Au Pair Contract Template: What Every Host Family Must Include (2026)

An au pair contract is not a formality. It is the document that translates the State Department's J-1 regulations and your sponsor agency's policies into the real, day-to-day shape of life in your home: when the workday starts, who does the school pickup, what happens if the baby is sick, whether the car can be used on Saturday night. Written well, it prevents almost every conflict first-year host families eventually run into. Written vaguely, it guarantees them.

This guide walks through a complete 2026 au pair contract template for host families, section by section. It assumes you are working with a designated J-1 sponsor (Cultural Care, AuPairCare, InterExchange, and others listed at the end) and that your agency is providing the standard match agreement. Your job is to layer a host-family addendum on top of that agreement so every meaningful expectation is in writing before your au pair boards the plane.

The Two Documents: Match Agreement + Host Family Addendum

Every J-1 au pair arrangement has two contract layers.

The match agreement is the standard document provided by your sponsor agency. Both the host family and the au pair sign it before the au pair departs. It includes the legally required program terms: stipend, hours, education allowance, vacation, meals, private bedroom, and rematch process. You do not draft this. You accept it.

The host family addendum is the part you write. It contains everything the match agreement leaves open: your specific weekly schedule, which childcare duties are yours and which are the au pair's, whether the au pair can use your car on her day off, what time guests need to leave, what the family considers a reasonable response to a 2 a.m. sick-child call. This is where most of the conflict prevention happens.

For a deeper look at how au pair contracts compare to traditional nanny employment contracts, see our nanny contract template guide. The structures overlap but are not interchangeable.

Section 1: Identifying Information

Open the addendum with the basics. This mirrors the match agreement but anchors the document to your specific household.

• Host family full legal name(s), address, phone numbers, and emails
• Au pair full legal name, home country, date of birth, and passport number
• Sponsor agency name and local community counselor contact
• Program type (standard au pair or EduCare) and start and end dates matching the DS-2019
• Names, ages, and any special considerations (allergies, medications, IEPs) for each child

If you are considering the EduCare track, it reduces weekly hours from 45 to 30 and doubles the education allowance from $500 to $1,000, with a slightly lower stipend of $146.81/week. EduCare works well for families whose oldest child is in elementary school and only needs before- or after-care.

Section 2: Weekly Schedule

This is the section that prevents 80% of first-year conflicts. Write out each day with specific start and end times, not a generic weekly total. The Department of State caps childcare hours at 45 per week standard (30 EduCare) with a hard 10-hour daily ceiling both programs. You must also give your au pair at least 1.5 days off per week and one full weekend (Friday evening through Monday morning) off per calendar month.

Build your sample schedule under 45 total hours so you have genuine room for the occasional late night without breaking the cap. A family that budgets right up to 45 hours on paper will violate the rule the first time a meeting runs long.

For a full breakdown of the schedule math including split-shift logic, weekend rotation patterns, and how to bank hours for date nights, see our au pair schedule rules guide.

Section 3: Job Duties and Scope

Au pair duties must be related to the care of the host family's children. That is a firm program rule. You cannot contract for general housekeeping, eldercare, pet care as a primary duty, or work for the family business. Within the childcare scope, most host families are specific about the following.

Core Childcare Duties

• Morning routine: wake up, breakfast, dressing, school transport
• School and activity pickup/dropoff, including driving
• Afternoon snacks, homework support, outdoor play, structured activities
• Dinner preparation for the children (not the adults)
• Bath and bedtime routine on designated nights
• Light tidying of child-related spaces (playroom, bedrooms, kitchen after child meals)
• Children's laundry

Explicitly Out of Scope

• Cleaning bathrooms used by adults
• Adult laundry, ironing, or dry-cleaning runs
• Grocery shopping for household meals (unless part of a teaching activity with a child)
• Pet care as a primary task (walking the family dog while kids are at school is not a valid au pair duty)
• Work for a family business or home office
• Hosting or serving at adult social events

Writing the out-of-scope list down is what protects both sides. Most rematches are triggered not by one big incident but by a slow creep of duties that were never discussed.

Section 4: Compensation and Stipend

The 2026 au pair stipend is set by federal regulation.

The stipend is paid weekly for all 52 weeks of the program, including the two weeks of paid vacation. Most host families pay by direct deposit or by a reloadable prepaid card; cash is legal but not recommended because it creates no record.

Specify in the contract:

• Exact stipend amount and payment day (most families pay Friday)
• Payment method (direct deposit to which bank, or reloadable card)
• Education allowance ceiling and how it is reimbursed (most families pay the college or continuing education provider directly)
• Whether the family provides a phone, and if so, whether calls home are included
• Whether the au pair receives a transportation stipend or transit pass

For the full pay breakdown, annual budget math, and how the stipend compares to minimum wage, see au pair stipend and weekly pay and our complete au pair cost guide.

Section 5: Room, Board, and Benefits

Program rules require a private bedroom and three meals a day. Your contract should confirm both and lay out the small details that otherwise become friction points.

