LOWER MANHATTAN — When it comes to nanny pay in Lower Manhattan, going off the books is the norm just like it is in other parts of the city.
According to the results of our anonymous nanny survey, Lower Manhattan nannies earn $15 to $20 per hour, under the table.
Out of 44 responders, 65.9 percent said they paid their hired help off the books, meaning they aren't registering as an employer and paying their caretakers' unemployment, Social Security or workmen's compensation taxes.
As for that pay, 47.4 percent who answered the survey said they gave their nannies between $15 to $20 an hour, while 31.6 percent paid more than $20.
The majority of parents who responded said they paid their nannies either hourly or weekly, but for those 12.2 percent who said their nannies earned an annual salary, the majority said the range was $35,000 to $50,000.
Another swath of responders, 17.6 percent of those who said they paid an annual salary, said their nannies earned $50,000 to $75,000 — while a few parents, 11.6 percent, said their nannies earned $75,000 or more.
In other pay practices, giving annual bonuses to nannies was common among the 41 parents who answered that question — 41.5 percent said they gave one week's pay and 36.6 percent gave two weeks' pay as a bonus. About 7 percent of respondents said they gave no bonus.
Something common to all the responders: almost all of them do not provide their nannies with health insurance. Of the 41 parents who answered that question, 90 percent said they did not pay for health insurance.
The 9.8 percent of parents who said they did provide health insurance noted on the survey that it cost them between $11,000 and $24,000 a year.
When it comes to additional money and other "perks" that parents provide, the most popular extra was stocking the refrigerator with food for their nannies, 69 percent of 44 responders said.
Other popular perks included paying for a monthly MetroCard and giving cash for things like museum tickets and other outings with the kids.
When it comes to advice on pay practices, one parent said her philosophy is simple: "Be generous. This person is watching your child!"
