If you’re a parent, there are many reasons why you may be looking for a regular or one-off babysitter or nanny for your children. And you might also have lots of questions. Where do you find a babysitter or nanny? What’s the going rate? And do you need to sign a contract? Never fear – the Expat Welcome Desk is here to help!
As opposed to France, babysitters and nannies working in Belgium provide ‘intellectual services’ and aren’t subject to any legal framework. As a result, you generally don’t need to sign a contract. Babysitters and nannies also provide a form of domestic work that doesn’t fall under the rules and taxes imposed by the National Social Security Office (ONSS/RSZ). This applies if the three following conditions are met:
If you need a nanny or babysitter for more than 8 hours a week, you can hire them under a work contract as an employee. Be aware that salary and social security contributions in Belgium are very high, amounting to around €2,500 per month. We therefore recommend contacting a payroll agency for a cost estimate and support with drawing up an employment contract.
No. As most babysitters and nannies work privately, they’re not required to register with the Walloon Office of Birth and Childhood (Office national de l’enfance) or the Flemish Child and Family Office (Kind en Gezin).
Babysitters and nannies charge between €7 and €10 an hour. These childcare costs don’t qualify for tax relief. As previously mentioned: if the babysitter or nanny works for more than 8 hours a week, you must draw up a formal employment contract and pay social security contributions.
No. Babysitting and nanny services aren’t included in the Belgian service voucher (titre-service) system.
You can find a babysitter through referrals from friends and neighbours or dedicated childcare platforms.
If you’ve been recommended a babysitter, we advise you to research their experience and skills before booking them.
Gezinsbond is a Flemish network organisation that supports families through advocacy, outreach and benefits and services. Its network of local coordinators also arranges childminding services for parents.
The Bsit platform combines the best of both worlds: the ease of an app and the trust of word-of-mouth referrals. Bsit lets you find local babysitters recommended by friends or neighbours. Once you’ve downloaded the free app, Bsit suggests recommended babysitters in your neighbourhood or wider area, allowing you to quickly find a babysitter with the right profile for your children.
Babysits is a public community platform that connects parents and babysitters. As a parent, you can read reviews and detailed profiles of verified users.
Yoopies is a website that connects babysitters and parents looking for childcare solutions. Designed to make life easier for families, it features a wide variety of search criteria to help you find the right babysitter. As babysitter profiles aren’t screened by the website host, we recommend looking carefully at other site users’ recommendations to find a babysitter you can trust.
Temporary childcare
Several community services in the City of Brussels jointly offer between 3 to 6 hours of free babysitting per day for children aged 0 to 12 in Brussels. This service is designed for single-parent families living in the City of Brussels and runs alongside the intermittent care facilities for young children.
Local youth services in many Belgian municipalities periodically release lists of qualified babysitters (trained by the Belgian Red Cross or Ligue des familles). Please contact your local youth service or social service for more information.
This organisation supports families through outreach and advocacy, offering a range of services, benefits and information to make life easier for parents. Ligue des familles also provides an ‘extrasitting’ service: temporary babysitting for children with special needs, giving parents space to breathe. All ‘extrasitters’ have followed special needs training. The ‘extrasitting’ service is offered to members of Ligue des familles alongside its range of professional babysitting solutions. If it’s your first time applying for extrasitting, please e-mail extrasitting@liguedesfamilles.be to arrange a 30-minute telephone interview to discuss your child’s or children’s needs.
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