New York was the first state to pass a Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights, and it applies to your household — whether or not an agency found your nanny.
Every agency describes itself as the best. These are the signals that actually separate a great one:
Overtime: household employees must be paid time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a week, or over 44 for live-in employees.
A day of rest: one full 24-hour day off each week. If your nanny agrees to work that day, it's paid at the overtime rate.
Paid days off: after a year with the same family, domestic workers earn paid days off — how many depends on hours worked per week.
Insurance: employers of household workers working 40 or more hours a week generally need workers' compensation and disability coverage.
In New York City, domestic workers are also covered by the city's paid safe and sick leave and human rights protections.
Rules change and details matter — confirm specifics with a household payroll provider or employment attorney.
Tammy Gold, LCSW, spent years matching families with nannies before writing Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer (Penguin). Today she works beside families, and their agencies, as a neutral expert: defining the job, interviewing candidates, checking references and setting up the first 30 days.
Tammy ran a nanny placement practice serving New York families before focusing on the clinical side of care. Today she works independently alongside whatever agency you use — by video from Los Angeles — reviewing candidates, joining interviews, and building the onboarding plan. More on working with an agency.
Keep the agency — add someone with no stake in which candidate you choose. $189 for an hour, by video.
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Screening call, reference questions, clinical interview, and trial-day checklist.
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Tammy is not an agency and has no affiliation with, or financial interest in, any agency you use. She provides independent expert guidance; hiring decisions remain your family’s. Legal, tax, and licensing questions belong with the appropriate professional or state agency.