You have chosen your nanny or employ her today. Now prepare the employment and the monthly information. Your household remains the employer. Your nanny pays no Helpore fee.
With Helpore Admin Light, Helpore prepares the payroll figures and documents. You check, file and pay. With Helpore Admin, Helpore carries out the agreed administration in your household's name under signed authority. You provide complete information, review the payroll and make the required funds available.
The wage, statutory contributions, insurance premiums and other employment costs are additional to the Helpore fee. They are not included in the administration fee.
“At Helpore, our mission is to simplify the full household employment process and make it affordable for employers to manage, without losing any of the Helpers' rights.”
Gilberto de la Fuente, Director at Helpore
How much does a nanny cost in Switzerland?
What your household pays each month is more than the gross wage. On top of it come holiday pay, paid public holidays, the employer's social contributions and accident insurance. The wage floor depends on the canton where your nanny works and on her hours.
Pick the canton, the weekly hours and the hourly wage below. The estimator shows each line of the month from the same figures as the wage calculator.
Cost estimator
Your month with a nanny
You pay a monthCHF 1’226.39CHF 35.38 per hour worked
- Wage1’040.0034.67 h × CHF 30.00
- Public holidays0.39 %4.06
- Holiday pay8.33 %86.63
- Employer contributions90.00AHV 5.3 % · ALV 1.1 % · FAK 1.025 % · office 5 %
- Accident insurance0.505 %5.70
With Admin LightCHF 1’242.29
Set up Helpore Admin LightYour household is the employer. Helpore Admin is optional.
Open the full calculatorRates as published for 2026, as at 01.01.2026.
To compare cantons, the study of what legal home help costs in each canton has a map of all 26. Every cost tool is listed on the tools page.
Can I pay my nanny cash in hand?
You may hand over the wage in cash. What you may not do is leave the employment undeclared. Childcare in your home is employment in a private household, and the duties apply as they do for a cleaner:
- Register the employment with the compensation office of your canton. For a nanny of working age, contributions are due from the first franc of wage, unless she is a young person within the age and yearly wage limits who has not asked for them.
- Insure her against accidents from her first day of work.
- Give her a written payslip with every wage (Art. 323b CO).
The post on cash in hand or declared work sets out what undeclared work risks for the household and for her.
What do I need for my nanny's first payslip?
Record what was agreed and what changed during the relevant month.
| Topic | What to have ready and why |
|---|---|
| Role and start | Start date, work location, childcare and agreed duties. The actual duties matter. |
| Pay and schedule | Agreed gross wage, hourly or monthly basis, weekly schedule and agreed extra work. Payroll needs the agreed basis. |
| Holiday and absences | Holiday dates, holiday already taken, absence dates and open questions. Holiday, sickness and other absences are not simply fewer worked hours. |
| Registration and insurance | Existing compensation office and insurance references, plus requested facts. This shows what is already arranged. |
| Earlier payroll | Previous payslips, year to date figures, holiday balance and open payments or declarations. Existing figures should be preserved. |
| Current month | Agreed extra hours, documented expenses, holiday, absences and other changes. Both plans need one clear monthly record. |
Registration, insurance and tax treatment must be checked from the actual facts. This guide does not set an individual wage, calculate tax or advise on permits.
Admin Light or Admin: who does what?
| Task | How the work is divided |
|---|---|
| Employment contract | Admin Light: If you want one, Helpore fills in its contract template with your terms, which you and your Helper sign by hand. Helpore is not a party to it. Admin: If you want one, Helpore fills in the employment contract template that you and your Helper sign. |
| Monthly payroll | Admin Light: Helpore calculates the wage and prepares the payslip. Admin: Helpore calculates the wage and prepares the payslip. |
| Registration and declarations | Admin Light: Helpore prepares the documents. You check and file them. Admin: Helpore carries out the agreed steps under your authority. |
| Wage and other payments | Admin Light: You pay your nanny, the relevant offices and the insurer. Admin: Helpore arranges agreed payments in your household's name where this forms part of the actual arrangement. You provide the funds. |
| Annual documents | Admin Light: Helpore prepares the documents. You file them. Admin: Helpore prepares the documents and carries out the agreed steps under your authority. |
| Your task | Admin Light: You check, file and pay. Admin: You provide information, review and fund the agreed arrangements. |
I want to file and pay myself: explore Admin Light
I want to delegate the agreed administration: explore Admin
Fictitious example of a month with changes
Lea employs her nanny Sofia on agreed days. This month they agree on one extra afternoon. Sofia also takes one day of annual leave. Lea records the extra work, the holiday day and the existing payroll documents. Before payroll is finalised, she checks how each entry should be treated.
With Admin Light, Helpore prepares the calculation and documents from the complete information. Lea checks everything, files the required material herself and pays Sofia and the other recipients directly.
With Admin, Helpore carries out the agreed administration within the signed authority and funded arrangements. Lea still provides accurate information, reviews the payroll and makes the required funds available.
This example is fictional. It does not calculate a wage or say whether an absence is paid or unpaid.
What do Admin Light and Admin cost?
With QR bill payment, Admin Light costs CHF 15.90 per month per employment relationship. With card payment, it costs CHF 16.90 per month per employment relationship.
With QR bill payment, Admin costs CHF 23.90 per month for the first employment relationship. With card payment, it costs CHF 25.90 per month for the first employment relationship.
These amounts are Helpore fees. Your nanny's wage, contributions, premiums and other employment costs are paid separately. See the pricing page and terms for annual pricing, additional employment relationships, payment methods and notice rules.
Which plan fits your household?
Choose Admin Light when Helpore should prepare the calculation and documents while you file and pay.
Choose Admin when Helpore should carry out the agreed administration under your authority. You remain the employer and provide information, review and funding.
You keep the nanny you have chosen. There is no placement fee when you enter directly with a nanny you found yourself.
Have the payroll documents prepared for my nanny: Admin Light
Delegate my nanny administration under authority: Admin
Frequently asked questions
Does my household remain the nanny's employer?
Yes. Your household remains the employer with Admin Light and Admin. Your nanny pays no Helpore fee. Lawful payroll deductions may still apply and are not Helpore fees.
Can I pay my nanny cash in hand?
You may hand over the wage in cash, but the employment must still be declared. Your household registers it with the compensation office, insures your nanny against accidents and gives her a written payslip with every wage (Art. 323b CO).
What should I collect before the first payroll?
Have the agreed duties, start date, gross wage, work schedule, personal details and any existing registration and insurance references ready. For ongoing employment, also collect earlier payslips, year to date figures, the holiday balance and open declarations or payments.
Are holiday or sickness simply fewer paid hours?
No. This cannot be decided from worked hours alone. Record holiday and other absences separately and check their treatment under the agreement and applicable rules before payroll is finalised.
What is the main difference between Admin Light and Admin?
With Admin Light, Helpore prepares the calculation and documents while you check, file and pay. With Admin, Helpore carries out the agreed administration in your household's name under signed authority. You provide information, review and make the required funds available.
Sources and further information
Official sources: SECO on employment contracts (read on 23 October 2026), SECO on registration and payroll (read on 23 October 2026), SECO on holiday (read on 23 October 2026), FSIO on private household employment (read on 23 October 2026) and SECO on standard employment contracts (read on 23 October 2026).
You can also read the guide to childcare and tax deductions, the checklist for employment in a private household and the employment contract guide. Rules and figures explained there for cleaners do not automatically apply to a nanny.
Current on 23 October 2026. Product scope and conditions: Admin Light, Admin, pricing and terms.