Register your nanny in Basel-Stadt. Legal and insured.
You've already found your nanny. Clino prepares the paperwork.
Good to know in Basel-Stadt
Three things that count here.
- 22.20CHF an hour, by lawCantonal law
The canton has its own minimum wage.
The legal minimum per hour, in Basel-Stadt.
Check your wageWhat it means for you
A floor. The market pays nannies clearly more.
- 9paid public holidays a yearNAV Basel-Stadt · § 27 Abs. 3
Public holidays are paid.
The NAV Basel-Stadt counts 9 paid public holidays, unless the contract says otherwise in writing. The NAV Basel-Stadt does not apply if she is employed only to look after the children (§ 4 Abs. 2 lit. a).
Put it in the contractWhat it means for you
If one falls on a working day, the wage stays the same.
- +50 %supplement on SundaysNAV Basel-Stadt
Sunday work costs more.
The NAV Basel-Stadt sets a 50% supplement, unless the contract says otherwise in writing. The NAV Basel-Stadt does not apply if she is employed only to look after the children (§ 4 Abs. 2 lit. a).
Create the contractWhat it means for you
Settle weekend work in the contract right away.
Registering in Basel-Stadt
AHV registration with AK Basel-Stadt: four steps.
Employer registration
- 1
Fill in the fund's form
AK Basel-Stadt has its own registration form. Address and link below.
- 2
Pick the right procedure
Above CHF 22'680 a year, the ordinary procedure applies. You then take out accident insurance and a pension fund yourself.
- 3
Register your nanny
With her AHV number (756.…) and first working day, within a month.
- 4
Wait for the confirmation
The settlement number arrives by post. Wages are declared every year by 30 January.
Above CHF 22'680 a year, quickly reached full time, the ordinary procedure applies, with a pension fund (BVG).
In the Basel form (behind a captcha): answer the UVG question «no» first, then «yes» to the follow-up question. That is how VAVplus is activated (insurance partner: SOLIDA). Careful: the sign-up button on the general «Haushaltshilfen» page leads to the standard procedure, not the simplified one.
The fund
Ausgleichskasse Basel-Stadt ↗Wettsteinplatz 1, 4001 Basel
+41 61 685 22 22
Clino walks you through every step and fills in the wage fields from your payslip.
Try 30 days freeWages in Basel-Stadt
What a nanny earns in Basel-Stadt.
According to the Swiss Nanny Association, the market pays CHF 25 to 40 an hour.
The CHF 22.20 applies from the first hour to a nanny who only looks after the children. If she also does housework, the NAV Hauswirtschaft applies instead from 5 h/week, at CHF 20.35 (information from the Basel-Stadt Office of Economy and Labour, AWA, October 2026). A minimum wage is a floor, not a recommended rate.
Register at CHF 30.00/h →Free, no account
The Basel-Stadt kit.
Three templates for hiring your nanny. As a PDF, right away.
Clino · Basel-Stadt
Nanny contract
With the overtime rule and no banked hours.
Clino · Basel-Stadt
Payslip
With the 2026 rates. Pick Basel-Stadt, done.
Clino · Basel-Stadt
AK Basel-Stadt checklist
Every step to tick off, with the fund's address and phone number.
A new payslip every month? Clino makes it for you, free for the first 30 days. Then CHF 19.90/mo. Try 30 days free →
In the same household
Who else has a key?
Each role has its own rules in Basel-Stadt.
- Register a cleaner in Basel-Stadt
- Register a nanny in Basel-StadtThis page
- Register a caregiver in Basel-Stadt
Cross-border · Basel-Stadt
Where does she live?
The simple registration isn't possible here.
Clino still does the payroll, the normal way, as a company would.
Already filled in: Basel-Stadt.
Simplified settlement procedure: AHV leaflet 2.07 (as at 1.1.2026); directives on the collection of contributions, no. 2105
Comparison Basel-Stadt
Nanny or daycare: what suits you?
Full-time daycare (Kita) per child vs. a full-time nanny (40 hrs/week). CHF/month, before subsidies.
Nanny, daycare, au pair & childminder in full comparison →- • From 2 children on, a nanny quickly becomes cheaper than daycare.
