What Should I Charge? - Fort Covington,NY

Updated on November 15, 2011
E.C. asks from Fort Covington, NY
22 answers

My neighbor has asked me to get her son off the school bus and watch him for about an hour (possibly 2) until she gets home from work. I really have no idea what to charge. I know I'd probably be giving him some sort of snack before she got home. He's in 3rd grade and a bit of a handful and I've got a 20 month old myself, but I really could use the extra money. She lives right across the road so I wouldn't have to travel to go get him. Any recommendations on what I should ask to be paid? I don't want her to think I'm scamming her and overcharge her. I just want to make sure that I'm compensated fairly. Thanks!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Perhaps you could simply ask her how much she was planning on spending and also address the issue of what happens if she is late.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.H.

answers from Green Bay on

Around here:

Daycare centers charge 25 a day for after school care
The YMCA charges 25 a week
and the Boys and Girls Club charges 10 a year is the only one to provide an after school snack and provides free tutoring and designated quite time for homework.

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C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

E.:

Don't short change yourself and don't let this led to you being taken advantage of...."oooh Johnny is sick today and I REALLY need to work - can you take care of him?"

$10 per hour is what I would charge. I would put it all in writing as well.

Does she plan on writing what she pays you on her taxes?
What boundaries are you going to set so that you do not get taken advantage of?
How are you going to be able to discipline him since he is "a handful"?

Good luck!

4 moms found this helpful
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H.L.

answers from Cleveland on

The cost can vary widely by area, not just by state. For example, the cost is much less in the suburb I work in 30 minutes away from home. I would call two local daycares and ask what they charge for aftercare. Then I would charge a bit less considering there technically aren't any business costs. Ask her "Does $__ sound ok with you, or what were you thinking of?" You should agree on something you are both comfortable with. Also come up with a price you would charge for the day, in the event there is a day off school and she wants to work. If her son is sick, he should stay home and vice versa for your child, so I would ask her what her backup plan is for that scenario as it WILL happen at least a few times throughout the year.

2 moms found this helpful

H.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

It's a short amount of time, I would ask for $50.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Houston on

I have a lady that babysits for $10 the hour. I think that is very reasonable. If you are planning to give the snacks from things you already have in your house and not buying anything special for the kid I would not charge for the snack but will mention..."and the snacks are on me"... as long as there are not particular items they request.
The snacks or anything the boy eats at your place should not be a considerable expense for you in order to not charge for it.

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A.K.

answers from Houston on

My school charges $10 an hour for after school, I would probably say a round $50, for the hour or two each day plus snacks. Its an easy number to remember, reasonable for her, and a nice chunk of pocket money for you.
I have a son in third grade - give em something to eat, a tv or computer game and they are not a lot of trouble!

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A.H.

answers from Omaha on

Whenever I needed to hire a babysitter to watch my children, I always paid $10-12 per hour, so I would start from there. That is a reasonable rate in my area. You might ask around your area what people charge for daycare/babysitting and adjust from those estimates. Good luck!
A.

1 mom found this helpful

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

My sitter charges $75 per week per kid for before AND after care. I pay my morning sitter $100 a week, regardless of the hours, because it should never be more than 2.5 hours per day. NORMALLY it ends up being a lot less than that.

Last week for example, she didn't have to work Monday, Thursday, or Friday, and she only worked 3 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday. She got $100 for 3 hours...SWEET!! But she also gets $100 for 12.5 hours. I hired her as hourly and was not going to pay her for days she is not here, but she is fabulous with our kids and we think she deserves it regardless...plus we want to keep her!

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L._.

answers from San Diego on

No less than 50 per week.

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P.D.

answers from Detroit on

Adult babysitters usually get $10/hr. here. Sometimes less, but let's face it, it's a short period so you won't make much money. Since you need the money, it should be worth your time. I would suggest $10/hr. JMHO.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

I would pick a number, say $6.00 p/h, and then talk to your neighbor about it. Get a feel for what she thinks is fair and then negotiate until you both agree. Money can always be an uncomfortable subject between neighbors. I think it's best to open the doors of communication so that down the road there are no misunderstandings on pay day. Also, tell her how you would like to be paid (check or cash) and what day you will expect pay (every friday or every other week).

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E.M.

answers from Honolulu on

I suggest sitter city for this. They have a free calulator and if you feel you are overcharging then you can always bring it down a little. Don't underestimate how much your time is actually worth though!

T.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

Thats up to 10 hours a week that you would be watching him so even if you charges $10/hr it would be $100 for the week. I think that's fair.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

I would ask for $50.00 per week. That seems fair to me.

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G.S.

answers from New York on

Through elementary school my daughter's best friend would come to our house before (and afterschool). I'd have his mom give me a box of cereal each week for the mornings & $5/hr for the afternoon - it's way less then what they'd pay for aftercare & a little extra in your pocket. Just a word for the wise - keep track of the time on a calendar & decide whether or not she'll be paying you weekly/bi-weekly or however b/c sometimes it really adds up & it's easy to shortchange yourself. Best of luck!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

I would ask for an hourly rate. that way your being paid regardless of the amount of hours. So if your charging $10 an hour then $50 if its one hour a day and $100 if its two hours a day. But definitely tell her the hours your willing/able to do. otherwise it can get to be a lot and your upset and she will be oblivious as to why.

K.G.

answers from Boca Raton on

It depends, is your neighbor "your friend"? If so, I wouldn't charge... I would just ask for the favor in return if you needed to do something...If she's "just your neighbor", then I would say 10 per hour is very fair~

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D.M.

answers from Boston on

I would say $5 an hour is a fair price for minimum (my daycare breaks out at $5/hr), so for 1-2 hours a day you can make $25-$50 a week. Keep in mind this is something that could be long term/weekly/monthly, so a reduced rate (vs $10/hr standard babysitting) makes more sense.

I know if it were me in your neighbor's shoes, I'd be hard pressed as a mother to pay $10 an hour every week, but $5 an hour is an easy yes, and I wouldn't feel scammed. Especially when there's no real exertion for you (travel, distance), and it won't interfere much with her returning the favor for you, she may not charge you if it's an occasional thing since you're really doing her a favor and only charging a little. $10 an hour would be OK depending on the area you live/income bracket, or if it was a short term.

Good luck!

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K.S.

answers from Boston on

Funny post, as my neighbor asked me the same thing at the beginning of the school year. Her daughter is 6(first grade), mine is 5(K). It would be getting her off the bus(at my house) and watching for an hour...She thought $10 a day would be fair. She said that was the going rate around this area..... We are friendly so it seemed it would be a little awkward taking money, but its business..Overall, her plans changed so the offer was off the table. Good Luck .

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H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

Here we would charge $5 an hour for something like that...in your area I am thinking around $10 an hour...I live in a small town so we don't charge as much...

I think th $50 a week would be a good start...unless it pushes the 2hr time too much then I would go to $75 a week

R.A.

answers from Providence on

5.00 per hour is what I would charge.

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