Bright Side Kit

MONEY MATH GUIDE

How to calculate the cost of switching au pairs

Switching au pairs is never one bill. It is five small ones that arrive in the same month: two stipends for the overlap, a paid hosting period for the outgoing au pair, backup care for the gap, a new agency fee, and a second education payment. Here is how each one works — and the formula that adds them up.

Published October 14, 2026 · Bright Side Kit

The short version

The cost of a switch is the cost of every week the two placements touch, plus the one-time charges the new placement triggers. In one line: overlap weeks × 2 stipends + rematch hosting weeks × 1 stipend + arrival weeks × 1 stipend + any departure-week stipend + gap weeks × backup care + agency fee net of credit + education + extras. At the $195.75 federal floor, a planned handover with a two-week overlap costs about $1,283. A rematch that ends with an out-of-country replacement costs about $4,087. The gap is the difference — five weeks of backup care at $600 a week is $3,000 on its own. Everything below explains where those numbers come from.

The five costs that stack up

1. The any-work rule. The stipend is a flat weekly amount. If an au pair works any hours in a week — even one hour — the full stipend is owed for that week, and it never prorates. That rule governs both ends of a switch: the outgoing au pair’s final week, and the incoming au pair’s first week. Families get caught by it when the outgoing au pair works a single Monday before leaving, or when the incoming au pair arrives mid-week and trains for two days. Either week costs a full stipend.

2. Rematch hosting. When a match ends in rematch, agencies typically require the family to keep housing the outgoing au pair for up to two weeks while a new placement is arranged — and to keep paying the stipend even if the family asks her not to do childcare. Two hosting weeks at the federal floor cost $391.50, with no childcare in return. The hosting obligation varies by agency contract, so it is one of the first numbers to confirm.

3. The overlap. A planned handover — the old au pair trains the new one — means two stipends for every overlap week. Two weeks of overlap at the federal floor costs $783. A one-week overlap halves it to $391.50, but leaves one week for the new au pair to learn the children, the house, and the schedule. There is no free version of a handover; the only question is how many double-paid weeks you buy.

4. The gap and backup care. Between one au pair leaving and the next one starting, someone still has to watch the children. A rematch au pair already in the country can arrive within days. An extension au pair depends on her current placement’s end date. An out-of-country replacement generally takes four to six weeks to arrive. At $600 a week for backup care, a five-week gap costs $3,000 — usually the largest single line in the whole switch, and the one families forget to budget.

5. Education, again. The $500 education payment is per au pair, per program year, so a new au pair means a new $500. The one softening: some agencies prorate the payment at about $9.62 a week when a placement ends early, crediting the unused portion against the next au pair’s education payment. Ask before you pay the full amount twice.

Agency fees and credits

The agency line is the least predictable part of the switch, because every sponsor’s contract reads differently. A rematch inside the same program year frequently carries no new program fee at all. Many agencies apply a credit for unused months toward the next au pair’s fees, or offer partial refunds early in a contract — often within the first three months. What no agency guarantees is continuous coverage: if something happens to your au pair, the agency will try to place a replacement quickly, but the gap is your cost, not theirs. Treat every agency number as unverified until it is in writing, and enter only confirmed figures into the calculator.

The worked example

Take a planned handover at the federal floor. The family overlaps the two au pairs for two weeks: 2 × 2 × $195.75 = $783. The new au pair’s education payment adds $500. No hosting, no gap, no agency fee, no extras. Total: $1,283 across two transition weeks. A normal two-week stretch would cost 2 × $195.75 = $391.50, so the switch premium is $891.50 — the second stipend for two weeks plus the second education payment.

Now the expensive version: a rematch that ends with an out-of-country replacement. Two hosting weeks: 2 × $195.75 = $391.50. Five gap weeks at $600 backup care: $3,000. One arrival and training week: $195.75. Education: $500. Total: $4,087.25 across eight transition weeks, a premium of $2,521.25 over a normal eight-week stretch. The gap alone is nearly three-quarters of the bill — which is why the fastest lever in any switch is shortening the wait for the replacement.

What to ask your agency before you switch

Five questions turn an estimated switch into a priced one. First: how many hosting weeks does our contract require, and is the stipend owed for all of them? Second: does a rematch inside this program year carry a new program fee, and what credits apply for unused months? Third: does the education payment prorate if the placement ends early? Fourth: how quickly can each type of replacement — rematch, extension, out-of-country — actually arrive? Fifth: how does your pay schedule handle the final week, when the travel month means no work is done? With those five answers, the calculator’s inputs stop being guesses.

Run your own numbers: the free au pair transition cost calculator adds up overlap, hosting, gap, arrival, agency, education, and extras — and paints the week strip so you can see every paid week at a glance. For the full year, see the au pair true-cost calculator.

Switching au pairs — frequently asked questions

Do I really owe a full stipend for a week my au pair barely worked?

Yes. The stipend is a flat weekly amount: any work in a week — even one hour — owes the full stipend, and it never prorates. That is the most common surprise in a switch, because the departure week and the arrival week both tend to be partial weeks. Many families end up making 51 weekly payments across the 52-week year, because the final week is the travel month, when no work is done and no stipend is owed.

Can I avoid the overlap by having the new au pair start the day the old one leaves?

You can, and it saves the double stipends — but you lose the handover. With no overlap, the new au pair starts cold: no walk-through of the children’s routines, the house, the school run, or the pediatrician’s number. Families who skip the overlap usually pay for it in a longer, rougher first week. A one-week overlap is the common compromise: $391.50 at the federal floor for a guided start.

What if the rematch happens in the first month?

Expect your agency to push back. The first month of a placement is generally treated as an adjustment period, and agencies typically do not consider a change of placement during it. If the problems are serious, raise them with your local coordinator early and document them — an adjustment plan with a deadline carries more weight than a rematch request in week two.

How do I keep the gap short?

Line up the replacement before the outgoing au pair leaves, if your agency allows it. An in-country rematch au pair can arrive within days; an extension au pair depends on her current placement’s end date; an out-of-country replacement generally takes four to six weeks. The other lever is backup care: book it before you declare the rematch, not after, so the gap weeks are covered at a known price instead of a panic price.

Does the new au pair’s education payment start over?

Yes — it is per au pair, per program year. The new au pair needs her own $500 education contribution. The only relief is proration: some agencies credit the unused portion of the outgoing au pair’s payment at about $9.62 a week against the new one. Ask your agency whether a proration applies; it is the kind of credit that is easy to miss and real money when it applies.

Can I get money back from the agency?

Sometimes — and the answer is always in your contract. Many agencies credit unused months toward the next au pair’s fees, or offer partial refunds early in a contract, often within the first three months. A rematch inside the same program year frequently carries no new program fee. What agencies do not do is guarantee continuous coverage, so the gap stays your cost either way. Get the policy in writing before you count on it.

What is the cheapest way to switch?

Three levers, in order of size. First, shorten the gap: an in-country replacement instead of an out-of-country one can save thousands in backup care. Second, trim the overlap to one week. Third, claim every credit your contract allows — unused-months credits, education proration, and any rematch-fee waiver. The calculator shows each lever’s dollar value, so you can see which one matters most for your switch.

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