House manager vs. nanny vs. personal assistant: what's the difference?
If you've ever said "we need help" and then gotten stuck on what kind of help, you're not alone. Families often hire a nanny when the real problem is the household, or a virtual assistant when what they need is someone in the house. Here's a plain guide to what each role does, where they overlap, and how to figure out which one your family needs.
The one-sentence version
A nanny takes care of your kids. A personal assistant handles tasks and logistics for you, often remotely. A house manager runs your home: they notice what needs doing, plan it, and get it done.
What a nanny does
A nanny's job is your children. They feed them, play with them, keep them safe, handle naps and routines, and often drive them to school and activities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts nannies as childcare workers who care for children in the family's own home.
A good nanny may tidy the playroom, do the kids' laundry, or start dinner. But their attention belongs to your kids, so they can't also be waiting for the plumber, returning the Amazon packages, and reorganizing the pantry. The rest of the house still runs through you.
Hire a nanny if most of what you need is childcare, especially for babies, toddlers, or kids who are home during the day.
What a personal assistant does
A personal assistant handles tasks: booking appointments, managing your calendar, researching options, making calls, handling paperwork, and planning trips. Some work in person, but many family assistants and virtual assistants work remotely, from a laptop.
That's useful for the planning side of the household. But someone working remotely can't see that the dish soap is almost gone, put away the groceries, or be home when the repair person arrives. Someone still has to do the physical work, and it's often you.
BLS doesn't track "personal assistant" as its own job. The closest category is executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants, who had a median annual wage of $76,590 in May 2025. That category mostly covers office jobs, though, not household roles.
Hire a personal assistant if your biggest problem is scheduling, research, and admin, and the physical work at home is already covered.
What a house manager does
A house manager runs the day-to-day of your home, in your home. That usually means grocery orders and restocking, meal planning and prep, family laundry, daily tidying, and getting the house ready for your cleaners. It means booking repairs and being there for them, running errands and returns, keeping the family calendar, scheduling car maintenance, and organizing closets, the pantry, and the garage. Many house managers also cover holiday, birthday, and travel prep, pet appointments, and school pickups on the days you need them.
The difference isn't just the tasks. A house manager doesn't wait for a to-do list. They keep track of what's coming up, plan the week, and handle it from start to finish. When you hire a house manager, someone else owns the list that used to live in your head.
Families hire house managers for anywhere from about 10 hours a week to full-time. House managers typically earn $25 to $45 an hour, depending on where you live and what the role involves.
Hire a house manager if you already have some help, maybe a cleaner or a nanny, and you're still the one keeping track of everything.
Where the roles overlap
The lines blur in real life, and that's fine.
- Nanny and house manager: Some roles combine childcare and household work, especially once kids are in school all day. If you need a lot of childcare, though, a nanny is the right hire. A house manager can cover some school pickups, but the job is the house.
- Assistant and house manager: A house manager does a lot of what an assistant does, like scheduling, vendor calls, and the family calendar. The difference is that they're in your home and do the physical work too.
- Housekeeper and house manager: A housekeeper cleans. A house manager might do daily tidying and laundry, but they also run everything else. Many families keep their cleaner and add a house manager.
Three questions to figure out what you need
1. Who notices? Who realizes the milk is running low, the furnace filter is overdue, and the permission slip is due Friday? If the answer is always you, you need someone who owns the noticing. That's a house manager.
2. Where does the work happen? If most of it is calls, emails, and calendars, an assistant can do it from anywhere. If it's groceries, laundry, repairs, and pickups, you need someone in your home.
3. How much of it is childcare? If most of the day is taking care of young kids, hire a nanny. If the kids are in school and the house is what's falling apart, hire a house manager.
What each role pays
Pay depends a lot on where you live. Here's what public data shows:
- Nannies: BLS reports a median wage of $16.82 an hour for childcare workers in May 2025. That category includes daycare and center staff, and BLS wage data doesn't include workers employed by private households, so it understates what many families pay a private nanny. Expect your local rate to be higher.
- Personal assistants: There's no BLS category for household or family assistants. Executive administrative assistants in offices had a median of $76,590 a year in May 2025.
- House managers: There's no government data. House managers typically earn $25 to $45 an hour depending on the area and the role. See our guide to house manager pay for city-by-city figures.
Whoever you hire to work in your home is usually your household employee, which means payroll taxes and some paperwork. IRS Publication 926 explains the federal rules.
Still not sure?
That's what our free 20-minute call is for. Tell us what's falling through the cracks at home, and we'll tell you honestly which kind of help fits. If it's a nanny, we'll say so. We only place house managers, so we don't have a reason to steer you the wrong way.
If a house manager is the right fit, we do the hiring. We write the role, recruit and interview candidates, check references, and bring you two or three vetted finalists in about two weeks. Our fee is $3,000 flat: $750 to start, and the rest only when you hire.
We help busy families hire house managers. You don't need to handle it all on your own.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Childcare Workers: median $16.82/hr (May 2025); nannies described; OEWS excludes private-household workers. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm (read Oct 8, 2026)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants: executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants median $76,590/yr (May 2025). https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-administrative-support/secretaries-and-administrative-assistants.htm (read Oct 8, 2026)
- IRS Publication 926 (2026), Household Employer's Tax Guide. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p926
- House manager range ($25–$45/hr): Tend the Home's typical range. See our guide to house manager pay for public data points.
Ready to stop running the house by yourself?
Book a free 20-minute call. Tell us what’s falling through the cracks at home. We’ll tell you what a house manager could take on, what the role would pay in your area, and how quickly we can get you finalists. No pressure, and no deposit until after we talk.