Nanny Agency Jobs How-to / checklist

If your nanny wages are late or missing, record what should have been paid, contact the employer promptly and keep the response. You can also ask the appropriate labor office about your options without waiting for repeated promises. The correct route depends on where you worked, the type of pay owed and the employment facts.

Start with a factual account, even if the relationship feels uncomfortable. This US guide helps organize the evidence and questions; it does not determine a legal claim or calculate penalties.

Identify the missing payment

Write down the pay period, agreed payday and what arrived. Separate a wholly missing paycheck from a short payment, missing overtime, an unexplained deduction or an unpaid expense. Keep gross wages distinct from the expected net deposit: taxes and other deductions mean those numbers are not necessarily the same.

Check the statement against your hours and the bank or payment record. If a statement shows a payment that did not arrive, save both records. If there is no statement, record that fact rather than inventing deductions to make the numbers reconcile. Ask for the pay calculation and payment confirmation.

Keep the employer's name, work location and contact details with the posting, agreement, time records and relevant messages. Preserve original files and dates. Avoid editing a screenshot to make it clearer without also retaining the original. Your summary should point back to evidence someone else can read.

Send a specific payment question

Address the employer or agreed payroll contact directly. A placement agency can help establish communication, but do not assume it owes the wages or can authorize payment merely because it introduced the job. If the employer points to the provider, ask the employer to identify who owns the correction.

Message to adapt: “My payment for [pay-period dates], due on [date], has not reached my account. My record shows [hours] worked, and [the statement shows a net payment of amount / I have not received a statement]. Please confirm the payment status, any correction needed and when the funds will be available. I have attached my hours record.”

Choose the wording that matches what you actually know. For a short payment, identify the disputed item and its supporting dates. Ask for an answer promptly; any response time you propose is a communication request, not a new legal deadline or an agreement to waive the original payday.

After a phone conversation, send a brief factual recap. Record a promised payment date as a promise until the money arrives. If part of the wages is paid, update the record with the amount received and the balance still in question.

Build a short unpaid-pay log

Use one row per pay period or disputed item. This original worksheet keeps the sequence readable without turning uncertainty into an exact claim calculation.

FieldWhat to enter
Work and paydayDates worked, hours recorded and the agreed payment date.
Expected payRate and supporting agreement; label any unresolved calculation.
ReceivedActual amount and date, with deposit or payment evidence.
DifferenceMissing item or amount, keeping gross and net figures separate.
ContactDate asked, recipient, answer and any promised correction.
Next actionOfficial office or adviser contacted, documents requested and deadline confirmed.

Fictional example: Noor's statement shows a net payment of $760 for an identified week, but no deposit arrives on the agreed Friday. Noor records the statement amount without converting it into gross wages, asks the employer about the missing transfer and saves the reply. A later $400 payment is entered separately, leaving $360 of that stated net payment unresolved. This arithmetic tracks receipts; it does not establish the complete legal amount owed.

Ask the relevant labor office about your route

The US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division accepts questions and complaints about laws it enforces, including federal minimum-wage and overtime matters. Its complaint page gives 1-866-487-9243 and an online contact route. Explain your work and pay issue so the office can assess whether it is the right place to help.

Federal enforcement is not the only possible route for a promised-pay dispute. Use the official state labor office directory to find the relevant state contact, and ask about any applicable local process. A qualified employment adviser or worker-support organization can help clarify which claims and procedures fit the facts.

For a clearly labeled state example, California's Labor Commissioner provides a wage-claim process, explains useful supporting records and lists different filing periods for different claims. Those periods are not national deadlines. Ask about your applicable deadline promptly rather than waiting for an arbitrary number of missed paydays or a perfect evidence packet.

Keep following the evidence through resolution

Retain communications about any reduction in hours, threats or dismissal following a pay complaint and explain the sequence to the labor office. The Department of Labor's complaint guidance describes confidentiality and protection against retaliation for exercising covered rights. Ask the office how that applies to your circumstances; do not assume that a difficult response proves a particular legal violation.

Keep the pay dispute separate from the children's care and personal information. Do not use family photos, private records or a child's handover as leverage. Questions about continuing work, ending the job or signing a settlement should receive advice based on the actual agreement and applicable law.

When money arrives, compare the payment and any corrected statement against the open items. Mark an item resolved only when the evidence supports it. Before signing a document described as a receipt, check whether it also includes a release or other conditions and seek advice if its effect is unclear.

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