Are you the employer if you hire a nanny through an agency?
For a permanent introduction where the family hires and pays the nanny directly, the family is normally the employer. Filipino Nanny Agency introduces candidates, while the household employer remains responsible for the employment contract, wages, payroll and the other employer obligations that apply.
Temporary arrangements can operate differently depending on who employs and pays the worker, so check the terms for the particular booking.
1. Check the nanny has the right to work before employment begins
The household employer must complete the correct right-to-work check before employment starts. Do not infer immigration status from nationality, previous UK employment or agency registration.
Read our nanny right-to-work guide and use the current GOV.UK checking service.
2. Do not confuse right to work with visa sponsorship
A person can already have a valid right to work without the household sponsoring them. Sponsorship is a separate immigration question. Current Home Office sponsor guidance says an individual person or household cannot normally obtain a Worker or Temporary Worker sponsor licence to employ someone in a purely personal capacity, subject to a narrow diplomatic-household exception.
The Overseas Domestic Worker route is also separate: it is for an existing domestic worker accompanying an eligible overseas employer to the UK and is normally limited to a maximum six-month stay. Read Can a UK Family Sponsor a Filipino Nanny? UK Visa Rules for the detailed position.
3. Pay at least the legal minimum
Nannies and other workers are entitled to the applicable National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage unless a specific legal exception applies. The rates change each April.
From 1 April 2026, the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 per hour. Use the current GOV.UK minimum-wage rates whenever pay is reviewed.
4. Live-in accommodation does not remove minimum-wage rights
Providing accommodation can affect minimum-wage calculations only under the statutory accommodation-offset rules. It does not mean a household can simply deduct the market rent of a room and assume the minimum-wage rules are satisfied.
See GOV.UK accommodation guidance and our live-in nanny accommodation guide.
5. Give the required written employment particulars
The principal written statement of employment particulars must be provided on the first day of employment, with the wider written statement provided within two months. The practical contract should define pay, hours, duties, holiday, place of work, probation, notice and any live-in, travel or overtime arrangements.
See our nanny employment contract guide.
6. Register as an employer and run payroll where required
A household employer may need to register with HMRC and operate PAYE. Payroll records gross pay, tax and National Insurance deductions, employer liabilities, pension deductions where relevant and statutory payments.
See our nanny payroll, PAYE and National Insurance guide.
7. Check workplace pension duties
Auto-enrolment duties can apply to a household employing a nanny. Eligibility depends on age, earnings and the employee’s circumstances, so check the current workplace pension guidance.
8. Arrange Employers’ Liability insurance where required
Household employers should check the current Employers’ Liability insurance rules and make sure the cover required for their circumstances is in place.
9. Provide paid holiday
Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday each year. Part-time, irregular-hours and part-year arrangements need the appropriate calculation.
Use the GOV.UK holiday entitlement guidance and calculator.
10. Working-time rules need special care for domestic workers
Do not assume the ordinary 48-hour average weekly limit applies to every private-household nanny in exactly the same way as it does to a standard office employee. GOV.UK lists domestic servants in private households among the exceptions to the usual 48-hour weekly rule.
Acas nevertheless states that adult domestic workers in a private household have rights including a 20-minute break when working 6 hours or more, 11 hours of daily rest, 24 hours of weekly rest or 48 hours in 14 days, and holiday entitlement. Live-in, overnight and travel-heavy roles should therefore have explicit working and off-duty periods rather than relying on vague availability expectations.
See GOV.UK maximum weekly working hours and Acas: jobs with different working-time rules. For the broader rights framework, read our nanny employment-rights guide.
11. Deal correctly with sickness and statutory leave
Eligible employees may qualify for Statutory Sick Pay and statutory family-related leave and pay. Rates and eligibility rules can change, so use the current GOV.UK Statutory Sick Pay guidance rather than relying on an old fixed figure.
12. Recruit fairly and avoid nationality-based assumptions
Filipino Nanny Agency specialises in a Filipino candidate community, but an individual candidate’s competence, communication, reliability or suitability must be assessed from job-relevant evidence. Nationality should not be used as a proxy for those characteristics.
Right-to-work checks should also be carried out consistently. Acas guidance explains that nationality and national origin are protected within race discrimination law.
13. Be precise about agency screening and employer checks
Every nanny and nanny-housekeeper represented by the agency is interviewed before being put forward. The process normally includes phone or video screening, reference checks with previous employers where possible, assessment of communication for the role, and review of role-relevant documents. Paediatric First Aid is treated as a core requirement for almost all nanny and nanny-housekeeper placements; driving is required only where the brief requires it.
The household employer still needs to complete the statutory right-to-work check and satisfy itself about the evidence relevant to the final role. See our candidate screening process for the detailed division of responsibility.
Household employer checklist
- Define the role, hours, duties and working arrangement.
- Complete the right-to-work check before employment begins.
- Verify references, qualifications and role-specific checks.
- Agree gross pay and confirm it meets current minimum-wage rules.
- Provide the written employment particulars and contract.
- Register with HMRC and arrange payroll where required.
- Check workplace pension duties.
- Arrange Employers’ Liability insurance where required.
- Set holiday, sickness, notice and working/rest arrangements clearly.
- Keep records and update agreed terms when the role changes.
Where to start
If you have not yet selected a candidate, follow our step-by-step hiring guide. If you already have a candidate, work through right to work, employment contract, payroll and PAYE, and the employment-rights guide.
Legal note: This guide provides general information for UK household employers, not individual legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules can change and individual circumstances matter. Use the current official guidance linked on this page and obtain qualified professional advice where appropriate.