Since Our Last Update:
NannyChex is now SurePayroll by Paychex. The latter acquired the former in 2022, but SurePayroll by Paychex only incorporated NannyChex’s solutions and services into its portfolio in April 2023. For current NannyChex customers, you can log into your client portals via SurePayroll by Paychex’s website.
NannyChex is a payroll and tax solution that caters to household employers. It has comprehensive nanny payroll services, including payments and filings of federal, state, and local taxes in all 50 US states. You also get a dedicated specialist to help you navigate the complexities of paying employees. With its pay-as-you-go pricing scheme and zero setup fees, NannyChex is a great option for those who hire household employees on a short term basis.
In our evaluation of the best nanny payroll services, NannyChex earned an overall score of 3.62 out of 5. For new household employers, the provider offers free registration and setup services. Nannychex payroll costs $6.25 per check for weekly pay runs and $12.50 per check for bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly payroll.
Pros
- No registration and setup fees
- Handles new hire reporting and payroll tax filings
- EIN setup for new household employers
- Dedicated account specialist
Cons
- Charges on a per-paycheck basis; this can get pricey if you have several household staff and run payroll on a weekly basis
- No in-house printing of paper checks
- Add-on fees for quarterly tax filings and year-end tax preparation
NannyChex Deciding Factors
Supported Business Types | New household employers clueless about domestic employment requirements and those looking for a pay-as-you-go service to process paychecks for nannies and other household employees. |
Free Trial | None, but new household employer registration services (including setup of the required employer tax accounts) are free |
Pricing | NannyChex payroll processing
Tax filing services
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Discounts | None |
Standout Features |
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Ease of Use | Registration and setup is fairly easy. After your account has been set up, NannyChex will process payroll, handle tax filings, submit new hire reports, and prepare tax forms for you. |
Customer Support |
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Looking for something different? Read our guide to the best payroll services and top payroll software for small businesses to find a service or software that’s right for your business.
How NannyChex Compares With Top Alternatives
Best For | Starter Payroll Fees | Tax Filing Services | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Families hiring temporary household staff | $6.25 per check for weekly payroll | $80 per quarter for quarterly filings $150 for year-end tax prep |
 | Household employers that want unlimited pay runs | $59 monthly for one household employee | $9.99 for OH/PA local tax filings $9.99 for multistate tax filings |
 | Employers looking for full-service nanny payroll with benefits | $35 monthly for one household employee* | None |
 | Families requiring HR and tax support | $245 per quarter for weekly payroll | $110 for year-end tax prep |
*Pricing is based on a quote we received
Since Our Last Update: The provider has its “Taxes Only” plan, where the client prepares the paychecks and NannyChex handles tax filings. As of this writing, it’s only offering a full-service nanny payroll package, which includes the preparation and direct deposit of employee payments.
One of the things you’ll notice highlighted in our NannyChex reviews article is the provider’s free setup and registration services. This, along with its fully transparent pricing, contributed to NannyChex’s high score in this criterion. The provider also doesn’t require you to sign up for a long contract and doesn’t require pre-payments. However, it lost points because it lacks unlimited pay runs.
NannyChex’s pricing plan follows a pay-as-you-go scheme in which the provider will bill you for each paycheck processed. Fees vary depending on how often you run nanny payroll.
- Weekly: $6.25 per check
- Bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly: $12.50 per check
While it will handle all tax calculations, its tax payment and filing services are paid add-ons. The NannyChex cost for filing quarterly taxes across all levels is $80 per quarter. For tax filings and tax reconciliation at year-end, the provider charges $150.
NannyChex specializes in household payroll, which has rules and regulations different from business payroll. The provider has 20 years of payroll and tax expertise with clients in all 50 states. Aside from helping you pay household employees, it ensures that you remain compliant with all employment and payroll tax laws.
While it has solid nanny payroll services, this provider didn’t get a high rating in this criterion mainly because it charges add-on fees for tax payments and filings. It also lacks the automatic payroll capabilities that similar providers (like SurePayroll by Paychex) offer.
NannyChex can help you pay caregivers, housekeepers, nannies, gardeners, and other household employees. (Source: NannyChex)
NannyChex can pay household employees via direct deposits on a weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, and monthly basis. You can pay using a fixed number of hours or report the actual hours your employees worked for a pay period. NannyChex will keep a record of all payroll-related information for you.
It can even handle overtime pay calculations based on the requirements set by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the state you live in. Plus, it calculates, withholds, and pays your health insurance premiums (if any) and other contributions.
