Employing an au pair in Canada
Provincial employment standards + CRA payroll
Last reviewed
This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Employment law changes, varies by region and depends on your exact arrangement. Figures below are researched from official sources but go out of date — always confirm the current position with the official body linked on this page, or with a qualified labour adviser, before you rely on it.
In Canada, employment standards for a nanny/caregiver are set PROVINCIALLY (minimum wage, hours, overtime, leave all vary by province/territory), while payroll deductions go to the federal CRA. Check your province’s employment-standards office as well.
Pay floor
$15.00 – $20.17 / hour, by jurisdiction
There is no national household rate. As at 2 September 2026: Alberta $15.00, Saskatchewan $15.35, New Brunswick $15.90, Manitoba $16.00, Newfoundland and Labrador $16.35, Quebec $16.60, Nova Scotia $16.75, PEI $17.00, Northwest Territories $17.20, Ontario $17.60, British Columbia $18.25, Yukon $18.51, Nunavut $20.17. Several rise again on 1 October 2026. The federal rate of $18.15 binds only federally regulated employers and does not apply to household work. Verified against the federal Minimum Wage Database on 2 September 2026.
What to get right
Canada has no au pair visa
There is no au pair category in Canadian immigration. Someone doing this work is here either as a home child care provider (NOC 44100) under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which needs a positive LMIA, or on an International Experience Canada working holiday. The Live-in Caregiver Program is closed to new applicants. In every case they are an employee under provincial employment standards — there is no cultural-exchange status that sits outside employment law.
Your province sets the rate, not Ottawa
Household work is provincially regulated, so the province or territory sets the minimum wage — currently anywhere from $15.00 in Alberta to $20.17 in Nunavut. On a 30-hour week that is a difference of about $155. The federal minimum wage applies only to federally regulated employers such as banks and airlines, so it is not the figure to use here. Alberta’s rate has not changed since June 2019.
Room and board credits are limited, and conditional
A live-in arrangement does not let you offset the whole cost of accommodation. Ontario, as an example, allows $31.70 a week for a private room, $2.55 a meal up to $53.55 a week, and $85.25 a week in total — and for domestic workers a non-private room counts for nothing at all. The credit only counts if the meals were actually received and the room actually occupied. Every province sets its own amounts, so check yours.
Written contract
A written contract is strongly recommended (and required for caregiver immigration programs). Use the contract template in the NannyTank app and add your province’s standards.
Minimum wage & hours
Minimum wage, overtime, rest days and public holidays are set by your province or territory and vary widely. Confirm your province’s current rules.
CRA payroll
As an employer you register for a payroll account and deduct/remit income tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Employment Insurance (EI), plus the employer’s share.
Workplace insurance
Some provinces require workplace-injury insurance (e.g. WSIB in Ontario) for household employees — check whether yours does.
Official sources
Check these for the current position — they are the authority, this page is not.
An editable contract template for Canada
NannyTank includes a downloadable employment contract template that references Provincial employment standards + CRA payroll — you fill in the agreed pay and hours. Available in the app, along with hours, overtime and claim tracking.
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NannyTank is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This page is a starting point to help you know what to look into; it may be incomplete or out of date, and it does not account for your specific circumstances. Confirm anything you rely on with the official bodies above or a qualified adviser.