HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a part-time nanny in the UK The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
A part-time nanny covers school runs, a few full days or holidays in your home, so no UK nation requires registration — but the vetting check, England's voluntary Ofsted register and your duties as employer all apply. This guide covers those, how part-time holiday and pay work, what to ask and how Tax-Free Childcare can help.
Part-time nannies do not have to register in any UK nation, but vetting and employer duties apply. Here is what to check and ask.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a part-time nanny in five steps
1Check the vettingDBS, PVG or AccessNI.
2Ask about Ofsted's voluntary registerFor Tax-Free Childcare in England.
3Work out employer dutiesEven part-time, you are usually the employer.
4Agree holiday pro rataBased on the days worked.
5Write a contractHours, holiday cover, notice.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
Ofsted voluntary Childcare Register (England)
In England a part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time nanny cannot be paid through the Childcare Offer; CIW's voluntary approval scheme can open other support. Scotland: a part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time 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
Care of children is exempt from VAT only when a state-regulated provider — registered with Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Northern Ireland Trust — a charity or a public body supplies it; anything else is standard-rated. A self-employed part-time nanny outside state regulation cannot use the exemption, yet with earnings below £90,000 they are not VAT-registered and charge no VAT.
Settle employment status before the start date, and ask a self-employed part-time nanny to confirm that no VAT is added. gov.uk →
ASK THESE
“Are you on Ofsted's voluntary register as a part-time nanny?”
A good answer: A URN, or a straight no.
“Which criminal record check do you hold?”
A good answer: Shown with its date.
“Can you do extra hours in school holidays?”
A good answer: A clear answer and the rate.
“How will your holiday be worked out?”
A good answer: Pro rata to the days a part-time nanny works.
“Do you work for another family too?”
A good answer: If so, how days are split; no more than two families at a time for Ofsted's nanny rules.
“Do you have paediatric first aid?”
A good answer: Current certificate.
“Will you do the school run on foot or by car?”
A good answer: And, if by car, you add them to your insurance.
Booking by the hour
Gross hourly rate, and the rate for extra hours or holiday cover
Employer's National Insurance and pension, if earnings reach the thresholds
The minimum hours paid each week, and what happens to pay if you finish early or cancel a day
What you supply — food, travel for outings, car insurance if they drive — and what they bring
The duties agreed before the first hour, with holiday pay pro rata, sick pay and notice in the contract
ID and right to work checked, and the rating read
Walk away if
Insists on self-employed status while you set hours
No criminal record check to show
Unclear holiday terms
No first aid
References you cannot phone
Cash with no payslips
LOW
£14
TYPICAL
£18
HIGH
£23
What a part-time nanny costs: £14–£23 per hour
Part-time nannies are paid by the hour as employees; holiday is pro rata to the days worked. Part-Time 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
Part-time 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.
Review the hours each termAs school timetables change.
Track holiday takenPro rata.
Close the booking with a reviewReviews on Locufy come from real bookings like yours with this part-time nanny. The make-it-right step is there first if something went wrong.
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 part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time 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 part-time nanny: questions people ask
No, in no UK nation; in England they may join Ofsted's voluntary Childcare Register.
Usually yes, when you take them on directly rather than via an agency or on a self-employed basis.
An enhanced DBS check in England and Wales (needed for Ofsted's voluntary register), PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland.
£14 to £23 an hour, typically around £18. Employer costs apply on top of the gross rate if earnings pass the thresholds. The part-time nanny price guide shows what moves the figure; search your town above, then agree the gross hourly rate, the guaranteed minimum hours and the duties.
If the nanny is approved childcare — Ofsted-registered in England or Trust-approved in Northern Ireland.
Follow the contract's procedures; a self-employed nanny owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Checked October 2026 · https://locufy.com/uk/how-to-hire/part-time-nanny
The five steps
Check the vetting. DBS, PVG or AccessNI.
Ask about Ofsted's voluntary register. For Tax-Free Childcare in England.
Work out employer duties. Even part-time, you are usually the employer.
Agree holiday pro rata. Based on the days worked.
Write a contract. Hours, holiday cover, notice.
Check before you book
Ofsted voluntary Childcare Register (England): Ask the part-time 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 part-time 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: Settle employment status before the start date, and ask a self-employed part-time nanny to confirm that no VAT is added.
Questions to ask
“Are you on Ofsted's voluntary register as a part-time nanny?” A URN, or a straight no.
“Which criminal record check do you hold?” Shown with its date.
“Can you do extra hours in school holidays?” A clear answer and the rate.
“How will your holiday be worked out?” Pro rata to the days a part-time nanny works.
“Do you work for another family too?” If so, how days are split; no more than two families at a time for Ofsted's nanny rules.
“Do you have paediatric first aid?” Current certificate.
“Will you do the school run on foot or by car?” And, if by car, you add them to your insurance.
