Hire household staff directly in San Francisco and the Bay Area

Short answer: Nanny: Typical: $21–$28/hr (about $44,000–$58,000 a year full-time); Housekeeper: Typical: $17–$28/hr (about $35,000–$58,000 a year full-time); Private chef: Typical: $40–$60/hr (about $83,000–$125,000 a year full-time); House manager: Typical: $35–$55/hr (about $73,000–$114,000 a year full-time) (salary guide). Free for families until January 2027, and candidates never pay. Agencies charge fees that vary by agency and role; HomeHire is a direct-hiring marketplace with no agency fees.

Find nannies, housekeepers, house managers, private chefs, private PAs, chauffeurs/drivers, and estate managers around San Francisco through confidential family briefs and direct introductions. Public listings require family consent. Consider Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Berkeley, Oakland, Marin, and the Bay Area when describing the work area. HomeHire's free period is nationwide; this guide is a local starting point, not a service boundary.

Why San Francisco households use a discreet model

Local starting points include Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Berkeley, Oakland, Marin, and the Bay Area. A household routine may cross the city, Peninsula, East Bay, or Marin. State whether the work is in one home or includes travel between locations; do not assume an easy cross-Bay commute. A private brief helps you explain practical requirements without publishing household identifiers. Local guides: Los Altos & Los Altos Hills, Orinda, Lafayette & Moraga, Alamo & Danville and Los Gatos & Saratoga.

Share a confidential household brief rather than a public household job ad.
Review structured candidate profiles; candidates control their discoverability.
Families hire directly and do their own checks, including references, identity, right to work and relevant qualifications.
Use messaging and direct introductions to decide whom to interview; the family and worker agree the engagement directly.
Describe permanent, part-time, temporary, or one-off work in the confidential brief; the same direct model applies.

Household roles in San Francisco

Use the national role guides for more specific briefing advice. Chauffeur/driver and estate manager responsibilities can also be described in a confidential brief.

Household roles in San Francisco
Role	Local briefing considerations	National guide
Nanny	Specify whether childcare is based in San Francisco or Palo Alto and whether school runs require driving.	Nanny guide
Housekeeper	Clarify cleaning and laundry duties and whether work includes a city home and a Peninsula property.	Housekeeper guide
House manager	Describe vendor access and household coordination if work spans Atherton and Marin. For a household manager in New York, see also our New York household manager guide.	House manager guide
Private chef	Distinguish daily meals from entertaining and whether cooking is expected in more than one Bay Area kitchen.	Private chef guide
Private PA	State if calendars and appointments are centered in Menlo Park or require cross-Bay travel.	Private PA guide
Chauffeur/driver	Describe actual routes between Berkeley, Oakland, and the Peninsula, with hours and vehicle expectations.	Chauffeur/driver guide
Estate manager	Identify the Bay Area properties, local vendors, and travel days involved in oversight.	Estate manager guide

Household staffing in San Francisco without an agency

Many Bay Area families first look for a household staffing agency. Agencies can help: they shortlist candidates for you, and many add their own screening and a replacement period. Fees vary by agency and role, so ask each one how it charges. HomeHire works differently. You write one confidential brief and review structured profiles yourself. Families hire directly and do their own checks, including references, identity, right to work and relevant qualifications. The family stays the employer throughout. HomeHire does not employ the worker, run payroll or hold wages. Free for families until January 2027, and candidates never pay.

This model suits families who are comfortable interviewing and checking references themselves and want a direct relationship from day one. If you want someone else to run the whole search, an agency may suit you better. See our comparison of self-serve hiring and a household staffing agency.

Hiring a house manager or private PA in the Bay Area

Bay Area households that hire a house manager or household PA often have more than one location to cover: a city home plus a Peninsula, Marin or Wine Country property, or a parent whose calendar shifts between San Francisco and the South Bay. Write the brief around the real pattern:

House manager: which properties, which vendors (landscaping, pool, security, IT/AV, cleaning teams), whether they supervise other staff, and how much spending authority they hold.
Household PA: calendar and travel management, school and medical appointments, returns and errands, family admin. Say whether the work is on-site, remote or hybrid, and whether driving is part of it.
Both: expected hours outside the core day, travel with the family, and how confidential information is handled (many families use an NDA; take your own legal advice).

For pay, use the US household salary guide as a starting point. Pay is agreed directly between the family and the worker.

