Babysitter Salary in Sweden 2025 – How Much Should You Pay?

Hiring a babysitter is essential for many families in Sweden to make everyday life work. But how much should you actually pay? Many parents think you must use an agency to pay legally – that’s not true. You can employ a babysitter privately, pay legally, and still benefit from the Swedish RUT tax deduction.

With Diretto’s payroll service, everything is handled: salary, taxes, and RUT deductions are calculated automatically. Diretto is an award-winning digital payroll service for private households.

👉 Read more: Salary and tax decuction for nanny /babysitter in Sweden – how does it work?

👉 Free babysitter contract template

Babysitter pay depends on age and experience

⚡ Try now: Calculate your cost in 30 seconds – see what it costs to hire a babysitter privately with RUT.

Babysitter Hourly Wages in Sweden 2025

*Private households can apply the RUT deduction on the employer’s social security contributions (~31%). This means your net cost is the same as the babysitter’s take-home pay. Diretto makes it simple.

Source: Kommunal collective agreement HÖK 25 (PDF)

🎯 Next step: Open the calculator and get the right salary + RUT deduction calculated automatically.

What Affects Babysitter Pay?

The most important factors are age, experience, education, and working hours:

• Teenagers with little experience usually start lower in the range.
• Childcare education (e.g., vocational “barnskötare” training) justifies higher pay.
• Work during evenings & weekends
• Short shifts may require a premium to make it worth while

If you need extensive childcare, an au pair may be an option:
👉 What does it cost to host an au pair in Sweden?

Why Hiring Directly is Cheaper

It’s typically 50–60 SEK/hour cheaper to pay your babysitter directly compared to using an agency (at the same wage to the babysitter). And no, it’s not “under the table” – it’s fully legal to employ privately and pay correctly.

At Diretto we make it easy for private households to become legal employers – handling payroll, RUT, and tax reporting (and answering your questions).

👉 Also read: What does a full-time nanny cost?

Babysitters Cannot Claim RUT – But You Can

A common mistake is to confuse gross wages with social contributions:

• If you pay more than 1,000 SEK/year, wages must be reported to the Swedish Tax Agency.
• If you pay under 10,000 SEK/year, you can let the babysitter handle taxes – but then you must add ~30% for their social fees, and you lose the RUT deduction.

We recommend that the employer handles all taxes – that way you can use RUT correctly. With Diretto it’s easy and correct. Try the calculator to see the total cost. Questions? Write us at support@diretto.se.

👉 Read more: Lack of knowledge cost a babysitter extra taxes

How We Calculated the Figures

Sweden has no statutory minimum wage. Our recommendations are based on relevant collective agreements (e.g., Kommunal for preschools). For younger babysitters we extrapolated using typical percentages between age groups (often ~75%). Figures are updated regularly.

Some families are lucky to have grandparents who babysit for free

✅ Summary: With RUT, paying legally isn’t more expensive – but it gives you security, insurance, and peace of mind.
Try Diretto and
calculate the right pay now.

FAQ – Babysitter Salary Sweden 2025

Is it more expensive to pay legally?
No. With the RUT deduction on social contributions, your cost is the same as the babysitter’s take-home pay.

What’s a fair babysitter wage in 2025?
Between 107–176 SEK/hour depending on age, training, and experience (holiday pay included).

Does RUT apply for evenings and weekends?
Yes, as long as the babysitting takes place in your home.

Can the babysitter claim RUT themselves?
No. Only the employer (you) can claim the RUT deduction.

Do I need to add holiday pay?
Yes. At least 12% must be included. All figures in the table already include this.