What Paperwork Do I Need Before My Nanny Starts?

You’ve found the nanny you love, the kids are excited, and the start date is in the diary.

Now comes the bit no one tells you about: the paperwork.

As a parent-employer in the UK, you do have legal responsibilities when you hire a nanny – but the admin doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you get a few key documents in place before your nanny’s first day, everything else becomes much simpler.

This guide walks you through the essential paperwork you should have ready before your nanny starts, plus a few “nice to have” extras that protect both sides.

1. Employment contract (written statement of employment)

Legally, your nanny is an employee, not a casual helper. That means they’re entitled to a written statement of employment particulars by day one of the job (often referred to simply as the “contract”).

Your nanny contract should clearly set out things like:

• Job title and main duties

• Start date and (if fixed-term) end date

• Place of work (usually your home, and any other regular locations)

• Working days and hours (including any flexibility or rota)

• Salary and hourly rate, and how often they’ll be paid

• Overtime and extra hours – how they’re agreed and what they pay

• Paid holiday entitlement and how it’s booked

• Sick pay (e.g. Statutory Sick Pay only, or any enhanced pay)

• Notice periods (both sides)

• Probation period (if you want one)

• Any benefits (e.g. use of car, accommodation, meals)

• Confidentiality, phone/social media expectations, and house rules

You and your nanny should both sign and date the contract, and each keep a copy. If anything is ever unclear later, this is your first reference point.

2. Right to work in the UK

Before your nanny starts, you’re responsible for checking they have the right to work in the UK.

You should:

• See their original documents (e.g. UK passport, Irish passport, settled status, visa, BRP etc.)

• Take a copy (scan or photo) and note the date you checked

• Follow any ongoing follow-up checks if they have time-limited permission to work

It’s important that this is a proper check, not just “I saw a passport once”. Right to work checks are a key part of your duties as an employer and protect you if there’s ever a Home Office query.

3. HMRC starter information (P45 or starter checklist)

To put your nanny on payroll correctly, you’ll need enough information to set them up on PAYE with HMRC.

Ideally, your nanny will give you their P45 from their previous job, showing:

• Their tax code

• Total pay and tax for the current tax year so far

If they don’t have a P45 (e.g. this is their first UK job or they’ve lost it), you’ll need them to complete a starter checklist instead (previously called a P46). This captures:

• Full name, address and date of birth

• National Insurance number (if they have one)

• Student loan status

• Details about other jobs or pensions

If you’re using a nanny payroll service like Hirelo, you’ll just input these details once and it will handle tax codes, NI and HMRC submissions for you in the background.

4. Proof of identity and emergency contact details

Separately from right-to-work checks, it’s sensible to keep basic ID and emergency contact information on file:

• A clear copy of photo ID (passport or driving licence)

• Current address and phone number

• Email address

• At least one emergency contact (name, relationship, phone numbers)

If anything unexpected happens during the day, you’ll be glad you’ve got those emergency details to hand.

5. Enhanced DBS check (and update service, if applicable)

Most families will want an enhanced DBS check for their nanny, as they’ll be working with children in your home.

Options are usually:

• You arrange and pay for a new enhanced DBS check, or

• Your nanny already has a recent enhanced DBS and is on the DBS Update Service (in which case you can check their certificate online with their permission)

Before your nanny starts, agree:

• Whether a new DBS check is required

• Who will arrange it, and who pays

• Whether your nanny will join (or stay on) the DBS Update Service for ongoing checks

Keep a note of the certificate number and date, or a print-out of the Update Service status check.

6. Nanny’s qualifications, training and references

Not “legal” paperwork as such, but essential for your peace of mind.

Ask your nanny to provide:

• Copies or photos of relevant qualifications (e.g. childcare, early years, teaching)

• Any first aid certificates (paediatric first aid is especially valuable)

• Proof of relevant training (e.g. safeguarding courses)

• Reference contact details and, ideally, written references from previous families

You don’t need to print and bind everything, but it’s helpful to save these in a secure folder (digital or physical) so you can refer to them later if needed.

