Salary Benchmark
What does a nanny earn in Switzerland? 2026 salary benchmark
A full-time nanny in Switzerland earns roughly CHF 3,800-6,500 gross per month, depending on experience, qualifications and canton. Here's the transparent 2026 salary benchmark: hourly rate, monthly pay by experience tier, NAV minimum wages, cantonal differences, and what a nanny really costs you as a family.
A full-time nanny in Switzerland earns roughly CHF 3,800 to 6,500 gross per month, depending on experience, qualifications and canton.
- Hourly rate: CHF 25-40+/h gross, plus an 8.33% holiday supplement for irregular work.
- Legal floor: NAV Hauswirtschaft, CHF 20.35/h unskilled to CHF 24.55/h with an EFZ.
- True family cost: gross wage plus about 8-10% employer contributions, plus BVG full-time.
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The essentials first
- 1Full-time nanny: roughly CHF 3,800-6,500 gross/month. The Swiss Nanny Association gives typical market rates of CHF 5,000-6,500/month or CHF 25-40/h.
- 2Hourly: CHF 25-40+/hour gross. For irregular work, add an 8.33% holiday supplement on top.
- 3Legal floor: the NAV Hauswirtschaft (SECO). Unskilled CHF 20.35/h, with an EFZ (federal VET diploma) CHF 24.55/h.
- 4True cost to the family ≈ gross wage + ~8-10% employer contributions + BVG pension (for full-time).
Nanny salary estimator
Pick an hourly rate and workload - see gross, net and your true cost instantly.
Gross wage / month
CHF 3'637.97
incl. holiday supplement
Net to the nanny
CHF 3'171.14
after OASI/ALV/accident (source-tax guide)
Your cost / month
CHF 3'926.46
gross + employer contributions
How the money flows: you pay the total cost, social contributions come off the top - what remains is the nanny's net wage.
At this workload the annual wage exceeds CHF 22,680 - the pension fund (BVG) is added on top and raises your cost further.
Independent support: Swiss Nanny Association
The Swiss Nanny Association is a nonprofit association supporting nannies and Au Pairs with information, resources, training and guidance on fair working conditions in Switzerland. As typical market rates it gives CHF 5,000 to 6,500 gross per month or CHF 25 to 40 per hour, depending on experience. It explicitly calls the minimum wage a legal floor, not a recommendation.
For information and resources, visit swissnanny.orgHourly rate: what a nanny earns per hour
If you employ a nanny by the hour or part-time, you pay an hourly rate. The 2026 market range:
- •Entry level / no training: CHF 25-28/h gross
- •With experience: CHF 28-34/h gross
- •Qualified (FaBe/diploma): CHF 34-40+/h gross
Don't forget the holiday supplement on hourly pay
What one hour really costs the family
| Agreed (gross) | With 8.33% holiday supplement | Cost to the family |
|---|---|---|
| CHF 25.00 | CHF 27.08 | CHF 29.23–29.72 |
| CHF 30.00 | CHF 32.50 | CHF 35.08–35.67 |
| CHF 35.00 | CHF 37.92 | CHF 40.92–41.61 |
Calculated with the Clino payroll calculator, 2026 rates, across all 26 cantons: 10 hours a week, 4 weeks of holiday. On top of the wage the family pays AHV/IV/EO, unemployment insurance, accident insurance and family allowances. The compensation office's admin fee comes on top, at most about 20 centimes an hour.
The legal floor: the NAV Hauswirtschaft
For domestic-work tasks from 5 h/week, the SECO's standard employment contract (NAV) for household services sets binding minimum wages in every canton except Geneva. Pure childcare isn't necessarily covered, but as soon as the nanny also helps in the household, the NAV is the legal floor:
NAV minimum wages as of 2026. These are floors. The typical market nanny wage is well above them. Some cantons set their own, higher minimums.
Monthly pay by experience tier
The overview below shows the typical gross monthly wage at roughly 100% workload, scaled by experience and training:
Nanny gross wage per month (full-time, 2026)
Gross wages, approx. 100% workload. Typical 2026 market ranges. The actual wage depends on scope of duties, weekly hours and canton. Hourly or part-time work commands a higher per-hour rate than the full-time monthly wage (see the hourly section above).
Cantonal differences: where nannies earn the most
Pay levels vary strongly by region. In the economically strong cantons of Zurich, Zug and Geneva, nanny wages sit at the top of the range; in rural cantons they tend to be lower. Geneva also has the highest statutory minimum wage in Switzerland:
- •Zurich, Zug: top level, often at the upper end of the range
- •Geneva: statutory minimum wage CHF 24.59/h - the highest in Switzerland
- •Rural cantons: tend to sit closer to the NAV floor
Canton ranking: where nannies earn the most
All 26 cantons by pay level. Switch between the market wage and the legal floor.
Average hourly wages of all household help, not only nannies (quitt, Schweizer Haushaltshilfen-Report 2026, 2025 data) - the best public proxy for the regional pay level. Highest: Nidwalden, Graubünden, Thurgau, Zug and Zurich. Nanny wages run higher; there is no separate canton statistic for nannies.
Geneva: mind the cantonal minimum wage
Want to start working as a nanny yourself?
You've seen what nannies earn and where they earn the most. If you want to become a nanny yourself, our interactive step-by-step plan shows you how to get going: sort out your permit, negotiate fair pay, find families and get employed correctly (with a contract and OASI registration).
Become a nanny: the step-by-step plan →What a nanny really costs you as a family
The gross wage is not the final figure. As an employer you pay employer contributions to the social insurances on top, and if you hire a nanny full-time, the pension fund (BVG) is added:
- ✓Gross wage (what the nanny is agreed to receive)
- ✓+ approx. 8-10% employer contributions: OASI/IV/EO, ALV, accident insurance, family allowances, admin costs
- ✓+ BVG (pension fund): mandatory above CHF 22,680 annual wage, so almost always for full-time
- ✓= true total cost ≈ gross wage + 9-17%
Example: at a gross wage of CHF 5,000/month, the true total cost for the family is around CHF 5,500-5,800 including all employer contributions and BVG. Whether that pays off compared with daycare or a childminder depends mostly on how many children you have.
Where your franc goes
You pay (total cost)
≈ CHF 5,800
Gross wage
CHF 5,000
Nanny net
≈ CHF 4,350
Illustrative example at CHF 5,000 gross/month: the total cost includes employer contributions (plus BVG for full-time); the nanny's deductions come off the gross.
Nanny and BVG/pension fund: when it becomes mandatory →
Nanny wage calculator: gross, net and employer cost in 30 seconds →
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Get startedFrequently asked questions
How much does a full-time nanny earn in Switzerland?
What's a fair hourly rate for a nanny?
Is there a statutory minimum wage for nannies?
In which canton do nannies earn the most?
What does a nanny really cost the family?
Do I have to pay BVG (pension) for a nanny?
Sources
- Swiss Nanny Association - typical market rates for nannies: swissnanny.org/families
- SECO - standard employment contract (NAV) for household services, 2026 minimum wages
- Federal Statistical Office (BFS) - Swiss Earnings Structure Survey
- Canton of Geneva - cantonal minimum wage (labour inspection and relations act)
Wage figures as of 2026. NAV and cantonal minimum wages are adjusted annually.
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