A nanny manages the daily care for your child from their early years to their preteens. A live-in role means the nanny lives on the property with working hours according to the family’s schedule.
If you’re looking for a nanny who can be on call outside of regular working hours, our recruiters find that a live-in nanny is best.
A live-in nanny learns and adapts to your child’s daily routine so they get dedicated childcare throughout the day.
Drawing from our global network of 200,000 professional candidates, we place live-in nannies for high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) households across the US.
Twelve years of expertise means we know how to match you with a live-in nanny who fits in with your home, your hours, and your children.
Contact us at +1 (646) 965-2308 for your free consultation call today.
What happens when you contact us to hire a live-in nanny?
The hiring process begins from the first call. To get a clear picture of what you actually want from your live-in nanny, we ask questions about your home and children before we start the search for candidates.
An ideal live-in nanny should be able to match the energy level of your child. For toddler-aged children, we place nannies who can keep up with your active two and three year olds all day.
We also ask about the live-in specifics of the role, areas like, the accommodation being offered, who else lives in the house, and how much cover is needed outside of normal working hours.
Our global database means we usually find the right fit for your home within two to six weeks. But, hiring for live-in nannies with niche skills or extreme flexibility for travel could take longer.
The process of finding a professional you can trust to stay in your home and take care of your children can’t be rushed. You can learn more about our hiring process for nannies on our hire a nanny page.
What do our live-in nanny candidates go through before you meet them?
After preparing the live-in nanny brief from the information you tell us, we search our network of 200,000 professional candidates, interview them, and then build a shortlist.
Ellie Littlechild, a recruiter at Morgan & Mallet’s branch in Dubai, spent years working as a nanny in private homes across England and the UAE before moving into recruitment. When screening candidates, she asks them questions about things that could actually happen in real life situations.
“You want someone who’s going to think outside the box and fix the problem, not just give up. If the children are unwell, everything else can wait. But if something breaks or the shop hasn’t come, what are you going to do to fix it? These parents hired you because they’re busy and need you to handle it.”
After doing the standard reference and background checks, live-in trial periods are strongly recommended. This is where you see if the nanny is a good fit for the home and not just on paper.
You can see if she can settle in your home and is comfortable with her accommodation. We recommend an overnight or trial over a few days for live-in roles so you can see how the nanny gets on with your evening and morning routines.
What does a live-in nanny do?
A live-in nanny takes daily care of your children and they live inside your home.
Tasks they do include bath times, meals, school runs, activities, and overnight work when needed.
Because they live-in, they can cover parts of the day that a daytime nanny can’t. Like early morning starts on travel days, late night babysitting, or feeding the baby in the middle of the night. Being there round-the-clock is what separates the live-in nanny from a live-out one.
Since they live in the household, it’s important for the nanny to get along with the other staff of the house to keep a nice environment for everyone.
The live-in nanny might work with governesses, chauffeurs, housekeepers, and private chefs when it comes to the child’s routine.
Especially for a live-in nanny role, Laurine our co-founder emphasizes how it’s important for candidates to keep the professional boundary intact. She explains how the longer you stay with a principal, the harder it gets to say ‘it’s none of my business’. You see everything that happens in the house, but it is important for candidates to still maintain that line.
For a full example of what’s actually in a nanny job description, see our nanny job description page.
Live-in vs live-out nanny: which do you need?
| Live-in nanny | Live-out nanny | |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | In your home, private quarters with bedroom and bathroom | Their own home |
| Hours | Long days, early/late cover, some overnights | Set shift, usually daytime |
| Best for | Families needing flexibility, travel, or newborn night cover | Families with steady daytime needs and predictable schedules |
| Cost structure | Salary plus room and board | Salary only, often hourly or daily |
With a live-in nanny, you get more flexibility. But both sides need to agree on a live-in nanny contract that outlines rest hours and time off from the start.
The choice between a live-in and live-out nanny comes down to hours, space, and your weekly schedule.
Families who travel often, run two homes, or have very young children tend to need a live-in nanny. Families with a fixed routine and limited space usually do better with live-out.
How much does a live-in nanny cost?
A full-time live-in nanny in the US typically costs $60,000 to $120,000+ a year in salary, according to Morgan & Mallet’s 2025/26 Household Staff Salaries Annual Report.
Along with the salary, decent accommodation, placement fees, and on-costs such as insurance are included in the cost of hiring a live-in nanny.
Usually accommodation is built into a live-in package. So the salary is slightly less than that of a live-out nanny.
Morgan Richez, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, says that candidates look for comfortable accommodations before accepting live-in roles.
