How to Pay a Nanny or Housekeeper in Argentina as a Foreigner (2026)

For most foreigners, the simplest way to pay a nanny or housekeeper in Argentina is CacaoCash: you only need your passport, no Argentine account or DNI, and you send pesos to her alias, CBU, CVU or Mercado Pago account. They arrive in seconds, any day, and the app shows the exact pesos and the 2.5% fee before you confirm.

This guide is for expats, long-stay visitors and families who live abroad part of the year and need to pay a niñera, an empleada doméstica or a cleaner in Buenos Aires or elsewhere in Argentina. It covers the payment itself, not the employment rules, which you should check with an accountant or a lawyer.

How to pay a nanny or housekeeper in Argentina, step by step

Ask her for the account she wants to be paid in: an alias, a CBU, a CVU or a Mercado Pago account. Most people who work in homes already have one. If you are unsure what each one is, read alias, CVU and CBU explained.
Create your CacaoCash account with your passport and load money by bank transfer from an account in your name: ACH or wire from the US, SEPA from Europe, Faster Payments from the UK, or local transfers from Mexico, Brazil or Colombia. You can also load with crypto. Details in depositing US dollars by bank transfer and depositing euros with SEPA.
Choose the send-to-alias option, paste the alias or CBU and type the amount in pesos.
Check the holder name the app shows. It must match the person you are paying. If it does not, do not send.
Check the quote: the pesos that arrive, the 2.5% fee and what it costs you. Confirm, and keep the receipt (comprobante) in the app. You can forward it by WhatsApp if she asks for proof.

Why a bank transfer works better than cash for many households

Many families pay in cash because it is how it has always been done. A transfer leaves a receipt in your app, shows up in her bank or wallet, avoids carrying pesos and lets you pay when you are not in the country. Also, if you are abroad on the day the payment is due, you do not need someone to hand over an envelope. The money arrives in seconds, 24/7, so the payment does not depend on bank hours.

One thing to agree upfront: the amount and the day. Peso prices move, so a fixed amount in pesos is the easiest to manage. If you agree on a dollar amount instead, write down which rate you use to convert it each month.

How many dollars or euros a payment costs

Pesos she receives	Dollars you need (≈, 9 Nov 2026)	Euros you need (≈, 9 Nov 2026)
200,000	≈ US$125	≈ €113
500,000	≈ US$313	≈ €282
1,000,000	≈ US$627	≈ €565
3,000,000 (limit per transfer)	≈ US$1,881	≈ €1,694

Assumptions: 1 USD ≈ 1,595 pesos that arrive and 1 EUR ≈ 1,771 pesos that arrive, both with the 2.5% fee included (app rate 1,635.45 pesos per dollar before the fee on 9 November 2026; euros loaded by SEPA with the 0.5% loading cost included, EUR/USD 1.1165 from the ECB on 6 November). The rate changes every day: the app shows the exact figure before you confirm. See today's rate on the Argentina dollar rate page.

Compared with paying in pesos with a foreign card, CacaoCash delivers up to 10% more pesos, which matters when the payment repeats every month. The reason for the gap is explained in card dollar vs crypto dollar in Argentina.

Limits for larger or advance payments

CacaoCash allows up to 3,000,000 pesos per transfer, 6,000,000 per month and 20,000,000 per year (November 2026). A monthly salary fits well within that. If you want to pay several months in advance, or a bonus on top, check large peso payments in Argentina as a foreigner and split the payment.

What CacaoCash does not do

It does not give cash. If she wants cash, she withdraws it from her own account.
It does not pay contributions, social security, taxes or VEP. It only transfers pesos to an account.
It does not register her as an employee or issue pay slips. Domestic work in Argentina has its own registration and payroll rules: talk to an accountant or a lawyer before you hire.
It does not give foreigners an Argentine account to receive pesos, and it does not open bank accounts.

Whenever you send money to someone for the first time, double-check the data with her by voice or message. For more on avoiding mistakes, read money scams in Argentina. If you also pay rent, see paying rent in Buenos Aires as a foreigner, and for the full picture read how to send pesos in Argentina as a foreigner.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay my nanny in Argentina from abroad?

Yes, if she has an alias, CBU, CVU or Mercado Pago account. You send pesos from CacaoCash and they arrive in seconds.

Does she need to open an account or download an app?

No. The person receiving only needs the account she already uses. She pays nothing to receive.

How do I know the money goes to the right person?

The app shows the account holder's name before you confirm. If it does not match, do not send.

Can I pay her salary and contributions in one go?

No. CacaoCash sends pesos to an account. It does not pay contributions or taxes, and it does not register employees. Ask an accountant how that works for your case.

Do I get a receipt for each payment?

You get a receipt in the app after each transfer. You can forward it to her by WhatsApp, and she also sees the transfer in her own account.

What if she prefers cash?

The transfer lands in her account and she can withdraw it herself at a cash machine.

Ready to pay in pesos? See how sending pesos works.