United Kingdom: Au Pair Rules
The United Kingdom has no au pair visa and no pocket-money rule. GOV.UK treats an au pair as someone employed in your home, which decides the money question: the National Minimum Wage applies.
The rules
- Minimum wage
Au pairs are entitled to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage. If the employer provides accommodation, this has to be taken into account when calculating it.
- Rates from April 2026
£12.71 an hour for 21 and over, £10.85 for 18 to 20, £8 for under 18 and for apprentices. The rates change on 1 April every year.
- Right to work
You can hire an au pair who is from the UK or Ireland, who is from an EU country with settled or pre-settled status (or is eligible to apply for it), or who has a Youth Mobility Scheme visa. Otherwise you need to check their visa conditions. You must not hire an au pair who is here on a visitor visa or visiting the UK for six months or less.
- Tax and National Insurance
Au pairs may have to pay Income Tax and National Insurance, depending on the amount they earn.
- Records
It is the responsibility of the employer to keep records proving that they are paying the minimum wage.
What we could not verify
These figures are missing on purpose. We found no official source stating them, and an estimate on a page about rules is worse than a gap.
- Maximum hours, days off and a pocket-money minimum. There is no UK au pair scheme that sets them; what applies is ordinary employment law, which this page does not cover in full.
Sources
- Employing someone to work in your home: Au pairsGOV.UK · checked 17 Sep 2026
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage ratesGOV.UK · rates from April 2026 · checked 17 Sep 2026
This page is a summary of published rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and an authority can read its own rules differently in an individual case. Check the linked source, and ask your agency or the responsible authority before you sign.
Other countries
United States (J-1)
Federal exchange-visitor rules: 45 hours a week, 1½ days off, education requirement, sponsor and DS-2019.
Germany
30 hours a week, €280 pocket money a month, €840 towards a German course, six to twelve months.
France
25 hours a week, at least €320 pocket money a month, French course, long-stay visa “jeune au pair”.
Netherlands
30 hours a week, 8 hours a day, two days off, one year maximum, recognised agency only.
Austria
16.5 hours a week including on-call time, at least €551.10 a month, notified to the AMS in advance.
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