Families and au pairs: the app is free for everyone until 15 JanuarySee the terms

Australia · Hosting guide · Verified 20 October 2026

Hosting an au pair in Australia: the rules families need to know

Australia does not have a dedicated au pair visa. The usual route is a Working Holiday Maker visa (subclass 417 or 462): work for one employer is limited to six months under condition 8547, and the arrangement may be employment. The Fair Work Ombudsman says employment status depends on the individual relationship, not on the label in the agreement. If the relationship is employment, Australian minimum pay and other entitlements apply.

Direct answer

There is no au pair visa in Australia. A Working Holiday Maker visa is the usual route: condition 8547 limits work with any one employer to six months, and condition 8548 allows up to four months of study or training per visa. Whether an au pair is an employee depends on the individual relationship. If so, the national minimum wage is 26.44 AUD an hour from 1 July 2026, and the super guarantee is 12% in 2026–27 for domestic or private workers above 30 hours a week.

Is there an au pair visa for Australia?

No. “Au pair” describes the arrangement, not a visa class. Australia’s migration system does not have an au pair visa, and the Fair Work system does not have a dedicated au pair award. Families therefore need to look at two separate questions: what visa the person holds, and whether the arrangement is employment.

The usual route is a Working Holiday Maker visa. Subclass 417 and subclass 462 both carry conditions that matter for a placement. Condition 8547 limits work; condition 8548 limits study or training. Calling the placement a cultural exchange does not settle whether it is employment.

The six-month rule: condition 8547

Condition 8547 limits the visa holder to a maximum period of six months’ work with any one employer. For an au pair placement, the host family is normally that employer. The limit is not reset by changing the job title or by calling the money an allowance.

Home Affairs can grant permission to work longer than six months in some circumstances. That permission is not automatic, and it should be checked before the family promises a longer placement. Do not advertise a twelve-month au pair role on a Working Holiday visa unless the visa holder has the required permission. A practical approach is to review the placement before the fifth month, confirm the visa end date, and decide whether the arrangement will stop, change, or continue with the correct permission.

The limit applies to work for one employer. Work for someone else has its own limit. Splitting hours across related households to avoid the rule is a visa risk for the visa holder and a safeguarding risk for the family.

Can an au pair study while in Australia?

Condition 8548 limits study or training to a maximum of four months during the stay. It applies to both subclass 417 and subclass 462, and the limit is per visa. Study can be full time or part time; the condition is about the total period, not the weekly timetable.

A language course in the morning can fit within the four-month limit, provided it does not displace the hours agreed with the family. Online courses delivered by a foreign institution are not subject to the condition. The visa holder should check the current wording on their visa and, where needed, ask Home Affairs. The limit is not a promise that every course or provider will be suitable.

Is an au pair an employee in Australia?

The Fair Work Ombudsman’s guidance is direct: whether a nanny or an au pair is an employee depends on the individual relationship. The label in the agreement is not decisive. In practice, the question turns on how the arrangement actually operates: who controls the daily work, how many hours are worked, whether the person is integrated into the household as a worker, how pay is calculated, and whether the arrangement looks like a job with duties and expectations.

If the relationship is employment, Australian minimum pay and other entitlements apply. That includes the national minimum wage, pay as you go withholding, superannuation where the threshold is met, and award coverage where an award applies. The Fair Work Ombudsman points to the Miscellaneous Award (MA000104) for an employee working in a private home and performing tasks such as the care of children and light household work. The rate that applies must be confirmed case by case. We do not publish a nanny or au pair award rate on this page, because a figure below the national minimum wage would be misleading as a floor.

A written agreement that says “not an employee” does not override the reality of the relationship. Families should document hours, duties, pay and time off accurately, and take advice if the arrangement looks like full-time work. The same applies to “mother’s help” and “demi pair” labels: they describe the market, not the legal status.

Pay: market practice and the minimum wage

There are two frameworks, and they should not be mixed. Market practice is what Australian au pair agencies say families commonly pay. The legal floor applies if the au pair is an employee. Market practice is useful for budgeting, not a substitute for the legal floor.

