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Housekeeper, diarista and nanny

When you need an employment contract with a home helper, what it costs the employer, how a diarista differs from a permanent housekeeper and how to find a nanny.

Home help and nannies are common in Brazil, but the law distinguishes how many days a week the person works for you. The contract, the contributions and the risks depend on that. Below are the rule from the law and prices from Rio residents' accounts as of the stated dates. This is not legal advice: ask an accountant for calculations.

Checked on 8 October 2026. Amounts in the posts are as of the post date; wages and contributions are revised.

In short

  • If a person works for you more than two days a week, the domestic-staff law (Lei Complementar 150/2015) applies: you need an employment contract and registration in eSocial.
  • Up to two days a week is a diarista: no contract is needed, and you pay by the day.
  • The probation period under the contract is up to 90 days; during it, parting ways is easier and cheaper.
  • About a third is added to the wage for contributions, the 13th salary and holiday pay; an accountant to keep the paperwork costs R$ 100–250 a month.

A permanent housekeeper (empregada)

In 2023 the @brazil_lifehacks author hired a helper for five days a week, seven hours a day plus lunch. According to him, a maid's wage in Rio was 1,800–2,200 reais a month plus transport, and about a third on top went on contributions, insurance, the 13th salary and holiday pay (post, 13.07.2023). Eight months later he gave exact figures: a wage of R$ 2,000, transport of R$ 240 and about R$ 700 of monthly taxes and contributions, plus the 13th salary (post, 17.03.2024).

The law allows a contract with a probation period (contrato de experiência), at most 90 days. It can be extended once, if the total does not exceed 90 days. FGTS is mandatory for domestic staff (Lei Complementar 150/2015, arts. 5 and 21). The author's practice: set the probation period at the maximum, 90 days, because after it ends, parting ways is expensive.

Dismissal costs money

  • The author's first helper worked about eight months; on a wage of R$ 2,000 the settlement on dismissal was about R$ 5,500, almost two monthly wages (post, 17.03.2024).
  • The second left during probation after a week and a half; on a take-home wage of R$ 2,300 he had to pay about R$ 1,700 and a few hundred in taxes (post, 12.09.2024).

So hire on recommendation and check the work during probation. The author advises keeping valuables in a safe.

A diarista: up to two days a week

If the person comes no more than twice a week, no contract is signed, there are no tax contributions, no accountant is needed, and you can part ways without consequences. In Rio in 2024 a diarista who also cooked cost about R$ 250 a day, that is roughly R$ 1,000–2,000 a month. You must not ask such a person to work more than two days without a contract: you could end up with a labour-court claim (post, 17.03.2024).

A nanny

In April 2023 in Rio a nanny was found on the site babysits.com.br: posting an ad is free, but you can write to the people who respond only with a subscription of R$ 35 a month. The service cost R$ 20 an hour (post, 09.04.2023). The choice in Rio is large; the author picked a nanny for her education.

Sources

Official:

Personal experience (channel @brazil_lifehacks, in Russian):