If your nanny works in California, a pay stub is not optional. California law requires an itemized wage statement every time you pay wages, and that applies to families who employ a nanny, not just businesses. Here is what has to be on it and how often you need to give one.
Do California families have to give a nanny a pay stub?
Yes. The California Labor Commissioner says that under Labor Code Section 226(a), every time an employee is paid, whether by check, in cash, or otherwise, the employee must get a detachable part of the check or a separate writing with the required information. California's wage order for household occupations (IWC Order 15) also requires an itemized statement with each payment.
So paying your nanny in cash or by Venmo does not remove the requirement. The stub is how you show what you paid and why.
The 9 items a California pay stub must show
The Labor Commissioner lists these required items:
- Gross wages earned
- Total hours worked (not required for salaried exempt employees)
- Piece-rate units and rates, if paid by the piece (rare for nannies)
- All deductions (deductions your nanny authorized in writing can be shown as one item)
- Net wages earned
- The inclusive dates of the pay period
- Your nanny's name and only the last four digits of their Social Security number, or an employee ID number
- The name and address of the employer (that is you)
- Every hourly rate in effect during the pay period, and the hours worked at each rate
Item 9 matters for nannies who earn overtime. If your nanny worked regular hours and overtime hours, list both rates and both hour counts.
How often you have to pay
California generally requires wages to be paid at least twice a month on regular paydays you set in advance. If you pay weekly or every two weeks, pay must arrive within seven calendar days of the end of the pay period. One exception: household domestic workers who are boarded and lodged by the employer (live-in) may be paid once a month, with no two paydays more than 31 days apart.
You also have to keep payroll records. If your nanny asks to see them, the law gives you 21 calendar days to provide them.
Minimum wage and overtime basics
Minimum wage. California's statewide minimum wage for 2026 is $16.90 per hour. Many cities and counties set a higher local rate, so check where your nanny works.
Overtime for personal attendants. Under California's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, a nanny who qualifies as a personal attendant (mainly supervising, feeding, or dressing a child) earns 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 9 in a day or over 45 in a week. If more than 20% of the weekly work is household chores rather than care, different rules can apply.
Taxes that show up on the stub
The federal "nanny tax" basics from IRS Publication 926 apply in California too: if you pay one household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages in 2026, Social Security and Medicare apply (7.65% employee share, which you can withhold or pay yourself).
California adds State Disability Insurance (SDI). For 2026, the EDD lists the SDI withholding rate as 1.3% of wages, with no taxable wage limit. If SDI applies to your nanny, show it as its own deduction line. Whether you must register with the EDD depends on how much you pay, so check the EDD's household employer pages.
A simple California stub example
A clean stub for a biweekly California nanny would show: your name and address, your nanny's name and last four SSN digits, pay period dates and pay date, regular hours and rate, overtime hours and rate, gross pay, each deduction (Social Security, Medicare, SDI, any income tax withholding your nanny asked for), and net pay. Year-to-date totals are a helpful extra.
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For the general checklist, see Household employee pay stub: what to include.
FAQ
- I pay my nanny in cash. Do I still need a pay stub in California?
- Yes. The Labor Commissioner says the itemized statement is required whether wages are paid by check, in cash, or otherwise.
- Can I put my nanny's full Social Security number on the stub?
- No. California allows only the last four digits or a separate employee ID number.
- Can I pay my live-in nanny once a month?
- California allows monthly pay for household domestic workers who are boarded and lodged by the employer, with no two paydays more than 31 days apart. Live-out nannies generally must be paid at least twice a month.
- Do I have to show overtime separately?
- Yes. California requires every hourly rate in effect during the period and the hours worked at each, so regular and overtime should be listed separately.
For real wages only. Use StubzPro to document pay you actually paid. Never create a stub to show income that was not earned. Doing so can be illegal.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Figures are for 2026 and can change. For your situation, talk to a tax professional, the California Labor Commissioner, or the EDD.
Sources
- California Labor Commissioner, Paydays, pay periods, and final wages (Labor Code 204, 205, 226): https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_paydays.htm
- California Industrial Welfare Commission, Order No. 15 (Household Occupations): https://www.dir.ca.gov/Iwc/IWCarticle15.pdf
- California Department of Industrial Relations, Minimum Wage 2026 (MW-2026): https://dir.ca.gov/iwc/MW-2026.pdf
- California Labor Commissioner, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights (AB 241) FAQ: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/DomesticWorkerBillOfRights-FAQ.html
- California EDD, Contribution Rates, Withholding Schedules, and Meals and Lodging Values: https://edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/rates_and_withholding/
- IRS Publication 926 (2026), Household Employer's Tax Guide: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p926