How much does an au pair cost in 2026? Every line, with sources.
Hosting an au pair through Israel Au Pair costs about $40,000 to $50,000 for the year, all in: a $20,000 family program fee, a stipend of $400 a week paid to your au pair, up to $500 toward her required coursework, and the real cost of one more adult living in your home. Across the wider market, the large national sponsors publish program fees of roughly $10,700 to $11,300 a year on top of the federal minimum stipend of $195.75 a week. Here is every line, where it comes from, and what moves it.
The cost lines of an au pair year
| Line | Israel Au Pair, 2026 | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Family program fee | $20,000, one fee per family | Recruiting in Israel, screening, matching, and preparing both sides, plus the designated sponsor's program fee. The sponsor's role in your placement is confirmed in writing before you commit |
| Weekly stipend | $400 a week, about $20,800 a year | Paid by you to your au pair. The federal minimum is $195.75 a week; Massachusetts requires state minimum wage per hour |
| Education contribution | Up to $500 | Toward the six semester hours of coursework the program requires |
| Room and board | Your home | A private bedroom and meals with the family, required by the program |
| Other hosting costs | Varies | Phone, car insurance and gas where the au pair drives, extra groceries, the ordinary cost of another adult at home |
| Planning range, all in | $40,000 to $50,000 a year | Higher in some metros, with heavy driving, or with a more generous household |
All fees and terms are confirmed in writing before you commit. Figures as of October 2026.
The program fee
Every au pair placement in the United States runs through a sponsor designated by the State Department, and every sponsor charges a program fee. Two of the large national sponsors published annual program fees of $10,700 and $11,245 in their 2025 and 2026 price lists, one of them with a $500 match-processing fee on top, and both with the stipend paid separately by the family. Those are published list prices for the regulated part of the job: screening, the DS-2019 paperwork, insurance arrangements, a local counselor, and the rematch process if something goes wrong.
Israel Au Pair's family program fee is $20,000, one fee per family, and it includes the designated sponsor's program fee. The difference between the two pays for what we add on top of the sponsor's program: recruiting in Israel through our own network, screening in Hebrew and English by our own team, matching on language, culture, religious practice, schedule, and household fit, and preparing both the family and the candidate for the interviews and the year. The designated sponsor's role in your placement is confirmed in writing before you commit. We do not quote the sponsor's own figures here because the sponsor is confirmed per placement, not invented on a web page.
The stipend
The stipend is the au pair's weekly pay, and it comes from you, not from the program. The federal rules set a minimum weekly rate on a 45-hour basis. The State Department's current figure is $195.75 a week, and it rises whenever the federal minimum wage does. Most national programs quote that minimum. Israel Au Pair's stipend is $400 a week, about $20,800 over the year. We set it there on purpose: we are recruiting young Israelis who could choose other paths, and we want host families who see the au pair as part of the household rather than the cheapest option on the list. The final amount is confirmed in writing before anyone commits and must meet the sponsor's terms and any higher legal requirement.
Massachusetts is the exception every family there should know about. Since a federal appeals court ruled in December 2019 that the state's domestic worker law applies to au pairs, Massachusetts host families must pay at least the state minimum wage, currently $15 an hour, for every hour worked, with time-and-a-half over 40 hours, and only limited deductions for meals and lodging. At 45 hours that comes to well over the federal minimum, and above our $400 as well. If you host in Massachusetts, run the state math first. Some sponsors apply state or local minimum wage rules in other states too, California among them, so ask the sponsor what applies where you live.
The stipend is a program term rather than something negotiated family by family: the federal minimum is the floor, our figure is $400, and a family can always pay more, never less. What you can shape is the schedule, within the 10-hour and 45-hour limits, and that drives the Massachusetts number directly.
The education contribution
Education is part of the J-1 au pair program, not an extra. A standard au pair must complete at least six semester hours of academic credit, or the equivalent, at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution, and the host family contributes up to $500 toward it. Families also have to help her get to class, which is part of the transportation conversation below. In practice this is a community college course or two, often in the evening, and it tends to be one of the parts of the year the au pair remembers most.
The hosting costs nobody budgets for
Room and board is a program requirement, so the private bedroom and a seat at your table are the entry ticket, not a line item. The costs families underestimate are the small recurring ones. Groceries for one more adult. A phone line, which many families add to their own plan. Car insurance, which is the big one if your au pair will drive: adding a young driver to your policy changes the premium, and how much depends on your insurer and your state, so get a quote before you commit, and budget gas on top. A gym membership or a transit pass in some households. Gifts and the occasional family trip where you cover her ticket.
None of this is required beyond room, board, the stipend, and the education contribution. But the families who are happiest a year in budgeted for a person, not a service, and the extra few thousand dollars is usually where the relationship lives.
Taxes and tax breaks
Two things cut in opposite directions. First, the IRS treats the au pair's stipend as wages for income tax purposes. Host families are generally not required to withhold, but the au pair usually has to file a return, and some families choose to help with that. What applies to your household depends on your situation, so talk to a tax professional before she arrives rather than in April.
