The short answer: manage a nanny with the same three tools as any household staff — a daily attendance record, an agreed salary formula, and a monthly payslip — plus two nanny-specific additions: an explicit overtime arrangement (late evenings are inevitable) and extra care with the relationship, because this is the one household role where trust is the entire job.
Why nanny management deserves its own playbook
A nanny (or ayah, or japa maid for newborn care) differs from other house help in three ways. The stakes are higher — she's caring for your child, not your floor. The hours are longer and less predictable — a delayed flight or a late meeting lands directly on her evening. And replacement costs are enormous: a child's attachment to a good nanny is worth protecting with genuinely professional treatment. Precisely because the relationship is personal, the money should be impersonal: recorded, calculated, and paid like clockwork.
Setting the salary and the base
Full-day nannies in Indian metros typically earn ₹14,000–₹25,000/month, with specialised newborn (japa) care and live-in arrangements priced higher; tier-2 cities run lower — fuller ranges are in our 2026 salary guide. Because most nannies work a 6-day week, a 26-day working base is the standard for the attendance-based salary formula: Earned = (Present + Half Days × 0.5) ÷ 26 × Monthly Salary. Agree the base explicitly at hiring, along with the leave policy — 2–4 paid leaves a month is the norm, as with other staff (details here).
Overtime: decide the rule before you need it
The most common nanny friction isn't absences — it's the creeping extra hour. "Can you stay till 8 tonight?" happens weekly, and unpriced, it curdles into resentment on one side or guilt on the other. Three workable arrangements:
- Hourly overtime rate — the daily rate ÷ agreed daily hours, often with a 1.5× multiplier after a threshold. Cleanest for frequent late evenings.
- A monthly buffer — salary priced to include, say, up to 5 flexible extra hours; beyond that, hourly.
- Time-for-time — a late Tuesday earns an early Friday. Works only if actually honoured, which requires a record.
Whichever you pick, log extra hours the day they happen — a note against that day's attendance entry is enough, and StaffAround's staff notes (Plus/Pro) exist for exactly this.
Attendance still matters — even with someone you trust
It feels awkward to "mark attendance" for someone you trust with your child. But the record isn't surveillance; it's the substrate for fair pay. Half days for the afternoon she left early for her own family, paid leaves counted as present, the advance for her son's school fees deducted transparently over three months — all of that requires a daily record, and all of it protects her as much as you. One tap at the door each morning; the month-end payslip does the rest.
The trust dividend
Nannies talk to each other, and the employers with waiting lists share the same profile: salary on a fixed date with a visible breakdown, overtime actually paid, leaves granted without theatre, a festival bonus without being asked, and a yearly increment conversation you initiate. Every one of those is easier with records than with memory. The broader retention playbook is in how to keep good house help for years — with a nanny, every point counts double.
Putting it on rails
StaffAround handles the nanny use case natively: custom schedules (including Mon–Fri weeks for working-parent arrangements, with the 22-day base applied automatically), one-tap attendance with half days, dated staff notes for overtime hours, advance tracking with transparent deductions, and a WhatsApp or PDF payslip at month end (notes and advances are Plus/Pro features). A daily reminder at the time you choose keeps the record unbroken — and everything works offline. The free plan covers 2 staff members, so a nanny plus a housekeeper fits without paying anything.