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Hiring a housekeeper or nanny in Mexico is easy and affordable, but in Mexican law she’s your employee from day one. This guide covers what to pay, the benefits you owe, how to register her with IMSS, and how to part ways without a legal headache.
Most expats in Mexico have help at home sooner or later. A housekeeper once a week, a nanny for the kids, a gardener for the patio. It’s one of the real perks of living here.
What surprises people is the paperwork. Mexican law treats your once-a-week cleaner as your employee. She’s entitled to an aguinaldo (the Christmas bonus), paid vacation and a written contract, and since May 2023 you’ve been required to register her with IMSS, the social security system.
Plenty of households still pay cash and skip all of that. It works fine right up until she hurts her back on your stairs, or you let her go and she files a claim for unpaid benefits.
Doing it properly isn’t hard. The IMSS registration takes about 10 minutes online, and the benefits add up to roughly a month’s extra pay a year.
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Contents
Key Takeaways
- A domestic worker in Mexico is legally your employee, even if she only comes one day a week.
- The 2026 minimum wage for domestic work is MXN342.47 a day, or MXN440.87 in the northern border zone.
- Registering her with IMSS is mandatory, takes about 10 minutes online, and the fee can’t come out of her pay.
- You owe an aguinaldo of at least 15 days’ pay by 20 December, pro-rated for part-timers.
- Paid vacation starts at 12 days after the first year, plus a 25% vacation bonus.
- Use the government’s free model contract. A written contract is required by law.
- Fire someone without legal cause and you owe three months’ pay plus 20 days per year worked.
Are Housekeepers and Nannies the Same People?
Sometimes. In Mexico, a housekeeper (often called the muchacha or señora de la limpieza) cleans, does laundry and ironing, and often cooks.
A nanny (niñera) looks after the children. Many families hire one person to do a bit of both.
Combining roles is common, but it should pay more. Forum users in Mexico City who add cooking and pet care to cleaning say the going rate goes up accordingly, and that’s fair.
The same labour rules cover all of them: housekeepers, nannies, cooks, gardeners and drivers who work in your home. The law calls them personas trabajadoras del hogar, domestic workers.
Options
You’ve got more flexibility than you might expect. Part-time, full-time, live-in or live-out all work, as long as the basics are in place.
Who You Can Hire
Most domestic workers in Mexico are Mexican, and you don’t need any permit to hire one. If you’re thinking of hiring someone from another country, she needs legal status to work in Mexico. Keep it simple and stick with local hires.
Experience and References
There’s no certificate or licence for domestic work in Mexico, so anyone can apply. References are everything. Call at least one previous employer, and ask to see her INE, the Mexican voter ID that most people use as their main ID.
Don’t be surprised if your first hire doesn’t work out. It happens to a lot of families.
Tip: Offer a paid trial day before committing. You’ll learn more in one day of real work than in any interview.
Working Hours
Domestic workers in Mexico work a maximum of 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week. The weekly cap is coming down gradually to 40 hours by 2030.
Anything beyond those limits counts as overtime and is paid at double the normal rate. Overtime is capped at 3 hours a day, no more than three times a week. (Verified November 2026.)
She’s also entitled to a day and a half of uninterrupted rest every week, ideally Saturday afternoon and Sunday. If she works a public holiday, you pay triple.
Live-In vs. Live-Out
Live-in (de planta) and live-out (de entrada por salida) both work, but live-in comes with extra duties. A live-in worker must have:
- A private room: with proper facilities, and not shared with anyone in your family
- Three meals a day: of the same quality and amount your family eats, with half an hour for each
- Proper rest: at least 9 hours straight at night, plus 3 hours off between the morning and afternoon
Room and board are on top of her cash wage, not taken out of it.
Our view: live-out suits most expat households. It keeps working hours clear and gives everyone their privacy. The forums are full of live-in arrangements where the hours quietly stretched and both sides ended up unhappy.
How Much Housekeepers and Nannies Cost
The legal floor for domestic work in Mexico is MXN342.47 a day in 2026, or MXN440.87 in the northern border zone. (Verified November 2026.) That works out to about MXN10,400 a month for full-time work outside the border zone.
The minimum is a floor, not the going rate. Most households pay more, especially in expat areas and for nannies or cooks.
What Employers Really Pay in 2026
Domestic workers registered with IMSS earned an average of MXN509.20 a day in April 2026, according to IMSS data. (Verified November 2026.) That’s about MXN15,500 a month for full-time work, roughly 50% above the legal minimum.
Treat that as a realistic benchmark. Registered workers tend to be the better-paid end of the market, since their employers are already doing things by the book. In Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende and other expat hubs, expect to pay at least this much for someone experienced.
The minimum wage has jumped a lot in recent years, so old rates go stale fast. Salaries that were normal a few years ago, such as MXN8,000 a month full-time, are now below the legal minimum. If a friend quotes you a rate, check when they hired.
You can pay in cash or by bank transfer, and daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly all work. Agree on it upfront and put it in the contract.