It doesn’t offer workers’ compensation insurance plans but handles workers’ comp audits for you. It also offers employment verification for no extra cost.
NannyChex calculates and withholds your household employee’s local, state, and federal payroll taxes. It remits your payroll tax payments to the appropriate agencies and files quarterly and year-end tax reports. It even prepares W-2, W-3, and Schedule H tax forms for you.
If you have questions about payroll taxes, you can contact your dedicated account specialist for assistance. And if you receive notices and correspondence from tax agencies, NannyChex will help handle this for you.
NannyChex only earned a score of 3.25 out of 5 in this category because it doesn’t provide access to employee benefits. It only handles workers’ comp audits and unemployment insurance claims. It also lacks an onboarding tool to make adding new household employees into NannyChex’s system easy and seamless.
However, it can generate and file new hire reports for you. For self-service tools, NannyChex features web portals for employers and employees to view payroll information and pay stubs.
NannyChex can also help monitor your workers’ sick and vacation leave, including PTO accruals. Although, as a household employer, you generally don’t have to offer these unless the city or state you reside in requires you to provide sick pay or leave.
NannyChex received a high score in this category because of the user-friendly and solid nanny payroll solutions that it offers. However, its limited help articles and how-to guides prevented this provider from getting a perfect mark here.
- Easy to use
- Free registration and setup
- Unlimited customer support
- Dedicated account specialist
- Handles correspondence with tax agencies
NannyChex is very easy to set up and use. As soon as an agreement is reached, the company immediately sets up your EIN and tax accounts for both local and state levels. Also, payroll assistance and customer support are available. You’re even assigned a personal account specialist to contact (by phone and email) if you have questions about your employee’s payroll and tax information.
In our expert evaluation of NannyChex’s services, this provider scored fairly well—earning a 4.13 out of 5 rating. The new employer registration and tax services it offers are ideal for families. You also don’t have to worry about manually calculating and processing payroll—NannyChex will do it for you.
However, it isn’t optimal for budget-constrained families. NannyChex’s pay-per-check pricing and add-on fees for tax filings make it an expensive option if you have a large household staff and prefer to pay workers on a weekly basis. In such cases, consider other NannyChex alternatives (like SurePayroll by Paychex, which offers unlimited pay runs).
As of this writing, there are very few up-to-date NannyChex reviews online—and none of them are on popular review sites like G2 and Capterra. Client testimonials on its website show positive reviews, with many users commending its responsive support team and excellent payroll services that make paying household employees easier for them. Most reviewers who left feedback on Yelp and Google are also happy with NannyChex’s services.
Although one user expressed disappointment over its “horrible” customer support but didn’t provide any details. However, NannyChex posted a reply to that review and apologized for the incident, even asking the user to reach out to the provider so it can help fix the problem.
How We Evaluated NannyChex
When we evaluate nanny payroll services for families, we look for features we believe are most important for those paying household employees. Aside from pricing, we search for pay and tax processing functionalities specific to nanny payroll. We also considered ease of use and customer support since most household employers usually don’t have much experience with running payroll.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria.
30% of Overall Score
We gave priority to those that offer unlimited payroll runs, direct deposit payments with an option to process paper checks, and tax payment and filing services, including year-end tax form submissions (W-2 and Schedule H).
20% of Overall Score
We looked at the monthly costs and setup fees, including whether pricing details are readily available on the provider’s website. Preference was given to those that charge less than $50 monthly for one employee and don’t have setup fees.
20% of Overall Score
Payroll service and software should be easy to access and set up and have a user-friendly interface. We gave points to those that provide a dedicated representative, employer ID and tax set-up assistance, and live phone support that resolves issues promptly.
15% of Overall Score
This criterion reflects how well we think the software works for families in particular as far as price, tax prep, and ease of use.
10% of Overall Score
We favor providers that handle onboarding and include a self-service portal that nannies can use to see payments made, edit information, and/or print forms. It is also better if the provider has workers’ comp and other employee benefits options and access to experts who will advise users on compliance issues.
5% of Overall Score
We considered online user reviews from third-party sites (like G2 and Capterra) based on a 5-star scale, wherein any option with an average of 4+ stars is ideal. Also, software with 1,000 or more reviews on third-party sites is preferred.
Bottom Line
NannyChex is an all-in-one payroll service designed for household employers. It handles pay processes efficiently while providing reliable and expert support to fit your household staff’s unique payroll tax needs. You even get a dedicated specialist who can help you navigate the complexities of processing salary payments and taxes.
Sign up for a NannyChex account today.