7. Key policies and house rules (even if they’re informal)

You’re not running a corporate HR department – but having a few simple written guidelines stops misunderstandings before they start.

You might want to write down:

• Your approach to phone use and social media at work

• Screen time rules for the children

• Food rules: snacks, sugar, allergies, what’s allowed / not allowed

• Car use – if your nanny will be driving, what car they’ll use, insurance, car seats

• House security: locks, alarm codes, visitors, deliveries

• Rules around photos and posting (e.g. no sharing pictures of the children on social media)

This can be a simple one or two-page “Family Handbook” you talk through together. It’s not about being strict; it’s about being clear.

8. Payroll and pension setup

Even before your nanny’s first working day, you should know:

• Their agreed gross salary / hourly rate

• How often you’ll pay them (weekly or monthly)

• How you’re going to handle PAYE, tax, National Insurance and pension auto-enrolment

That usually means:

• Registering as an employer with HMRC

• Using payroll software or a nanny payroll service

This is where Hirelo can quietly make your life easier:

• You add your nanny’s details once

• Hirelo calculates tax, NI and pension

• Payslips and HMRC reports are handled automatically

The paperwork you need at this stage is mostly internal (employer reference numbers, payroll setup emails), but getting it sorted before your nanny starts stops any panicky “first payday” moments.

9. Next-of-kin and medical information for the children

This is more about safety than legal compliance, but it’s still important “paperwork” to have ready for your nanny’s first day.

Prepare a simple sheet or shared note that includes:

• Children’s full names and dates of birth

• Any allergies or medical conditions

• Regular medications and where they are kept

• GP practice name and phone number

• Emergency contacts (both parents/carers, plus one backup if possible)

You can keep a printed copy in the kitchen and a digital copy on your phone / shared with your nanny.

10. Data protection and confidentiality

Your nanny will likely have access to:

• Personal details about your children and family

• Your address, routines, passwords, sometimes even financial information (e.g. seeing post, statements, devices)

It’s a good idea to include a basic confidentiality clause in the contract, covering:

• Not sharing information about your family with third parties

• Not posting photos or details online without explicit consent

• Handling of any sensitive documents they might see around the house

You don’t need to write a formal GDPR policy like a company would, but a clear confidentiality expectation protects both you and your nanny.

11. Optional but helpful: induction checklist

To make the first week smoother, you can create a simple induction checklist to go alongside the paperwork. This might include:

• Tour of the house and where things are kept

• Run-through of a typical day / weekly routine

• How the baby monitor, pram, car seat, and appliances work

• WiFi details (if you’re happy to share them)

• How you like updates during the day (texts, photos, summary at the end)

You don’t have to over-formalise it, but having this list written down means you’re not relying on your memory while juggling work and children.

How Hirelo fits into the paperwork picture

Once your contract, right to work checks and basic details are in place, a lot of the ongoing “paperwork” is really about payroll and records:

• Making sure payslips are correct

• Recording overtime and extra hours

• Handling sick pay, holiday pay, and maternity pay correctly

• Keeping everything tidy if HMRC ever asks questions

Hirelo is designed to sit in the middle of that admin and take it off your plate. You still choose your nanny, hours, and pay; Hirelo simply makes the employer side – PAYE, calculations, records – less stressful.

A quick checklist you can tick off before day one

Before your nanny’s first day, aim to have:

• ✅ Signed employment contract

• ✅ Right to work checked and copied

• ✅ P45 or starter checklist completed

• ✅ Contact details and emergency contacts

• ✅ DBS arrangements confirmed and recorded

• ✅ References and key qualifications saved

• ✅ House rules / family guidelines written down

• ✅ Payroll and pension set up (or at least in progress)

• ✅ Children’s medical and emergency info sheet ready

Once these pieces are in place, you can relax into the more important part: building a great relationship between your nanny and your family.