• Private bedroom with door, bed, dresser, desk or workspace, and a reasonable expectation of quiet during off hours
• Access to a private or shared bathroom (private is ideal but not required)
• Three meals per day plus snacks; if the au pair has dietary preferences (vegetarian, halal, gluten-free), confirm how the family will accommodate
• Use of household laundry facilities
• WiFi access
• Two weeks of paid vacation annually; host-family-led vacation time versus au pair-requested vacation time should be clarified (typically one week each)
• Sick days: most sponsors require the host family to continue paying stipend during reasonable illness without deducting from vacation

Section 6: Education Requirement

Au pairs must complete at least six academic credits (or 72 noncredit class hours at an accredited postsecondary institution) during the year. The host family contributes up to $500 ($1,000 EduCare) toward tuition. Your contract should state:

• The education allowance cap and how it is paid (direct to institution, receipts-reimbursed, etc.)
• Whether the family will contribute time during the workweek or whether classes must fall in off-hours
• Expectations if the au pair chooses classes that exceed the allowance (au pair pays the difference)
• Transportation to and from class
• A reminder that completion is a program requirement, and that documentation (transcripts, certificates) must be provided to the sponsor

If the au pair plans to extend for a second year, the credit requirement doubles for the extension. See our au pair extension guide for how year-two classes are planned.

Section 7: Car Use and Driving

Driving is the single most negotiated item in au pair contracts. Spell it out.

• Whether the au pair will be added to the family's auto insurance policy and the effective date
• Which vehicle she is approved to drive
• Approved destinations (school, grocery, activities, approved personal use radius)
• Personal-use hours and any mileage cap
• Who pays for fuel during work hours versus personal hours
• Curfew when using the family car (typical: midnight on work nights, 1 a.m. on non-work nights)
• Handling of tickets and accidents (typically the au pair pays tickets; deductibles are negotiated in advance)
• No-driving circumstances (impaired, exceeding curfew, carrying unapproved passengers)

Section 8: House Rules

House rules are the section that makes the rest of the year livable. Keep the list short, specific, and easy for a 20-year-old from another country to follow.

• Curfew: 11 PM on work nights, 1 AM on off nights, with text notification if running late
• Guests: Friends welcome in common areas until 10 PM; overnight guests require advance permission
• Smoking and alcohol: No smoking in the home or car. Alcohol in moderation on off time only. No drinking before or during work hours under any circumstances
• Screen time with kids: Follow the family's device rules (specify daily limits and approved content)
• Social media: No photos of the children posted publicly without permission; no children's full names or home location tagged
• Phone during work hours: Phone on, kid-related texts allowed, personal social use limited to nap or quiet times
• Confidentiality: Family schedule, finances, travel, and custody details are private

Section 9: Termination and Rematch

Every J-1 sponsor has a formal rematch process. The contract should reference it and set expectations for how the family will handle problems.

• A two-week good-faith trial period at the start during which either party can request rematch without penalty
• Grounds for immediate termination: child safety violation, theft, impaired driving, violation of program rules (e.g., accepting off-the-books work for another family)
• Process for addressing performance concerns: written feedback, minimum two-week improvement period, sponsor involvement
• Notice requirements for no-cause rematch (most sponsors require 10-14 days)
• Host family commitments during rematch transition: continued stipend, room, and board until the au pair is placed or departs; reasonable assistance with moving
• Au pair's option to return home at program end with a 30-day travel period

Never attempt to terminate unilaterally without involving your sponsor. The DS-2019 is tied to the sponsor's authorization, and immigration status depends on proper handoff.

Section 10: Signatures and Review

Close the addendum with space for both signatures, the date, and a commitment to review the document together after 30 days and again at six months. A revisit built into the contract normalizes adjustment conversations and makes them less tense.

The best au pair contracts are not the longest. They are the ones where every paragraph answers a question both parties would otherwise be guessing at in month three.

State Department-Designated Sponsor Agencies

Your match agreement will come from one of these federally designated J-1 sponsors. Beverly is not an agency; we help host families compare sponsors, prepare the addendum, and manage the coordination on the family side.

• Cultural Care Au Pair
• AuPairCare
• Au Pair in America (AIFS)
• Go Au Pair
• InterExchange
• EurAupair
• Agent Au Pair
• Expert AuPair
• Au Pair International
• GreatAuPair USA
• Apex PROaupair
• A.P.EX. American Professional Exchange

For a full comparison of what each sponsor charges, their rematch policies, and where their candidate pools come from, see best au pair agencies.

How Beverly Helps With the Addendum

Beverly is a childcare coordination service. When we work with host families planning an au pair year, we do not replace the sponsor. We sit on the family's side of the table. That includes drafting the host family addendum against your specific schedule, pressure-testing the schedule against the 45-hour and 10-hour caps, setting up the car-use language, and helping you build a 30-day review into the relationship so small issues do not turn into rematch requests. For families weighing au pair against other options, see au pair vs nanny.