Bringing au pairs closer to you

The au pair program is a combination of cultural exchange and childcare—one that benefits American families and young people from all around the world. Regulated by the U.S. Department of State and administered by agencies like Cultural Care, the program is built to ensure a safe, enriching experience for everyone involved.

For host families, the program offers flexible, in-home childcare support, help with child-related household tasks, and the opportunity to learn about another culture. For au pairs, it’s a chance to gain international work experience, improve their English, take classes, explore the U.S., and become part of an American family.

Au pairs aren’t employees—they’re welcomed as extended members of the family. In return for up to 45 hours of childcare per week, host families provide room, board, and a weekly stipend. Au pairs travel on a legal J-1 cultural exchange visa for 12 months, with the option to extend their stay for an additional 6, 9, or 12 months.

To find an au pair in your state, you’ll need to work with a designated agency like Cultural Care. Once you register as a host family, you’ll create a profile that shares details about your family, home, schedule, community, and interests. From there, you can start browsing au pair profiles using the Cultural Care app—filtering based on your preferences and messaging candidates who feel like a great fit. When there’s mutual interest, you can chat or set up video calls to get to know each other better.

When you’ve found the right match, you can extend an offer for them to join your family—and if they accept, the next steps begin. Your au pair will attend Cultural Care’s Au Pair Training School and “Get Ready” workshops to prepare for their year ahead. They’ll also schedule a visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in their home country.

Meanwhile, you’ll complete an in-home interview with your local Cultural Care representative, who will review program guidelines and help set you up for success. You'll also keep in touch with your au pair as they get ready for their big adventure—arriving at your home and becoming part of your family.

As a Cultural Care host family, you’ll have the support of our team every step of the way. You’ll first connect with your Local Childcare Consultant (LCC) or someone from our Program Education team, who will walk you through how the program works and answer your questions. When you create your profile and start searching for your au pair through our app, your dedicated Matching Specialist will be there to guide you. While the process is designed to be intuitive, it’s reassuring to have someone who knows our program and au pair community inside and out. Once your au pair arrives, your LCC—who lives in your area—will continue to support you with local guidance, regular check-ins, and ongoing advice. And if you ever need additional help, your Customer Service Manager is available to assist with any challenges that arise.

In most cases, you’ll connect with prospective au pairs over video chat rather than in person. That’s because most available candidates are still living in their home countries, waiting to match with their first host family. Others may already be in the U.S., either extending their program or looking for a new host family due to a rematch. Our app makes it easy to chat with au pairs—allowing you to schedule video calls, message back and forth, and get to know your top picks from wherever you are.

Occasionally, you may find an extension or rematch au pair who lives nearby, in which case meeting in person might be possible. And if you already know someone abroad who’s interested in becoming your au pair, they may be able to join the program specifically to live with your family.

If you’re welcoming an au pair from overseas, they’ll arrive on a legal J-1 visa, which allows them to live in the U.S. and provide childcare for one year. Toward the end of that year, au pairs have the option to extend their stay—either with the same host family or a new one—for an additional 6, 9, or 12 months. (To be eligible, they must complete their education requirement and remain in good standing with the program.) So in total, an au pair can spend up to two years with a host family.

If you're matching with an extension au pair, they may be available for 6, 9, or 12 more months. And if you're considering a rematch au pair (someone transitioning from a previous host family), the time they have left on their visa will vary based on how long they’ve already been in the U.S.

We do have au pairs with experience caring for children with special needs. However, we’ll want to review your child(ren)’s needs to ensure that our program can accommodate your family. We’ll also need to make sure that you are matched with an au pair who has the required experience per the U.S. Department of State regulations. It may take a little longer for your family to find a great au pair match, but it is very possible, and your Cultural Care Matching Specialist is available to help you through the process.

Because au pair wages are considered by the IRS to be for domestic service in a private home, host families are not required to withhold income taxes or file Forms 941 or W-2. However, au pairs are responsible for paying taxes. The IRS considers au pairs to be employees of the host family for tax reasons, even though in the United States on a cultural exchange visa. This means the weekly stipend is considered taxable income. Au pairs must report their earnings, file a tax return, and pay any taxes due.

In the event of an emergency, you can reach an on-call Cultural Care staff member, 24-hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-333-6056.