Budgeting for a Housekeeper
The wage isn’t the whole cost. Add the aguinaldo, the vacation bonus and IMSS, and a full-time housekeeper costs you roughly 20% more than her salary over a year.
Here’s a rough yearly budget for a full-time, live-out housekeeper in her first year on MXN15,000 a month (about MXN500 a day, close to the 2026 average).
| Cost | Amount per year (MXN) | Amount per year (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| Salary (12 months) | MXN180,000 | About US$9,570 |
| Aguinaldo (15 days) | MXN7,500 | About US$400 |
| Vacation bonus (25% of 12 days’ pay) | MXN1,500 | About US$80 |
| IMSS (estimate, about MXN2,000 a month) | MXN24,000 | About US$1,280 |
| Total | About MXN213,000, or MXN17,750 a month | About US$11,330, or US$945 a month |
Part-time help costs proportionally less, since every benefit scales with the days she works for you.
Benefits You Owe
Every domestic worker in Mexico gets the same core benefits, pro-rated if she’s part-time.
| Benefit | What you owe |
|---|---|
| Aguinaldo | At least 15 days’ pay, by 20 December each year |
| Paid vacation | 12 days after year one, rising 2 days a year to 20 days in year five |
| Vacation bonus | 25% of her vacation pay, once a year |
| Weekly rest | A day and a half off every week |
| Public holidays | Paid day off, or triple pay if she works |
| IMSS | Social security registration from day one |
The aguinaldo scales with how often she comes. Someone who works for you one day a week is owed at least 3 days’ pay. Two days a week means at least 6 days’ pay.
Gifts don’t count. A hamper at Christmas is a nice touch, but the aguinaldo has to be money. Long-term expat employers in Lake Chapala and Mexico City often pay more than the minimum, sometimes a full month, and it goes a long way toward keeping a good housekeeper.
Registering with IMSS
Registering a domestic worker with IMSS has been mandatory since 16 May 2023, and it’s done online in about 10 minutes. (Verified November 2026.) It covers her healthcare, work injuries, maternity leave, disability and retirement savings, plus INFONAVIT, the housing fund.
How to Register
You register her on the IMSS domestic worker portal. You’ll need:
- Your details: your CURP and email address
- Her details: her CURP, address and social security number (NSS). If she doesn’t have an NSS, the system can generate one.
- Her pay and schedule: her actual salary and the days she works for you
At the end you download a payment slip and pay at a bank. You can pay daily, monthly, every two months, every six months or a year in advance.
What It Costs
The IMSS fee depends on her real salary and the days she works for you, so there’s no single price. The IMSS fee calculator gives you the exact figure. Expat employers in the forums report roughly MXN1,200 to MXN2,500 a month for full-time staff.
The INFONAVIT housing contribution (5% of her salary) is added to the bill automatically. You pay the whole thing yourself. The fee can’t be taken out of her wages.
If she works for several households, each employer registers her and pays for its own days.
Why It’s Worth It
The fine for not registering is MXN2,346 to MXN41,058. (Verified November 2026.) She can also report you to IMSS online or by phone.
The bigger reason is liability.
If she’s injured working in your home, or on her way to or from work, you’re responsible for her medical costs and lost wages. With IMSS, IMSS covers it. Without it, you do.
Tip: Register her for her real salary, not the minimum. Under-reporting her wage is something she can report too, and it shrinks the benefits she gets if something goes wrong.
Where to Find a Housekeeper or Nanny
The best housekeepers in Mexico are almost always found by word of mouth. Online ads and agencies come second in the expat forums.
Personal Networks
Ask your neighbours, your building’s doorman (portero), your landlord or your current housekeeper. Many housekeepers have a sister, cousin or friend looking for more work. A recommendation from someone who’s employed her for years beats any interview.
Expat Groups
Local expat Facebook groups and forums are the next best bet. Watch for families who are leaving Mexico and want to find a new home for a housekeeper or nanny they trust. Those posts get snapped up fast.
If you post your own ad, include:
- The hours and days you need
- The duties: cleaning, laundry, cooking, childcare, pets
- Your household: how many people, children’s ages, any pets
- The pay and benefits, including that you’ll register her with IMSS
Stating the pay and IMSS upfront attracts better applicants. Good housekeepers know their worth.
Agencies
Placement agencies, especially for nannies in Mexico City, can pre-screen candidates and replace someone who doesn’t work out. Ask what the fee covers, whether there’s a replacement guarantee, and who the legal employer is. If the agency only introduces her, you’re still the employer, with all the duties above.
Contracts
A written contract is required by law for domestic work in Mexico, even for someone who comes one day a week. It protects both of you if there’s ever a disagreement.
The government publishes a free model contract for domestic work in Spanish. It should cover:
- Where she works and for how long
- Her duties
- Pay: amount, method and how often
- Hours, rest days and vacation
- How the job can end
- For live-in work: her room and meals
Sign two copies and give her one. If your Spanish is shaky, have someone go through it with both of you so there’s no confusion later.
