How much does a housekeeper cost? The pay, plus what you pay on top as the employer. In the UK that's employer National Insurance and, if the housekeeper is enrolled, a workplace pension; in the US, the employer's share of Social Security and Medicare, plus unemployment taxes.
In our examples, a £42,000 housekeeper in the UK, aged 21 or over and enrolled at the minimum pension contribution, costs the family £48,622.80 a year. In the US, a $50,000 housekeeper costs $53,867 in wages and federal employer taxes, before any state unemployment tax.
How much does a housekeeper cost in the UK?
The official figure is the ONS median for full-time housekeepers: £26,177 a year, or £13.90 an hour, in 2026 (provisional). The category covers hotels, schools and hostels as well as private homes, so it's a broad average.
Agency guides quote private household roles higher: £15 to £20 an hour live-out and £500 to £800 a week live-in in one London agency's salary page, and £42,000 to £75,000 a year in one private staffing agency's 2026 guide, or £70,000 to £95,000 for head housekeepers in principal residences. These are guides, not official rates; for more on the private housekeeper salary, see what housekeepers earn.
On top of the salary, you pay employer National Insurance at 15% on pay above £5,000 a year, and the Employment Allowance can't be claimed for a housekeeper. If the housekeeper is enrolled in a workplace pension, you pay at least 3% of qualifying earnings, usually between £6,240 and £50,270 a year.
| Gross salary | Employer National Insurance | Employer pension (3% minimum) | Total cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| £24,784.50 (minimum wage, 37.5 hours a week) | £2,967.68 | £556.34 | £28,308.52 |
| £26,177 (ONS median) | £3,176.55 | £598.11 | £29,951.66 |
| £42,000 | £5,550.00 | £1,072.80 | £48,622.80 |
| £50,000 | £6,750.00 | £1,312.80 | £58,062.80 |
| £75,000 | £10,500.00 | £1,320.90 | £86,820.90 |
The first row is the 2026 minimum wage of £12.71 an hour for a 37.5-hour week, the second the ONS median, and the others the agency ranges. The table leaves out payroll software or service costs, holiday cover and, for a live-in housekeeper, the cost of the room. Employer National Insurance is different for employees under 21.
Live-in housekeepers in the UK
The minimum wage applies to a live-in housekeeper too, even one treated as one of the family; family members of the employer living in the employer's home aren't entitled (GOV.UK).
A free room counts for at most £77.70 a week towards minimum wage pay. On our arithmetic, that means at least £430.70 a week in money at 40 working hours, and £557.80 at 50.
In Great Britain, the 48-hour average weekly limit doesn't apply to domestic workers in a private household, but daily and weekly rest, rest breaks and paid holiday do. See live-in rules compared.
How much does a housekeeper cost in the US?
There's no official US pay figure for housekeepers in our sources, so here are the floors and a top-end range. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour: 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is $15,080 a year.
Under federal law, a housekeeper who doesn't live in must be paid time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, unless an exemption applies; one who lives in and is employed directly by the household is exempt from federal overtime but must get at least the minimum wage for all hours worked (Department of Labor). Some state laws give more protection, and employers must comply with both. At the top end, one international household staffing agency's 2025/26 report puts housekeepers in the US at $90,000 to $160,000 a year gross, in very high-end households.
If you pay a household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages in 2026, Social Security and Medicare taxes generally apply: you pay 6.2% and 1.45%, and the employee's equal share is normally withheld from their pay, though you can pay it yourself (IRS Publication 926). Federal unemployment (FUTA) tax applies if you pay total cash wages of $1,000 or more to household employees in any calendar quarter of 2025 or 2026: 6.0% on the first $7,000 of each employee's wages, which a credit of up to 5.4% for state unemployment tax can reduce to a net 0.6%. You may also owe state unemployment tax.
| Gross wages | Social Security (6.2%) | Medicare (1.45%) | FUTA (net 0.6%) | Total cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15,080 (federal minimum wage, 40 hours a week) | $934.96 | $218.66 | $42.00 | $16,275.62 |
| $30,000 | $1,860.00 | $435.00 | $42.00 | $32,337.00 |
| $50,000 | $3,100.00 | $725.00 | $42.00 | $53,867.00 |
| $90,000 | $5,580.00 | $1,305.00 | $42.00 | $96,927.00 |
| $160,000 | $9,920.00 | $2,320.00 | $42.00 | $172,282.00 |
These are federal employer taxes only, assuming the full FUTA credit and the employee's share withheld from their pay; state unemployment tax and other state or local taxes aren't included. No row reaches the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500, and the first assumes no overtime.
Hiring a housekeeper: the employer steps
In the UK, GOV.UK says you're usually the employer if you hire someone to work in your home and they're not self-employed or paid through an agency. The employer checks the right to work, gives a written statement of the main terms on day one, registers for PAYE if the housekeeper is paid £96 or more a week or another HMRC condition applies, runs payroll, enrols an eligible housekeeper in a workplace pension and gives 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year. These are the same employer steps, set out in our nanny hiring guide.
In the US, Publication 926 says you have a household employee if you hire someone for household work and can control not only what work is done but how; if an agency provides the worker and controls the work, the worker isn't your employee. If the taxes above apply, you put an employer identification number (EIN) on the forms you file, give a Form W-2 to an employee paid $3,000 or more in Social Security and Medicare wages (or whose income tax you withhold), and report household employment taxes on Schedule H (Form 1040). Federal income tax withholding isn't required unless the employee asks and you agree.
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FAQ
How much does a live-in housekeeper cost in the UK?
The minimum wage still applies, and a free room counts for at most £77.70 a week, so at 40 hours at least £430.70 a week is paid in money, with employer National Insurance and pension on top.
What does a family pay on top of a housekeeper's salary in the UK?
Employer National Insurance at 15% above £5,000 a year and, if the housekeeper is enrolled, at least 3% pension on qualifying earnings: a £42,000 housekeeper aged 21 or over, at the minimum contribution, costs £48,622.80 a year.
Do I have to pay taxes for a housekeeper in the US?
Generally yes: Social Security and Medicare once cash wages to one household employee reach $3,000 in 2026, and FUTA once total cash wages to household employees reach $1,000 in a calendar quarter (IRS Publication 926).
Do housekeepers get overtime in the US?
Under federal law, a live-out housekeeper gets time and a half over 40 hours a week unless an exemption applies; a live-in housekeeper employed directly by the household doesn't, but must get at least the minimum wage for all hours worked. Some state laws give more.
Last reviewed: 29 October 2026. UK figures: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 (provisional) and 2026/27 GOV.UK rates; US figures: IRS Publication 926 (2026) and US Department of Labor guidance. Agency figures are guides, not official rates. This isn't tax or legal advice.