- • A tax deduction of up to CHF 25'800/child (federal) is also possible.
Childcare
Four rules for every nanny contract.
Childcare has its own rules. These four belong in every contract.
Overtime is paid
Overtime is the exception: only where it is needed and reasonable for the nanny (Art. 321c para. 1 OR), ideally agreed in advance. If it doesn't work for her (her own children, a course, a second job), she can say no. Beyond the agreed hours: a 25% supplement, or the same amount of time off if you both agree (Art. 321c OR). Waiving it only counts in writing. For Sundays the NAV Basel-Stadt sets 50%.
No banked hours
If you don't need the nanny because you are on holiday or a child is ill, you still pay the full wage (Art. 324 OR). Minus hours are not allowed.
An au pair is not a nanny
Au pair means at most 30 hours a week, room and board, a language course, and a parent at home at least half the time. Whoever looks after the children more, or alone, is a nanny.
Full time means a pension fund
Above CHF 22'680 a year, the pension fund (BVG) is mandatory. Clino includes it in every payslip.
The nanny contract in the kit already has the overtime and banked-hours clauses. ↑
Typical market rates, according to the Swiss Nanny Association
CHF 5'000–6'500
gross per month, or CHF 25–40 an hour, depending on experience. The minimum wage is a floor, not a recommended rate.
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.
For information and resources, visit swissnanny.org ↗Guides
For families with a nanny in Basel-Stadt
- ContractNanny contract Switzerland: 10 clauses to copyIf she only looks after the children, the standard contract does not apply: the Code of Obligations, your contract and the minimum wage of CHF 22.20 an hour do.Read →
- SubsidiesChildcare vouchers for a nanny? What families getBasel-Stadt pays vouchers or subsidies for daycare and childminders only. For a nanny, the tax deduction remains.Read →
- HiringNanny interview and trial day: questions, pay, probationThe right questions, the paid trial day and the probation period in Basel-Stadt.Read →
Tax deduction Basel-Stadt
Registered? Then you get money back.
Declare your nanny properly and her costs come off your taxes. Work out how much:
Children under 14
What does she do?
Household taxable income
Tax return 2026
SampleDeductions
- Work expenses
- Insurance premiums
- Third-party childcare costs
- Federal tax deduction
- CHF 32'537
- Cantonal and municipal tax deduction
- CHF 32'537
- Estimated tax saving per year
- CHF 10'973
When the deduction applies
- The child is under 14 and lives with you.
- You need the care because you work or study. For a couple, that goes for both of you.
- Only the childcare is deductible, not cleaning, cooking or laundry.
- You can prove the costs. That only works if the nanny is declared and you pay her wage by bank transfer.
- Per child at most CHF 25'800 for federal tax and CHF 26'000 in Basel-Stadt.
The documents you attach
- The compensation office's statements and, in the ordinary procedure, the nanny's salary certificate (Lohnausweis)
- The employment contract with its task list, ideally stating the childcare share as a percentage
- Proof of payment: the wage transfers (the tax office may ask for them)
- Proof that you work: your own salary certificates
Clino prepares the contract, the payslips and a statement of the childcare costs for the tax office, plus the salary certificate in the ordinary procedure.
Paid cash and undeclared, there is no proof, so no deduction.
Some employers pay towards it
The federal administration pays its staff up to CHF 750 per child and month until the child starts school, Swiss Post up to CHF 12'000 a year depending on income, and the canton of Solothurn up to CHF 300 per child and month. All three also pay towards an employed nanny. They usually ask for the employment contract, proof of the costs and a confirmation from the compensation office. The contract and the costs come from Clino, the confirmation from your office.
Federal Personnel Ordinance (German)Swiss Post: fact sheet from HR or the social counselling serviceCanton of Solothurn
› How we calculate
A cautious estimate: the net wage before source tax (as on the salary certificate, box 11), the cantonal capital's tax rates, married, no church tax. A deduction lowers taxable income, not the tax itself. The tax office makes the assessment.
ESTV tax calculator for Basel: a family with two children and CHF 150'000 income, a nanny 25 hours a week. Deducted: her net wage, at most the deduction per child. At CHF 250'000 income, around CHF 11'920. Childcare deduction in Basel-Stadt: up to CHF 26'000 per child (cantonal and municipal tax), up to CHF 25'800 for federal tax (2026).