What You Need as a Foreign Employer
To register a worker with IMSS, you need a CURP, the Mexican population ID code. Temporary and permanent residents are usually assigned one when they get their residence card, and it’s often printed on the card.
Tourists don’t get a CURP, so if you’re in Mexico on a tourist permit, you can’t register a worker properly. It’s one more reason to sort out your temporary residence before setting up a household.
You don’t need a company, and in most cases you don’t need a tax ID (RFC) just to employ someone at home. If your situation is more complicated, for example you also run a business from home, talk to an accountant or a good lawyer.
Letting Someone Go
Ending the job properly in Mexico protects you from a claim later. What you owe depends on who ends it and why.
Notice
Either side can end the relationship with at least 8 days’ notice. If she lives with you, give her a reasonable amount of time to find somewhere else to live.
Finiquito
The finiquito is what she’s always owed when the job ends, whether she quits or you let her go. It includes:
- Any unpaid wages
- Her pro-rated aguinaldo for the year so far
- Unused vacation days
- Her pro-rated vacation bonus
Liquidación
If you dismiss her without a serious reason recognised by law (such as theft or violence), the dismissal counts as unjustified. On top of the finiquito, you then owe a liquidación:
- Three months’ pay (the constitutional severance)
- 20 days’ pay for each year worked
- The seniority premium, if it applies
“It’s not working out” doesn’t count as a legal reason. Most firings of domestic workers are technically unjustified, so budget for a liquidación.
Seniority Premium
After 15 years with you, she’s also owed a seniority premium of 12 days’ pay for each year worked, however the job ends.
You can estimate the total with the federal labour conciliation centre’s settlement calculator. The safest way to close things out is to sign the settlement at your local labour conciliation centre (Centro de Conciliación Laboral). That gives you an official record that she’s been paid in full.
Common Mistakes
The expat forums keep coming back to the same mistakes:
- Skipping IMSS: it’s mandatory, cheap compared with the risk, and the one thing that protects you if she’s injured.
- Treating a gift as the aguinaldo: the aguinaldo is money, paid by 20 December, at least 15 days’ pay.
- Firing someone casually: without a legal reason, you owe a liquidación. Do the maths first.
- Agreeing to stay informal: some workers worry that being registered will cost them government benefits and ask to be paid cash. Explain what IMSS gives her (healthcare, retirement savings, housing credit) before agreeing to anything.
- Quoting old rates: the minimum wage has risen fast. A salary that was normal three years ago may now be illegal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to register a once-a-week cleaner with IMSS?
Yes. IMSS registration is mandatory for any domestic worker, even one day a week. You pay only for the days she works for you.
How much does a live-in housekeeper cost in Mexico?
At least the domestic work minimum of MXN342.47 a day (about MXN10,400 a month) in cash, plus her room and meals. Registered domestic workers averaged MXN509.20 a day in April 2026, so most households pay more than the minimum.
Can I hire a housekeeper on a tourist permit?
Not properly. You need a CURP to register her with IMSS, and tourists don’t get one. Temporary and permanent residents do.
Do I need a written contract?
Yes. Mexican law requires a written contract for domestic work. The government’s model contract is free to use.
Do part-time housekeepers get an aguinaldo?
Yes, pro-rated. Someone who works for you one day a week gets at least 3 days’ pay by 20 December.
Can I deduct IMSS from her pay?
No. You pay the full IMSS fee yourself. It can’t come out of her wages.
How do I let a housekeeper go legally?
Give at least 8 days’ notice and pay her finiquito. If there’s no serious legal reason for dismissal, you also owe a liquidación of three months’ pay plus 20 days per year worked.
Next Steps
Take your time hiring. This person will be in your home every week, maybe every day, so a recommendation and a paid trial day are worth the wait. Then do the paperwork in her first week: the contract, the IMSS registration and a note in your calendar for the aguinaldo every December.
Treat her well and pay her properly, and you’ll probably keep a great housekeeper for years.
Read more:
- Cost of Living in Mexico
- Retire in Mexico
- Retiring in Lake Chapala
- Retiring in Mérida
- Retire in San Miguel de Allende
Sources Cited
- ILO, rights card for domestic workers in Mexico (2026): 2026 domestic work minimum wage, hours, rest, overtime, holidays, vacation table, aguinaldo, vacation bonus, IMSS duty from 16 May 2023, registration requirements, termination and severance.
- STPS, model contract for domestic work: live-in room, meals and rest rules, overtime cap, INFONAVIT 5%, contract contents.
- EY, 2026 minimum wage increase: general and border zone minimum wages for 2026.
- ADN40, IMSS average wage for registered domestic workers (May 2026): average registered daily wage of MXN509.20 in April 2026.
- Infobae, IMSS for domestic workers (May 2026): fines for not registering, registration steps.
- IMSS, domestic worker registration: online registration portal and fee calculator.
