Seattle has had a Domestic Workers Ordinance since 2019, and Washington State passed its own domestic workers law in 2026, taking effect in July 2027. A good agency will know both. As the employer, you’ll need to.
Seattle’s tech and health care schedules can be long and flexible at once. Guarantee hours, agree on how late days work, and write it down.
If you live on the Eastside or elsewhere outside the city, check which rules apply where the work happens; Seattle’s ordinances apply inside city limits.
In most placements, you, not the agency, are the nanny’s employer. That makes the household-employment rules your responsibility.
Seattle Domestic Workers Ordinance. It covers nannies whether they’re classified as employees or contractors. She gets a 30-minute meal period per 5 hours worked and a paid 10-minute rest break per 4 hours, which can’t be waived. A live-in nanny can’t be required to work more than 6 days in a row without a 24-hour rest period. Employers may not hold a worker’s passport or documents.
Minimum wage. Seattle’s minimum wage is $21.30 an hour in 2026 for all employers, including households. Washington State’s is lower. Rates change each January.
Paid sick and safe time. Nannies who are employees accrue at least 1 hour per 40 hours worked under Seattle’s ordinance and Washington’s state law.
Coming July 1, 2027. Washington’s new statewide domestic workers law will add a written agreement, a disclosure of rights, overtime after 40 hours, and notice or severance before termination. Plan for it now if you’re hiring for the long term.
Pay, tax and labor rules vary by state and city. This guide explains common practice; a household payroll provider, accountant or your state labor department can confirm what applies to you.
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.
Every agency describes itself as the best. These are the signals that separate a great one:
Many families find a great nanny without an agency, through referrals, local parent groups and job sites. You save the fee and take on the screening yourself: interviews, reference checks, a paid trial day and a written agreement. See how to hire a nanny.
Tammy Gold, LCSW, is not an agency and has no stake in which candidate you choose. By video, she works with families in Seattle and anywhere else: defining the job, reviewing candidates an agency sends, joining your interviews, and planning the first 30 days with your new nanny.
Keep the agency, or skip it, and 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.
Download free ↓Questions first? Text (818) 308-1358 · info@caremapmethod.com
Tammy is not a placement agency and has no affiliation with, or financial interest in, any agency, daycare or payroll service. She provides independent expert guidance; decisions remain your family’s. Legal, tax and licensing questions belong with the appropriate professional or state agency.