Hiring
Hiring a nanny in Canada: compliance checklist for dual-income households
A concise checklist covering contracts, TD1s, provincial ESAs, and payroll records—built for busy parents who need domestic help without HR departments.
RoostPay Editorial
Why this checklist exists
Canadian parents hiring nannies, au pairs, or care assistants become employers overnight. The questions below surface what payroll software like RoostPay automates—contracts, TD1 capture, statutory calculations, and audit-friendly records.
Before day one
- Confirm whether you are hiring as a domestic employee versus an independent contractor (most nanny relationships are employment).
- Draft or adopt an employment agreement that reflects hours, wages, overtime, and statutory holiday expectations.
- Collect federal and provincial TD1 information so withholding starts accurately.
During employment
- Track every shift with verifiable time records—paper logs create disputes during audits.
- Apply provincial ESA overtime rules; they differ from US federal overtime assumptions baked into many tools.
- Store pay stubs and remittance proof in one system so CRA inquiries do not mean scrambling through email threads.
When life changes
- Update contracts when duties, pay, or schedules shift materially.
- Revisit TD1s annually or when credits change.
- Export a household payroll archive if you switch caregivers or platforms.
RoostPay packages these steps into guided workflows so you can answer caregiver questions with confidence—and sleep better knowing the paperwork matches reality.