Second, au pair costs can qualify for the same tax breaks as other childcare. The federal government's own dependent care FSA program lists au pair program fees as eligible expenses, and itemized stipend payments too, as long as you can document them. The Child and Dependent Care Credit follows similar logic. Depending on your plan and your income, that can take a meaningful bite out of the year's cost. Again, confirm with your tax professional; we are a matching service, not tax advisers.
What the candidate pays
Families ask this more than you would think, usually because they want to know whether the person arriving at their door was charged a fortune to get there. Israel Au Pair charges candidates nothing. Under our sponsor's current terms, the sponsor pays the SEVIS I-901 fee ($35 for J-1 au pairs, a reduced rate set in federal regulation) and provides the program insurance, and it arranges the flight to the United States once all documents, training, and payments are complete, and the flight home at the end of the program. The candidate pays the $185 visa application fee and the costs of the medical exam and documents. If a placement ends early and no new family is found within the sponsor's rematch window, the candidate pays for the flight home. The exact terms for a placement are confirmed in writing with both sides before anyone commits.
How this compares to a nanny
Care.com's 2026 Cost of Care report puts the national average cost of a nanny for one child at $870 a week for 40 hours, about $45,000 a year before employer payroll taxes, and more in the big metros and at 45 hours. That is roughly the same as an au pair year for one child. For two or three children it can cost more, since a nanny's rate rises with each child and the au pair's does not, but your hours, your area, and real quotes decide. The full comparison, including where a nanny is the better choice, is here.
What moves the number
- Number of children. Nothing, in program terms. This is the single biggest reason families with two or more kids choose an au pair.
- Your state. Massachusetts changes the stipend math, and some sponsors apply state or local minimum wage rules in other states, California among them. Check your state with the sponsor.
- Driving. Insurance and gas are the largest variable hosting cost.
- Your schedule. The stipend does not change with hours up to 45 a week (in states where a state wage rule applies, such as Massachusetts, it does), but the family rhythm does.
- Tax treatment. A dependent care FSA or the dependent care credit can reduce the net cost. Ask your tax professional.
Frequently asked questions
What is the total cost of an au pair per year?
With Israel Au Pair, plan on $40,000 to $50,000 all in: the $20,000 program fee, about $20,800 in stipend at $400 a week, up to $500 for education, and your own hosting costs. Across the market, a large national sponsor's published program fee of roughly $10,700 to $11,300 plus the minimum stipend comes to about $21,000 to $22,000 before hosting costs.
How much is the weekly au pair stipend?
The federal minimum is $195.75 a week, set by the State Department on a 45-hour basis. Israel Au Pair's stipend is $400 a week. In Massachusetts, state law requires at least the state minimum wage for every hour worked, with overtime over 40 hours and limited deductions for meals and lodging.
Does the cost change with the number of children?
No. The program fee and the stipend are per family, not per child, as long as the schedule stays inside 10 hours a day and 45 hours a week and the au pair has the experience the ages require. That is why au pairs make the most sense for families with two or more children.
Are au pair costs tax deductible?
They may qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Credit or a dependent care FSA. The federal government's own FSA program treats au pair program fees and itemized stipend payments as eligible dependent care expenses. Rules depend on your situation, so confirm with a tax professional.
Who pays for the flight, visa, and insurance?
It depends on the sponsor's terms for your placement. Israel Au Pair charges candidates nothing. Under our sponsor's current terms, the sponsor pays the SEVIS fee, provides the program insurance, and arranges the flight to the U.S.; the candidate pays the $185 visa application fee and the medical exam and document costs. The exact terms for a placement are confirmed in writing before you or the candidate commit.
Is the $20,000 refundable?
Refund terms are part of the written agreement you receive before you commit. We do not publish terms here because they are confirmed per placement.
Can we pay the stipend monthly?
The regulations describe a weekly rate, and most families pay weekly by bank transfer. The exact arrangement is agreed with your au pair and must meet the sponsor's terms.
Sources. U.S. Department of State, BridgeUSA au pair program and 22 CFR 62.31 (stipend basis, hours, education contribution, program length). State Department minimum weekly stipend of $195.75. Published 2025 and 2026 host family pricing of two national au pair sponsors (program fees, match fee, Massachusetts terms). Capron v. Attorney General of Massachusetts, 944 F.3d 9 (1st Cir. 2019) and Massachusetts Attorney General guidance on domestic workers. FSAFEDS, dependent care FSA eligible expenses (au pair fees and stipends). SEVIS I-901 fee for J-1 au pairs, 8 CFR 214.13(c). U.S. Department of State nonimmigrant visa application fee for J visas, in effect since June 17, 2023. Care.com, 2026 Cost of Care report. Designated sponsor's partner information guide, October 2026 (SEVIS fee, insurance, flight, training, references, rematch). Israel Au Pair figures as of October 2026.
Israel Au Pair is a recruiting, evaluation, matching, and preparation service, not a J-1 sponsor. Placements are approved and administered by a U.S. Department of State-designated au pair sponsor, and visa decisions are made by the U.S. government. This article is general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Figures change; check current numbers before you decide. How the process works.