New York’s Mary Poppinses typically earn $12 to $15 an hour and don’t pay taxes, according to a new survey of city parents.
Only 9 percent of city parents pay their nannies completely on the books, with another 14 percent paying them partially above board, the annual study by the group Park Slope Parents found.
Of the more than 800 families surveyed across the five boroughs, most said they dodged the IRS at the request of the nannies.
A nanny from Poland who cares for a 3-year-old Park Slope boy and is paid $11 an hour off the books, said the student visa she wants allows her to work 20 hours per week. “That’s not enough for me because I wouldn’t be able to pay for my school, my apartment,” she said. “The parents asked me which way I prefer and I said this way is better for me. Most nannies I know, they are paid off the books.”
Some nannies say they’d prefer to be on the books, and be eligible for Social Security. According to IRS rules, any child-care employee paid more than $1,700 must have Social Security withheld.
“It’s really unfair because we are taking care of those kids to the best of our ability,” said Dyker Regis, 40, who looks after two children. “We need that support from the parents because we’re doing a great job. We need a union.”
Her $16-an-hour wage is too low, she added. “In the city they pay but not in Park Slope,” she said.
Nannies paid on the books typically earn an additional $2 an hour, which is necessary to offset the taxes.
Briget Mitchell, 55, is paid $16 an hour on the books to care for a 15-month-old boy.
“I am a good nanny, that I can tell you, and I found a good employer. They are honest and up-front,” she said. “I used to be a kindergarten teacher in my country [Grenada]. Basically, I love children — children is my life.”
Of the 9 percent of parents who paid their nannies fully on the books, less than a third said they did so for fear of getting caught. Most insisted “it’s the right thing to do,” the survey found.
Despite the fact that most nannies were compensated under the changing table, most received benefits such as paid vacation and sick time, and many are given MetroCards and health-care supplements, the survey found.
Nanny pay dropped slightly from 2008 with 39 percent of those surveyed saying they cut back in one way or another.