What are minimum hours and how do they work?

Guidance on how your contracted minimum hours work, when they do and don't apply and how to make sure your family is charged accurately

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Written by Support
Updated over a week ago

This article has been written for the Koru Kids Nanny Service for nannies.


When you accept a role with a family, you'll agree to work a certain number of contracted, or standard, hours per week. Alongside this, the family who employs you will commit to offering a minimum number of hours per week during term-time, to ensure you have income security throughout your contract.

If you work fewer than your agreed minimum hours across the month, we'll top up your pay to ensure your earnings are in line with your monthly agreed minimum hours total.

How will I know what my agreed minimum hours are?

Our standard minimum hours are usually capped at 9 hours per week, but if you work fewer hours then this then they'd usually be aligned to your contracted hours.

E.g. 1: If you work 2.00pm - 5.30pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, your contracted hours would be 10.5 per week, but your minimum hours would be 9 per week.

E.g. 2: If you work 3.00pm - 6.00pm on Monday and Tuesday, your contracted and minimum hours would both be 6 per week.

If you're unsure, you can check what are your agreed minimum hours in your contract with the family who employ you: Section 8(c).

When do minimum hours not apply?

Minimum hours are only valid during term-time, when the family has cancelled your shift.

If it's during the school holidays, or you are unavailable to work due to sickness or other leave, your minimum hours will not apply.

This is why it's important to always let us know when you have been unable to work before the 25th of the month, by logging your leave on your timesheet. This will prevent any over-charges being applied to the family's invoice.

I worked less than 9 hours last week, why didn't I get a top-up?

We calculate your minimum hours cumulatively across the month, not week by week. This means that if you worked more hours one week and fewer hours the next, it will balance out.

We automatically exclude bank holidays, school holidays and any leave you've logged on your timesheet from your minimum hours calculation, so this will also affect the total minimum hours due each month.

What if I want to change my minimum hours / contracted hours?

We get it - somethings things change. If your minimum hours or contracted hours are no longer working for you, we're happy to support any change that you've agreed with the family who employ you.

Make sure you let us know before the 25th of the month so that we can apply the changes to your arrangement and ensure the family invoice, and your pay, is accurate.


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