Working parents in Malta usually combine more than one kind of childcare: a centre for the day, a grandparent for the school run, a babysitter for an evening out. This guide compares the three main options, explains the Free Childcare Scheme, and sets out what changes when you employ a nanny or babysitter yourself, from minimum pay to permits.
Three ways to arrange childcare
- A nanny looks after your children in your home on a regular schedule, often every weekday and sometimes living in. A nanny usually takes charge of the children's day: meals, naps, play, the school run.
- A babysitter covers occasional hours: an evening, a weekend afternoon, a school holiday morning.
- A childcare centre cares for young children in a group setting outside the home, during set opening hours.
When you employ a nanny or a babysitter, you're an employer in a private household. Malta's domestic-service order names "babysitters, nursemaids and other persons employed in related work" among the workers it covers (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order).
The Free Childcare Scheme
The government's Free Childcare Scheme "supports working parents or guardians, as well as those pursuing education, by providing free childcare services for their children" (source: Jobsplus: Free Childcare Scheme).
- Where: "Free Childcare Service in registered Childcare Centres" (source: servizz.gov.mt: Free Childcare Scheme). It doesn't pay for a nanny or babysitter at home.
- Who: children whose parents are in employment or in education. Children stay eligible "until they become eligible to attend Kindergarten classes" (source: servizz.gov.mt: Free Childcare Scheme).
- How to apply: complete the form and give it to your preferred childcare centre. The centre checks it can meet your child's needs, then applies to the Free Childcare Unit, which decides eligibility (source: servizz.gov.mt: Free Childcare Scheme). Jobsplus publishes the list of participating centres (source: Jobsplus: Free Childcare Scheme).
- Documents: for employees, recent payslips and an employer's declaration of working hours; for students, proof of course attendance (source: servizz.gov.mt: Free Childcare Scheme).
Many families use a free centre place for the working day and a nanny or babysitter for the hours around it.
Employing a nanny or babysitter: the legal side
If you employ a nanny or babysitter, you take on an employer's duties. Jobsplus says household employers need a PE number from the tax office and must file engagement and termination forms for each household employee (source: Jobsplus: household employers). You also give the written terms of employment, including pay, hours and notice, "no later than the seventh calendar day" (source: S.L. 452.126, reg. 6).
Our step-by-step employer guide is written for families employing a carer, but the steps are the same for a nanny.
Minimum pay in 2026
The domestic-service order sets these 2026 minimums (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order):
| How you employ them | 2026 minimum |
|---|---|
| By the hour | €5.82 an hour |
| By the day | €38.82 a day |
| By the month, not sleeping in (or fewer than 17 nights a month) | €1,000.08 a month |
| By the month, sleeping in at least 17 nights a month | €1,016.37 a month |
If someone paid by the hour works more than four hours in a day, the order says the pay "shall in no case be less than the equivalent of a day's work" (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order).
On top of the wage, employees receive statutory bonuses and weekly allowances: €121.16 at the end of March and September, and €135.10 at the end of June and in December, pro rata for part of a year (source: DIER: bonuses and weekly allowances).
These are floors, not typical rates. You can pay more, and many families do.
A nanny from outside the EU
EU citizens don't need a permit to live and work in Malta (source: Identità: EU nationals). A nanny from outside the EU needs a single permit from Identità, and the rules differ from those for live-in carers of older people.
- The fee: a first-time single permit is €600, and a renewal is €150 a year (source: Identità: single permit application).
- The job advert first. Before a new application, employers must advertise the role on both the Jobsplus portal and EURES: three weeks for standard roles, reduced to two weeks for Skilled Occupation List roles (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ). "Nanny" (code 531105) is on the Skilled Occupation List (source: Labour Migration Policy implementation document (Jul 2025)), so the advert runs for two weeks.
- One employer, one job. A single permit doesn't allow its holder to "carry out unauthorised work not related to the specific employment activity indicated in their application" (source: Identità: single permit). Describe the role fully in the application.
- Food handling. Identità's FAQ lists "child carers" among people who need a Food Handler Licence issued in Malta (source: Identità: non-EU employment FAQ). It isn't clear how that applies to a nanny in a private home, so ask Identità before you apply.
Our guide to the single permit explains the process, the timeline and the checks.
What families pay
There's no official figure for what families in Malta pay nannies or babysitters, and published rates vary. We don't repeat rates we can't trace to an official source.
What moves the cost is the arrangement: how many hours, whether the nanny lives in, how many children, and whether you need evenings or weekends. Set the pay first, at or above the minimums above, and include it in your job post. Nannies who are happy with the terms will get in touch.
Choosing: a quick comparison
| Nanny | Babysitter | Childcare centre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Your home | Your home | The centre |
| When | Regular hours you agree | Occasional hours | The centre's opening hours |
| Who's the employer | You | You | The centre employs its staff |
| Free Childcare Scheme | No | No | Yes, at registered centres, if eligible (source: servizz.gov.mt: Free Childcare Scheme) |
| Minimum pay applies | Yes (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order) | Yes, when employed (source: S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order) | Not your responsibility |
| Best for | Full days, irregular hours, more than one child, school runs | Evenings and one-off cover | Working or studying parents of young children |
Before you hand over the keys
- Meet in person, with your children, and ask how they would handle a typical day, a tantrum, a fever or an accident.
- Call references yourself, ideally families they worked for in Malta.
- Ask to see a Malta Certificate of Conduct, which the nanny applies for through servizz.gov.mt (source: servizz.gov.mt: Malta Certificate of Conduct).
- Agree everything in writing: hours, duties, pay, the rest day and how plans change.
Our interview guide has more questions and checks; most apply to nannies too. When you're ready, browse nanny profiles or post a job with the hours and pay using the button below.
Sources we checked
Every figure and rule in this guide links to the official page it comes from. We re-check them when the rules or the Budget change.
- S.L. 452.170, the domestic-service order. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- servizz.gov.mt: Free Childcare Scheme, page updated 17 Jun 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Jobsplus: Free Childcare Scheme. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- DIER: bonuses and weekly allowances, page updated 11 Apr 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Identità: single permit application, page updated 27 Aug 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Identità: non-EU employment FAQ, page updated 13 Oct 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Labour Migration Policy implementation document (Jul 2025). Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Identità: single permit, page updated 27 Jan 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Identità: EU nationals, page updated 16 Jul 2025. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- Jobsplus: household employers. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- servizz.gov.mt: Malta Certificate of Conduct, page updated 30 Jul 2026. Checked 20 Oct 2026.
- S.L. 452.126, reg. 6. Checked 20 Oct 2026.