Being a household employer in San Francisco: what to check

Hiring directly means the employer obligations are yours. HomeHire does not give legal or tax advice, but these are the official places to start:

San Francisco sets its own minimum wage, which is adjusted every July 1. The Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) also publishes the city's paid sick leave rules.
California's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights sets overtime rules for many domestic workers, including personal attendants such as nannies and caregivers. See the California Labor Commissioner.
Federal: the IRS Household Employer's Tax Guide (Publication 926) explains when household employment taxes apply and how Schedule H works. USCIS explains Form I-9 for household employers.

Many families hire a household payroll provider. HomeHire does not run payroll.

How to hire locally

Give candidates enough information to judge a fit while keeping private household information out of public-facing text.

Start with a city, neighborhood, or ZIP code around San Francisco, not just “Global”; do not publish the exact address.
Specify the role, start date, hours, and whether the work is ongoing, part-time, temporary, seasonal, or one-off.
Describe actual duties, experience, pay expectations, and logistics. Specify the regular work area and whether travel between Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Berkeley, Oakland, or Marin is needed.
Families hire directly and do their own checks, including references, identity, right to work and relevant qualifications.
Use messaging to request a direct introduction, interview the person, check references, and make your own hiring decision.
Protect children's identities, home addresses, access instructions, and other sensitive details until appropriate after mutual interest.

Temporary and seasonal cover

Travel, school breaks, and entertaining may require short-term or one-off help with different hours from the baseline role. Explain the dates, hours, duties, location, and handover in your brief. Long-term, part-time, temporary, seasonal, and one-off direct engagements are in scope, but HomeHire does not promise an agency roster or available cover.

The family and worker agree work and pay directly; HomeHire is not the employer or payroll provider.

For candidates in San Francisco

Household professionals in San Francisco can create a structured profile, set their preferred location and availability, and control discoverability. Candidates never pay HomeHire to find work. Explore other metro guides or learn how nationwide introductions and pricing work.

Practical San Francisco briefing tips

Describe commute and parking or building-entry requirements at a useful level without sharing an address, keys, or access codes. Distinguish baseline duties from event-day or extra-property responsibilities and state the commute expectations. Share building entry arrangements only after mutual interest; never publish addresses, gate codes, keys, or children's identifying details.

Interview and check references yourself. Families hire directly and do their own checks, including references, identity, right to work and relevant qualifications. it cannot establish suitability or safety.

Typical hourly pay in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area

Full-time annual equivalents use hourly pay × 2,080, rounded to the nearest $1,000; gross pay before tax. Private chef estimates cover full-time work for one family. Local salary guide.

US typical range; local pay varies with local wages and minimum-wage rules.

Based on Care.com and US Bureau of Labor Statistics pay data and published household-staff salary surveys, Oct 2026. Actual pay depends on duties, hours and experience.

Typical hourly pay in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area
Role	Typical pay
Nanny	Typical: $21–$28/hr (about $44,000–$58,000 a year full-time)
Housekeeper	Typical: $17–$28/hr (about $35,000–$58,000 a year full-time)
Private chef	Typical: $40–$60/hr (about $83,000–$125,000 a year full-time); Estate or high-net-worth roles: $130,000–$250,000 a year
House manager	Typical: $35–$55/hr (about $73,000–$114,000 a year full-time); Estate or high-net-worth roles: $110,000–$180,000 a year

Next steps for families

HomeHire is a self-service marketplace, not an agency: families review profiles, contact candidates and hire directly, and the family is the employer. Free for families until January 2027, and candidates never pay.

Explore more hiring guides

Explore the US Salary Guide for national, state, and metro pay context.

Frequently asked questions

Does HomeHire employ household staff or manage payroll in San Francisco?

No; the hiring family is the employer; the family agrees duties and pay with the worker directly and handles wages and any employment, tax, insurance and screening obligations; HomeHire makes introductions; it does not employ workers or run payroll.

Is HomeHire a household staffing agency?

No; HomeHire is a self-serve household hiring marketplace; Families hire directly and do their own checks, including references, identity, right to work and relevant qualifications. HomeHire does not place staff or act as the employer.

How much does household staffing cost in San Francisco with HomeHire?

Free for families until January 2027, and candidates never pay.

Can I hire a house manager or private PA in the Bay Area?

Yes; describe the properties, vendors, calendar and travel involved in a confidential brief, then review candidates and request direct introductions; these roles can be full-time, part-time, temporary or project-based.

Can I seek temporary or one-off household help in San Francisco?

Yes; long-term, part-time, temporary, seasonal and one-off direct engagements are all in scope; Put the dates and duties in your brief; HomeHire does not guarantee that a worker will be available.

Is HomeHire limited to San Francisco?

No; this page is a local briefing guide; HomeHire's free period and direct introductions are nationwide.

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