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Babysitting rules and rates.

From age 13, CHF 8–10 an hour with the Red Cross course, CHF 11–18 from 16, up to CHF 25 as an experienced adult. Evening limits for under-18s, the CHF 750 AHV line, who insures the sitter, and the one case that needs a permit.

Published Last updated 5 min read
Painting of a teenage babysitter with a ponytail reading a picture book to two small children on a blanket on a sunny balcony with potted plants and red roofs beyond the railing
Saturday afternoon on the balcony — a picture book, two children and the Red Cross course behind it.
Before we start · In plain words

Babysitting is allowed from 13, pays CHF 8 to 25 an hour depending on age and experience, and needs no permit — only a course, five phone numbers and a first meeting.

Parents in Switzerland pay a teenager with the Red Cross Babysitting-Pass about CHF 10 an hour and an experienced adult up to CHF 25. The rules are about the sitter’s age (evening limits for under-18s), about AHV above CHF 750 a year, and about one difference: in the family’s home is babysitting, in your own home it is day care and needs a permit.

  1. Do the Red Cross course.Ten hours from age 13. It is the diploma parents ask for.
  2. Meet the family once before the first evening.Children, flat, rules, numbers on the fridge.
  3. Charge the Red Cross rate for your age.CHF 8–10 at 13–15, CHF 11–18 at 16–25, more as an experienced adult.
  4. Ask for a regular evening.One fixed night a week with one family beats ten one-off calls.
01 · Three numbers

Rate, age, pocket-money line.

CHF 11–18
an hour is the Red Cross recommendation for sitters aged 16 to 25 looking after two children. CHF 8–10 at 13–15; the market average is CHF 16
SRK · Babysitting24 [1]
13
is the age from which you may babysit for money — light work, limited hours, and ideally after the Red Cross course
ArGV 5 · SRK [4]
CHF 750
a year per family is the line under which a sitter under 25 pays no AHV at all — the “pocket-money job”
AHV 2.06 [6]

What sitters earn, by age and experience

Per hour, for two children. [1] [2]

13–15 years, SRK course
CHF 8–10
16–25 years
CHF 11–18
Market average
CHF 16
Experienced adult, cooks and helps with homework
CHF 20–25
Nanny (regular, several days)
CHF 25–30
02 · Before the first evening

The first meeting, in four steps.

  1. Meet the family once, with the children.Fifteen minutes, before the first evening. Parents want to see how you talk to the kids — and you want to see the flat.
  2. Write five numbers on the fridge.Both parents, the doctor, 144 ambulance, 145 Tox Info, 117 police. Ask where the first-aid box is.
  3. Agree the rules out loud.Bedtime, food, screens, who may come to the door, what to do if a child is ill. Parents forget to say it; you ask.
  4. Payment and time, once.Rate per hour, how a late night is paid, how you get home. Then it never needs discussing again.
03 · Your rate

Age, children, hours.

04 · The rules in detail

Six things parents and sitters should both know.

  • Babysitting in the family’s home needs no permitLooking after children in their own home, occasionally, is free at any age of the sitter. Caring for children regularly in your own home (Tagesfamilie) is different: that needs a cantonal permit or notification. [7]
  • Under 16: home by 20:00, under 18: by 22:00Youth labour protection applies to teenage sitters: light work from 13 with limited hours, normal work from 15, and evenings end at 20:00 under 16 and 22:00 under 18 (no night work). Occasional Friday evenings are fine; weeknights until midnight are not. [4] [5]
  • The Red Cross course is the diplomaTen hours from age 13: nappies, feeding, bedtime, accident prevention, what to do when something happens. Costs about CHF 120, gives you the Babysitting-Pass — the first thing parents ask about. [3]
  • AHV: the CHF 750 pocket-money lineSitters under 25 who earn up to CHF 750 a year from one family pay no AHV, and the family has nothing to register. Above that, or from 25, the family deducts AHV from the first franc through the simplified procedure. [6]
  • Insurance: under 18 the parents’, above that the family’sTeenage sitters are covered by their own parents’ liability and accident policies. From 18 — above the pocket-money line — the family that employs you insures you against accidents for about CHF 100 a year. [8]
  • Regular beats occasional, here tooA fixed evening a week with one family is worth more than ten one-off calls: the children know you, the parents trust you, and the rate rises with each year. Ask for it after the third evening.

Which childcare needs a permit: Which side jobs need a licence or certificate. AHV in households: The CHF 2 500 AHV rule, explained.

05 · Questions people ask

Short answers.

How much should a babysitter charge in Switzerland?

The Red Cross recommends CHF 8–10 an hour for sitters aged 13–15 and CHF 11–18 for 16–25-year-olds, for two children, plus CHF 2 per extra child and at least CHF 50 for an overnight. The market average is about CHF 16; experienced adults charge CHF 20–25, nannies CHF 25–30.

How old do I have to be to babysit?

Thirteen, for light work with limited hours and evenings ending at 20:00 (22:00 from 16). The Red Cross babysitting course starts at 13 and is what most parents ask for.

Do I need a permit to babysit?

Not in the family’s home. Caring for children regularly in your own home (Tagesfamilie) needs a cantonal permit or notification under the PAVO.

Do I pay AHV on babysitting money?

Under 25 and up to CHF 750 a year from one family: no. Above that, or from age 25, the family deducts AHV from the first franc through the simplified procedure.

Who insures a babysitter?

Under 18, the sitter’s own parents’ policies cover liability and accidents. From 18 and above the CHF 750 line, the employing family insures the sitter against accidents at work (about CHF 100 a year).

Painting of a babysitter reading to a child on a sunny balcony

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References

Where the rules come from.

  1. [1]
    swissmom — Babysitter: Lohn, Versicherungen, Sozialabgaben — Red Cross rate recommendation: 13–15 years CHF 8–10, 16–25 years CHF 11–18 an hour for two children; +CHF 2 per extra child; overnight from CHF 50. www.swissmom.ch
  2. [2]
    Babysitting24 — Wie viel kostet ein Babysitter — average CHF 16 an hour, nannies about CHF 25. babysitting24.ch
  3. [3]
    Swiss Red Cross — Babysitting-Kurs SRK — from age 13, 10 hours, Babysitting-Pass. www.srk-thurgau.ch
  4. [4]
    SECO — State Secretariat for Economic Affairs — FAQ Jugendarbeitsschutz — light work from 13, normal work from 15, evening limits 20:00 (under 16) and 22:00 (16+), max 9 hours a day. www.seco.admin.ch
  5. [5]
    Swiss Confederation — Ordinance ArGV 5 (youth labour protection), Art. 4 and 10 — light work from 13, limits. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  6. [6]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.06 — household jobs: under-25s earning up to CHF 750 a year per household are exempt from AHV; otherwise contributions from the first franc (2026). www.ahv-iv.ch
  7. [7]
    Swiss Confederation — Ordinance on the Placement of Children (PAVO), Art. 12 — regular paid day care in the carer’s own home needs a cantonal permit or notification; babysitting in the family’s home does not. www.fedlex.admin.ch
  8. [8]
    Die Mobiliar — Unfallversicherung für Hausangestellte — from about CHF 100 a year. www.mobiliar.ch

Checked against the sources above on 5 October 2026; figures are for 2026 and change each January. The “last updated” date at the top changes whenever a figure is refreshed. Rates are the Red Cross recommendations and market observations; youth-protection details should be checked with SECO. This page is general information, not legal advice.