Why tracking nanny hours is harder than it looks
A cleaner comes at fixed hours. A nanny doesn’t. School pickup is at 3:30 on Monday, 3:15 on Wednesday. You get home at 7pm one day, 8:30 the next. Half terms throw everything off. If you have a split rate (standard during the day, premium after 8pm), every shift that crosses the cutoff needs splitting.
At month end you’re left piecing together “I’m here” and “just leaving” messages. Most families spend 20-30 minutes on this each month. And if the numbers you give your payroll service are wrong, everything downstream is wrong too.
How hōra automates nanny time tracking
Built for after-school and variable schedules
School pickups, evening babysitting, half terms, holiday cover, schedules that change week to week. hōra handles split shifts (morning + evening), overnight stays, and dual rates with a configurable cutoff hour. Set it once and forget about it.
Your nanny doesn’t install anything. She uses WhatsApp, which she already has. No app, no training, no account to create. That’s why it actually works in practice, not just in theory.
What you get
A dashboard to see each month’s hours, correct a shift if needed, and set your preferences (language, currency, rates). The monthly report shows the total per nanny, hours split by rate, and the original WhatsApp messages. You can also turn on notifications to get a ping every time your nanny logs a shift.
Use the numbers for your PAYE payroll service. hōra gives you the hours, your payroll provider handles the tax. Want to know the full employer cost? Try our UK nanny cost calculator.