The employer contributions for a registered nanny cost around CHF 4'170 a year in Basel. At CHF 150'000 income, that leaves around CHF 4'280 net.
If she falls ill: how long you keep paying the wage
How many days of full wage you owe in Basel-Stadt depends on the year of service. This is the table that binds here when no policy sits behind it.
- Year 130 days of full wage
- Year 260 days of full wage
- Year 360 days of full wage
- Year 590 days of full wage
- Year 1090 days of full wage
- Year 20150 days of full wage
The cantonal NAV in Basel-Stadt describes sick-pay insurance without requiring it. The choice is yours.
Check what applies in your caseSource: NAV Haushalt BS (SG 215.700), § 39 Abs. 1 · Sick-pay insurance: NAV Haushalt BS (SG 215.700), § 44
Basel-Stadt at a glance
- Fund
- AK Basel-Stadt
- Minimum wage
- CHF 22.20/h
- Sick-pay insurance
- optional
- Child allowance
- CHF 275/month
Frequently asked questions
Do I really have to register my nanny, even for just a few hours?
Yes. For household employees there is no minimum number of hours and no de-minimis threshold. From the very first franc you pay AHV/IV/EO, ALV and UVG accident insurance. Exceptions are young people up to the year they turn 17 and, for employees up to age 25, wages up to CHF 750 a year; from reference age, an allowance of CHF 16'800 a year applies. The exemption for very small wages (CHF 2'500/year) explicitly does not apply to nannies and other household employees. Paying a nanny in cash and unregistered is undeclared work.
I've been paying my nanny without registering her for a while. What now?
No need to panic. You can register the employment retroactively (back-registration with the Ausgleichskasse Basel-Stadt). The sooner you do it, the smaller the back-payment, and you avoid a penalty if it comes to light in an inspection. Clino helps you with the back-registration and then sets up the ongoing payroll.
What exactly does Clino prepare for me?
Clino prepares the registration with the Ausgleichskasse Basel-Stadt, the nanny contract with the overtime rule, a comparison of UVG policies with the application ready, the monthly payslip, the wage statement (Lohnausweis) and the annual declaration. You enter the workload and wage, check and send. You take out the insurance yourself. CHF 19.90/month, cancel anytime.
Which compensation office is responsible for Basel-Stadt?
Ausgleichskasse Basel-Stadt. With the compensation office's online form on ak-bs.ch. There, choose «Abrechnung mit Steuerabzug - vereinfachtes Verfahren».
Does a cantonal minimum wage apply in Basel-Stadt?
Yes: CHF 22.20/h (2026), from the first hour, for a nanny who only looks after the children. If she also does housework (cooking, laundry, cleaning), the federal NAV for household work applies instead from an average of 5 h/week: at least CHF 20.35/h unskilled, 22.30 with experience or an EBA, 24.55 with an EFZ. Under 5 h/week, CHF 22.20/h still applies (information from the Basel-Stadt Office of Economy and Labour, AWA, October 2026). From 1 January 2027 this cantonal minimum wage rises to CHF 22.50 (currently 22.20).
How does employing a cross-border commuter work?
It depends on where she lives. If she lives in France, the simplified procedure is ruled out: the ordinary procedure applies, and with the residence certificate 2041-AS no Swiss withholding tax is levied. If she lives in Germany, the double-taxation agreement caps the Swiss withholding tax at 4.5% (with the residence certificate Gre-1).
Which tax deductions are possible?
Yes. In Basel-Stadt, up to CHF 26'000 per child a year (cantonal and municipal tax), and up to CHF 25'800 for federal tax (2026). Condition: the child is under 14 and both parents work or are in training.
What if the nanny lives in Basel-Landschaft?
What counts is the employer's place of residence (Basel-Stadt). The wage declaration goes through Ausgleichskasse Basel-Stadt, not BL.
Updated:
Canton Basel-Stadt
One canton, one compensation fund.
Basel, Riehen or Bettingen: private households register with AK Basel-Stadt.
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2026 rates for all 26 cantons checked against official sources, as of · Sources and methodology