Australian au pair agencies sometimes describe pocket money in the range of 250 to 300 AUD a week, plus board and lodging. That range is a market practice reported by agencies, not a legal rate and not a recommendation. If the au pair is an employee, a weekly amount in that range may be below the national minimum wage. The legal question is not “what do agencies suggest?” but “what does the relationship require?”.

The national minimum wage is 26.44 AUD an hour, or 1,004.90 AUD a week, from 1 July 2026. Before tax and super, that is 528.80 AUD for 20 hours, 793.20 AUD for 30 hours, and 1,057.60 AUD for 40 hours. Board and lodging is usually provided in an au pair arrangement, but it does not replace the minimum wage if the relationship is employment. We do not put a dollar value on board and lodging: the sources verified for this page do not provide an official valuation.

Agency fees are not included here. We have not published a figure because no dated source verified for this page supports one. Families should ask any agency for its full fee schedule in writing and compare it with the total cost of a direct arrangement, including payroll and insurance obligations. Our Australia au pair cost guide sets out the scenarios and the assumptions.

Superannuation, tax and records

The super guarantee rate is 12% for 2026–27. Since 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires employers to pay super guarantee for each payday, calculated on qualifying earnings.

The threshold is important for au pair arrangements. Domestic or private workers are eligible for super guarantee if they work for the same employer for more than 30 hours in a week, regardless of how much they are paid. At exactly 30 hours, that test is not met. Above 30 hours, it is. Families should therefore track actual hours, including evening babysitting, rather than relying on the headline weekly schedule.

Where the au pair is an employee, the family may need to withhold pay as you go tax. The ATO’s guidance for household employees explains the withholding rules and the use of a Withholding Payer Number (WPN) instead of an ABN for an individual employer. Keep payslips and records. The ATO pages are the starting point, and a registered tax agent can confirm the treatment for a particular household. This page is general information, not tax advice.

Hours, time off and the written agreement

A clear written agreement protects both sides. It should state the hours of childcare, the days and times, the evenings that may be needed, the time off, the notice period, the transport arrangement, any contribution to a language course, the room and meals provided, and how the family handles guests, phones and emergencies. It should also state how extra hours are recorded and paid.

Do not average away extra hours. If the real pattern is 30 hours of childcare plus two evenings of babysitting, show that pattern. The total matters for the super threshold, for fatigue and for the visa holder’s study time. Review the arrangement after the first month, when both sides know how the household runs.

Working with Children Checks

Working with children checks are state and territory matters, so the requirement and the name of the card differ by location. We have verified the Queensland Blue Card requirement. For any other state or territory, check the relevant regulator before the placement starts. We do not publish a national table of card names, because only the Queensland position was verified in a primary source for this page.

The check concerns the person who will work with children. It is not a substitute for references, an interview or a supervision agreement. Keep it current and record the expiry date.

Au pair, demi pair, mother’s help or nanny?

The labels describe different amounts of work, not different legal regimes. A family may see the same person described as an au pair by one agency and a mother’s help by another. The questions that matter are the same: how many hours, what duties, who controls the work, and whether the relationship is employment.

Comparison of au pair, demi pair, mother’s help and nanny arrangements in Australia
Role Typical hours What it covers How pay is set
Au pair Up to about 40 hours a week in the market description Childcare and light help, usually live-in Market practice if not employment; minimum wage if employment
Demi pair About 20 hours a week, plus one or two evenings of babysitting Part-time childcare, usually live-in No published market rate; minimum wage if employment
Mother’s help Varies; often live-in and combined with household help Childcare plus light household tasks No published rate; status depends on the individual relationship
Nanny Full-time or part-time, usually sole charge Childcare as the main duty Where the nanny is an employee, the FWO points to the Miscellaneous Award for private-home work; rate case by case

We do not publish a nanny rate, a demi pair tariff, or an award floor below the national minimum wage. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s guidance should be checked for the specific arrangement.

Daycare and the Child Care Subsidy context

Families often compare an au pair with long day care. The comparison is not just a weekly fee. The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) depends on combined family income, the hourly cap and the number of subsidised hours. The standard CCS rate is 90% up to 88,520 AUD of income, then falls by one percentage point for every 5,000 AUD above that, reaching 0% at 538,520 AUD. A higher rate can apply for a second child: 95% up to 146,437 AUD, 80% between 191,437 and 270,727 AUD, and 50% between 360,727 and 370,727 AUD, with the higher rate ending at 370,727 AUD.

