What is a household employee agreement?
Housekeepers, cleaners, private cooks, gardeners and house managers often work for years on nothing more than a spoken agreement. That's fine until someone is ill, the family goes away, a vase breaks or a key goes missing. When the same person works regular hours in your home, they are often your employee in the eyes of the law, and a written agreement protects both of you.
This template sets the role and main duties, the regular schedule, and gross pay by the hour, week or month, with a rate for extra hours and a promise that a day cancelled at short notice is still paid. It covers paid holiday and sick days, keys and alarm codes — kept safe, never copied, losses reported straight away — and visitors. It sets privacy expectations on both sides, including notice of any cameras, and says accidental breakages are never deducted from pay. It ends with an optional settling-in period, notice, and a reminder that local employment law always applies.
- Best for
- Housekeepers, cleaners, cooks, gardeners, house managers and handypeople employed directly
- Signed by
- The householder (employer) and the employee
- You set
- Role, duties, schedule, pay, extra-hours rate, time off, keys, breakages, notice
- Length
- About 2 pages
When to use a household employee agreement
- A housekeeper working three days a week
- A private cook preparing family meals on weekdays
- A gardener employed directly for regular weekly hours
- A house manager looking after a second home
- Writing down terms for a cleaner who has worked for you for years
What you fill in
18 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: employer, employee.
1 The parties
- Employer's full name*
- Home where the work is done*
- Employee's full name*
2 The job
- Role* housekeeper · cleaner · cook · gardener · house manager · handyperson · laundry and ironing help
- Main duties*
- Start date*
3 Hours and pay
- Days and hours*
- Currency*
- Paid* by the hour · a fixed amount each week · a fixed amount each month
- Gross pay (per hour, week or month)*
- Pay day*
- Rate for extra hours*
4 Time off
- Paid holiday*
- Paid sick days a year*
5 Keys and security
- Keys and access given*
- Accidental breakages* are the employer's cost, as long as they are reported the same day · are covered by the employer's home insurance; the employee is never asked to pay
6 Ending
- Notice to end (weeks)*
- Settling-in period (weeks, optional)
7 Who signs
- Employer signature and date · The householder who employs the worker.
- Employee signature and date
What the household employee agreement covers
- Duties
- Hours
- Pay
- Time off
- Keys and security
- Privacy and confidentiality
- Breakages
- Ending the agreement
- General
Using the household employee agreement, step by step
1 Describe the job
Your name fills in from your account. Add the home address and the employee's name, pick the role and list the main duties. Anything not listed, such as childcare, needs their agreement first.
2 Set hours and pay
Write the regular schedule, then choose hourly, weekly or monthly pay and enter the gross amount, pay day and the rate for extra hours.
3 Keys, security and breakages
Say which keys and codes you hand over and choose how accidental breakages are handled. The agreement says nothing is ever deducted from pay for an accident.
4 Notice and signing
Set the notice period and an optional settling-in period, then send it to your employee. They sign on their phone without a FileIt account.
Tips before you send it
- Check whether the person is your employee or a self-employed contractor — a cleaner from an agency, or one who sets their own hours for many clients, usually isn't your employee. For contractors, use the cleaning services agreement instead.
- Household employers may have to run payroll, pay social security or register. Check the rules where you live.
- Keep a list of keys and codes handed out, and change codes when someone leaves.
- If you have indoor cameras, use the nanny camera consent — it works for any household employee.
- Review pay once a year; it's in the agreement for a reason.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Household employee agreement: frequently asked questions
Is my housekeeper my employee?
Often, yes, if they work regular hours in your home doing tasks you direct. If they run their own cleaning business with many clients and their own equipment, they may be a contractor. The rules differ by country and state.
Can I deduct breakages from their pay?
This agreement says no — accidental breakages are never deducted. In many places wage deductions are tightly restricted anyway. Deliberate damage or serious carelessness is handled as a conduct matter instead.
What happens if I cancel a day?
If you cancel a regular day at short notice, the agreement says it's still paid. That's fair to someone who has kept the day free for you.
Does it cover nannies?
It's designed for housekeeping, cooking, gardening and similar roles. For childcare, use the nanny agreement, which covers the children, safety and driving.
Can we sign online?
Yes. Send it from FileIt's eSignature app; your employee signs on any device, and the signed PDF includes an audit trail and Certificate of Completion.