Charge the going hourly rate where you live for one child, then add a few clear lines on top: so much per hour for each extra child, a late-night rate, a holiday rate, a minimum booking, a last-minute fee and a cancellation fee. Write them down once as a rate card, and every quote becomes a sum a family can check. This page does not give a national "average rate", because the honest answer is local; it shows how to find yours and how each line works.
Ask three or four parents near you what they paid their last sitter, ask sitters you know, and look at what sitters in your area list on marketplace profiles and community boards. Rates differ a lot between cities and even neighborhoods. Start in the middle of what you hear. Move up as your references, training (CPR and First Aid, an infant care course) and number of repeat families grow, and tell existing families a month before a raise.
Remember what comes out of it: as a self-employed sitter you pay self-employment tax of 15.3% on most of your profit once it reaches $400 a year, plus income tax (babysitting taxes, explained), and you pay for your own driving and supplies.
The figures below are the starting values in the free app, chosen to make the arithmetic easy to follow. They are not survey data or a recommendation; change each one to yours in the app's Settings.
| Line | Example value | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly, one child | $20 | Your base rate, from step 1. |
| Each extra child | +$3 an hour | More children, more work and more risk. Flat per child keeps quotes simple. |
| Late rate | +$5 an hour after 11:00 pm | Late nights cost you sleep and a late drive home. Applies only to the hours after the cut-off. |
| Holiday rate | × 1.5 on the dates you list | New Year's Eve, Christmas Eve, Halloween, July 4th: the nights you give up and families most need someone. |
| Minimum booking | 3 hours | A short sit costs you the same drive and the same evening. |
| Last-minute fee | +$15 if booked under 24 hours ahead | You rearranged your plans to say yes. |
| Cancellation | 50% if cancelled under 24 hours ahead | You turned down other work for that time. |
Each total is what the app's quote function returns for that sit with the rate card above, line by line, so you can see how it was built.
| Sit | How it adds up | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 6:00 to 10:00 pm, 1 child | 4 h × $20 | $80.00 |
| Friday 6:00 to 10:00 pm, 3 children | 4 h × $26 ($20 + 2 × $3) | $104.00 |
| Friday 7:00 pm to 12:30 am, 2 children | 5.5 h × $23 = $126.50, plus 1.5 h after 11 pm × $5 = $7.50 | $134.00 |
| New Year's Eve 7:00 pm to 1:00 am, 2 children | 6 h × $23 = $138, plus 2 late hours × $5 = $10, then × 1.5 for the holiday (+$74) | $222.00 |
| Friday 6:00 to 7:30 pm, 1 child | 3 h minimum × $20 | $60.00 |
| Friday 6:00 to 10:00 pm, 1 child, booked that morning | 4 h × $20 = $80, plus $15 last-minute | $95.00 |
| A $92 sit (4 h, 2 children) cancelled the same day | 50% of $92 | $46.00 |
Send the rate card and your cancellation rule with every first quote, and show the lines, not just the total. Families rarely argue with arithmetic they can see. Say how you like to be paid (cash, Venmo, Zelle) and when (at the end of each sit is simplest). Decide in advance whether you waive the cancellation fee for a sick child; many sitters do, and saying so up front builds trust.
Let the app do the sums. Enter your rate card once in the Babysitting Business Kit and every sit you schedule is quoted line by line, with a warning before a double-booking and a record of who has paid. Free, in your browser, no account.
Ask locally. Ask three or four parents what they paid their last sitter, ask other sitters you know, and look at what sitters near you list on marketplace profiles and community boards. Rates differ a lot between cities and even neighborhoods, so a national average is a weak guide. Start in the middle of what you hear, and move up as your references, training and repeat families grow.
Most sitters do, with a flat amount per hour for each child after the first. It keeps the quote simple: one number for the first child, and one added per extra child. In the example rate card, a $20 base plus $3 per extra child makes three children $26 an hour.
Pick a notice window and a share of the booking, write both down, and send them with every quote so nobody is surprised. In the example rate card, cancelling less than 24 hours before the start costs half of the sit: $46 for a four-hour, two-child evening quoted at $92. Many sitters waive it for a sick child.
A minimum covers the travel and the evening you set aside, which cost the same for a 90-minute sit as for a three-hour one. With a three-hour minimum at $20 an hour, a 6:00 to 7:30 pm sit is quoted at $60.