannot be paid through the Childcare Offer; CIW's voluntary approval scheme can open other support. Scotland: a night nanny working in the family's home is not a childminder, but a nanny hired by a parent is a regulated role needing PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: home childcare need not be registered, but a home childcarer can be approved by the Health and Social Care Trust (aged 18 or over, paediatric first aid, a childcare qualification or induction, criminal record checks), which opens childcare support.
Wales: ask whether they are CIW-approved. Scotland: ask for proof of PVG membership. Northern Ireland: ask whether the Trust has approved them. nidirect.gov.uk →
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 night nanny. 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 night nanny's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry. gov.uk →
You as the employer
gov.uk says you are usually the employer of a night nanny who works in your home when you take them on yourself, rather than through an agency or as a self-employed worker. That means a contract, payslips, at least the National Minimum Wage, employers' liability insurance, registering as an employer and running payroll — and you cannot ask them to become self-employed.
Agree the employment status in writing before the start date, and set up payroll or pay someone to run it. gov.uk →
VAT
Night care for a baby is exempt from VAT only when supplied by a state-regulated provider (registered with Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Health and Social Care Trust), a charity or a public body; otherwise the standard rate applies. A self-employed night nanny who is not state-regulated is outside the exemption, but if they earn under £90,000 they are not VAT-registered and charge no VAT.
Ask the night nanny whether they expect to be employed or self-employed, and whether their nightly rate has VAT on top. gov.uk →
ASK THESE
“How much newborn experience do you have as a night nanny?”
A good answer: Several families, with references.
“Do you hold paediatric first aid?”
A good answer: Current certificate.
“Which criminal record check do you hold?”
A good answer: Shown with its date.
“How do you follow safe sleep advice?”
A good answer: Baby on their back, in their own clear sleep space.
“How will you handle feeds?”
A good answer: Bottles, or bringing baby to you, as agreed.
“Are you self-employed or will I employ you?”
A good answer: A clear answer, and who pays tax.
“What do you write in the night log?”
A good answer: Feeds, nappies, sleep.
Booking by the hour
The rate per night and the hours it covers, with an hourly rate for any extra time
The minimum booking, in nights a week, and what is paid if you cancel a night or end the arrangement early
Twins or multiples priced, and the agency fee if an agency introduced them
Employment status agreed in writing, with employer costs if they are your employee
The night's duties agreed before the first hour: feeds, settling, sterilising, a log for the morning
Where the night nanny rests between feeds, ID checked and the rating
Walk away if
No paediatric first aid
Ignores safe sleep advice
No criminal record check
Unclear who pays tax
No references with newborns
Falls asleep on a waking night
LOW
£80
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£250
What a night nanny costs: £80–£250 per night
Night nannies charge per night, usually ten to twelve hours; agencies add a fee. Night Nanny 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
Night nannies 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.
1Arrival and handoverFeeds and the evening so far.
2Night feedsBottle or brought to you.
3SettlingBack to sleep, safely.
4Nursery jobsSterilising, nappies.
5Morning handoverNight log.
Night log
Record of feeds, nappies and sleep.
Safe sleep
Baby on their back in a clear cot.
Paediatric first aid
First aid for babies and children.
Waking night
Nanny awake all night.
URN
Ofsted reference number.
Employment status
Employee or self-employed.
AFTER
When the job is done
Read the night logsPatterns help.
Keep payment recordsWhoever handles tax.
Review the planAs feeding changes.
Rate the visitSay what the night nanny did well and what they missed. Unhappy? The make-it-right step comes before the review is published.
MONEY BACK
Grants that may apply
Help towards a nanny's cost. Tax-Free Childcare needs the nanny to be approved childcare — on Ofsted's voluntary register in England, or approved in Northern Ireland — and it can also pay the nanny's tax and National Insurance.
HMRC · GRANTVerified 16 Oct 2026
Tax-Free Childcare
up to £500 every 3 months per child (£2,000 a year); up to £1,000 every 3 months (£4,000 a year) for a disabled childthe government adds £2 for every £8 paid into the childcare account
Who: working parents of children aged 11 or under, or 16 or under if disabled
usually working or about to start work
the provider must be approved childcare and signed up to the scheme
reconfirm eligibility every 3 months
in Northern Ireland nidirect adds: each parent expects to earn at least the minimum wage for 16 hours a week, neither earns £100,000 or more, and it cannot be combined with Universal Credit childcare or childcare vouchers
Schemes change. The amounts above were checked on the dates shown; the official page is the one that counts.
IF IT GOES WRONG
STEP 1Raise it with the night nanny as their employerTalk first, then write down what needs to change and by when. gov.uk expects an employer to discuss a conduct or performance problem informally before anything formal, and to have written disciplinary rules that follow the Acas Code of Practice (the Labour Relations Agency code in Northern Ireland); a night nanny can raise a grievance with you, and may bring a companion to a formal meeting.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepIf you booked the night nanny through Locufy and rate them under four stars, you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3If the night nanny's job endsFollow the notice in the contract: after a month in the job an employee must give at least a week's notice, and dismissing without proper notice is wrongful dismissal, so act fairly and keep records. Final pay includes wages owed and any untaken statutory holiday, even after gross misconduct; give the night nanny a P45 and report the leaving date to HMRC through payroll. The Acas helpline (0300 123 1100) advises employers in England, Scotland and Wales.
STEP 4Booked through an agency, or self-employed?Then you are a customer, not an employer: the agency or the self-employed night nanny is a trader who must use reasonable care and skill under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A money claim against them can go to small claims — up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.
Hiring a night nanny: questions people ask
Not in any UK nation; in England a nanny can join Ofsted's voluntary Childcare Register.
Ask for enhanced DBS in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland or AccessNI in Northern Ireland.
It depends on the arrangement; if you hire them directly and control the work, gov.uk says you are usually the employer.
£80 to £250 a night, typically around £150. Twins and agency bookings cost more. The night nanny price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists night nannies near you with their prices.
Only if the nanny is approved childcare — Ofsted-registered in England or Trust-approved in Northern Ireland.
Raise it in writing; a self-employed night nanny owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Checked October 2026 · https://locufy.com/uk/how-to-hire/night-nanny
The five steps
Check vetting and first aid. DBS, PVG or AccessNI; paediatric first aid.
Ask about newborn experience. And references from families with babies.
Agree employed or self-employed. And who handles tax.
Talk through feeding and safe sleep. Your plan, written down.
Agree how to wake you. For breastfeeds or worries.
Check before you book
Ofsted voluntary Childcare Register (England): Ask the night nanny for their Ofsted URN and check it in Ofsted's 'check if childcare is registered' service; Ofsted does not publish nannies' names, so the URN is the route.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: Wales: ask whether they are CIW-approved. Scotland: ask for proof of PVG membership. Northern Ireland: ask whether the Trust has approved them.
Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI: Ask to see the night nanny's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry.
You as the employer: Agree the employment status in writing before the start date, and set up payroll or pay someone to run it.
VAT: Ask the night nanny whether they expect to be employed or self-employed, and whether their nightly rate has VAT on top.
Questions to ask
“How much newborn experience do you have as a night nanny?” Several families, with references.
“Do you hold paediatric first aid?” Current certificate.
“Which criminal record check do you hold?” Shown with its date.
“How do you follow safe sleep advice?” Baby on their back, in their own clear sleep space.
“How will you handle feeds?” Bottles, or bringing baby to you, as agreed.
“Are you self-employed or will I employ you?” A clear answer, and who pays tax.
“What do you write in the night log?” Feeds, nappies, sleep.