“My best advice is to offer a very decent accommodation. Something clean furnished, good size, and with windows. This shows the candidate that you respect them and it matters. The candidate has to feel comfortable as it’s their home now and it’s how you keep good staff.”
For a full salary breakdown by experience and region, see our how much a nanny costs page.
What type of live-in nanny do you need?
Full-time live-in nanny
The nanny works for five to six days a week while living in private quarters on the property. We think from our experience that this option is best for homes that want one trusted person to give consistent care for their children for the whole day.
Rota live-in nanny
Two nannies work in rotation so someone is always in your home with your children, day and night. A second bedroom and bathroom will be needed for the nanny on rotation. To learn more about rota patterns and handovers, you can check our rota nanny page.
Live-in night nanny/maternity nurse
Nights can be hard, so a live-in night nanny means a nanny is there for every feed while you rest. Live-in night nannies and maternity nurses are perfect for newborn months, where you don’t have to worry about the nanny leaving at 6 pm. You can learn more about their duties and salaries in our night nanny page and maternity nurse page.
Traveling live-in nanny
If you relocate or travel a lot, a live-in nanny moves with your family and stays where you stay. The nanny being live-in keeps a consistent routine for the children.
Live-in nanny-housekeeper
This is where one person does both childcare and housekeeping. The role is suited to smaller households with older children where the housekeeping is done when the kids are at school. You can learn more about the role on the nanny-housekeeper page.
What other household staff might you need?
We place housekeepers for cleaning and the general upkeep of a home. Live-in nannies will do some basic housework related to the children like tidying the play areas or bedrooms.
But our recruiters don’t recommend mixing more housework in the nanny role unless you’re looking to hire a nanny-housekeeper specifically.
We also place governesses to give tutoring to older children, maternity nurses for newborn care, and private chefs for meals.
Why Morgan & Mallet?
Morgan & Mallet is a household staff agency built by two people who did the jobs themselves.
Laurine Mallet’s insider experience as a former nanny shaped the direction our recruiters take when hiring childcare professionals.
“You need to make the candidate comfortable first. If they’re scared of you, they won’t tell you anything. By the end, if the candidate feels like it was a conversation with a friend rather than an interview, that’s when you’ve done it right.”
After working for a celebrity designer, Morgan Richez knows that discretion of the candidate cannot be overlooked.
“Discretion means keeping things to yourself. Don’t repeat it, don’t overreact, don’t make a scene. Your reaction, what you say, even your body language.”
Today, Morgan & Mallet has eight offices across four continents, including New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, with a network of 200,000 professional candidates.
Our nanny placements hold a 96% success rate, and every candidate is screened the same way wherever they’re based. You can learn more about our story.
Frequently asked questions
What is a live-in nanny?
A live-in nanny is a qualified childcare professional who lives in your home and works set hours across the week. A private room and meals are provided as part of the role. They cover full childcare, including early starts, late finishes, and overnight care when needed.
How much does a live-in nanny cost?
A full-time live-in nanny in the US typically costs $60,000 to $120,000+ a year in salary, according to Morgan & Mallet’s 2025/26 Household Staff Salaries Annual Report. On top of that, you provide room and board and cover an agency fee plus employer on-costs. The location, experience, language skills, and travel in the role all affect the figure.
What's the difference between a live-in and live-out nanny?
A live-in nanny lives in your home and can cover early, late, and overnight hours. A live-out nanny works a set shift and goes home afterward. Live-in suits families who need flexibility, travel, or newborn night cover. Live-out suits families with steady daytime needs.
How quickly can you place a live-in nanny?
For most US families, we present a first shortlist of pre-vetted candidates within days. The hiring process can be done within two to six weeks for common placements. The full timeline depends on how specific the role is, but our 96% nanny placement rate reflects how often the first round leads to a hire.
Do you place live-in nannies across the US?
Yes. We place live-in nannies nationwide, with US offices in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, and we regularly staff homes in the Hamptons, Palm Beach, Bel Air, and beyond.
New York
office address
260 Madison Avenue, 8th floor, 10016, New York, NY - United States
phone
+1 (646)965-2308
opening hours
Monday - Thursday : 9AM - 6PM
Friday : 9AM - 5PM
Saturday & Sunday : Closed
Miami
office address
1221 Brickell Ave Bricknell, Miami, FL 33131, United States
phone
+1 305 710 3380
opening hours
Monday - Thursday : 9AM - 6PM
Friday : 9AM - 5PM
Saturday & Sunday : Closed
Los Angeles
office address
895 Dove St, Newport Beach, CA 92660, United States
phone
+1 305 710 3380
opening hours
Monday - Thursday : 9AM - 6PM
Friday : 9AM - 5PM
Saturday & Sunday : Closed