The hourly cap for centre-based day care is 15.19 AUD for a child below school age and 13.30 AUD for a school-aged child, including outside school hours care. Since 5 January 2026, eligible families have at least 72 subsidised hours per fortnight. These rules change the break-even point, but they do not make an au pair automatically cheaper: the au pair may provide fewer hours or may be an employee. Our Australia au pair cost guide shows the comparison with its assumptions, including the 72-hour floor.

A practical onboarding checklist

  • 1.Confirm the visa subclass, the visa end date and the conditions 8547 and 8548 before agreeing a start date.
  • 2.Decide honestly whether the arrangement is employment. If it looks like work, treat it as work and take advice.
  • 3.Write down the hours, duties, evenings, time off, notice and pay method, including how extra hours are recorded.
  • 4.Check the super position: 12% in 2026–27, Payday Super, and the more-than-30-hours test for domestic workers.
  • 5.Set up pay as you go withholding and records if the au pair is an employee, including the WPN position.
  • 6.Check the Working with Children Check for the relevant state or territory, and record the expiry date.
  • 7.Agree the room, meals, transport, language-course contribution and insurance in writing.
  • 8.Review the placement at the end of the first month and before the fifth month, when the six-month limit approaches.

Common questions

Is there an au pair visa for Australia?

No. Australia does not have a dedicated au pair visa. Most au pairs arrive on a Working Holiday Maker visa, subclass 417 or 462. The arrangement is described as an au pair placement, but the visa conditions still apply.

How much does an au pair cost in Australia?

Market practice reported by Australian agencies is around 250 to 300 AUD a week in pocket money, plus board and lodging. That is not a legal rate. If the au pair is an employee, the national minimum wage of 26.44 AUD an hour applies. The full comparison is on our Australia au pair cost page.

Can an au pair work for more than six months?

Condition 8547 limits work with any one employer to a maximum of six months. Home Affairs can grant permission to work longer in some circumstances, but it is not automatic. Do not promise a twelve-month placement without checking the visa holder’s conditions and any permission first.

Do au pairs get superannuation in Australia?

Domestic or private workers are eligible for super guarantee only if they work for the same employer for more than 30 hours in a week, regardless of how much they are paid. The super guarantee rate is 12% for 2026–27. Since 1 July 2026, Payday Super requires super to be paid on each payday.

Can an au pair study while in Australia?

Condition 8548 limits study or training to a maximum of four months during the stay, for both subclass 417 and 462, and the limit applies to each visa. Language courses can fit within that limit. Online courses delivered by a foreign institution are not subject to the condition.

Do au pairs need a Working with Children Check?

Working with children checks are administered by state and territory regulators, so the requirement and the card name differ by location. We have verified the Queensland Blue Card requirement for this page. For any other state or territory, check the relevant regulator before the placement starts.

Is an au pair cheaper than daycare in Australia?

Not automatically. It depends on the hours of cover, the daycare fee, family income, the Child Care Subsidy rate and the hourly cap. A market-practice cash amount can look cheaper than daycare while being below the minimum wage if the au pair is an employee. Our cost page sets out the assumptions.

Start with a clear family profile

Create your free family profile. We’ll show you au pairs heading to Australia as they join.

Create your free family profile

Free to create. Chat, video calls and VIP payment are in the app. The identity check is optional and reserved for VIP accounts.

Legal information

AuPair Connect is a marketplace. We are not a party to the hosting arrangements concluded between families and au pairs.

Whether a nanny or an au pair is an employee depends on the individual relationship. Where an employment relationship exists, Australian minimum pay and other entitlements apply. Families and au pairs are responsible for checking the applicable rules with the Fair Work Ombudsman, the ATO, Services Australia and Home Affairs before agreeing terms.

This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not guarantee that the rules described are complete or current.

AuPair Connect cannot be held liable for legislative changes subsequent to the verification date or for the interpretation of the cited texts.

Sources

Facts verified against primary sources on 20 October 2026. Rates and thresholds are those in force on that date unless another date is shown. The market-practice range is agency-reported and is not a legal rate. Check the source again before relying on a figure.