What is a SAHM's Time Worth?

What is your time worth as a SAHM? How much should you get "compensated" for doing laundry? What about picking up toys? Making lunch?

They may sound like silly questions to ask, but someone does just that every year. Salary.com, a website dedicated to compensation analysis, annually tries to place a dollar figure on the work of stay-at-home moms. Cleverly released just prior to Mother's Day every year, the report determines the time SAHMs spend on the 10 most popular "Mom job functions" and tries to equate a dollar figure.

The 2009 report determined an average annual salary of $122,732, up 5% from 2008's $116,805 (but still way shy of 2007's $138,094 figure). A good chunk of the salary came from an exorbinant amount of overtime. The typical SAHM, according to the report, spends 94.4 hours performing "mom duties."

The survey designates a percentage of the salary to the Top 10 SAHM duties. For instance, housekeeper comes in at #7 on the Mom's Duties list and accounts for 7.7% of the salary. Chief Executive Officer ranks #1 on the list accounting for 19.9% of a SAHMs salary.

You can even customize your salary based on how much time you spend on certain tasks with the Mom Salary Wizard. Or print yourself a paycheck. But I don't suggest trying to cash it. Most banks really frown upon fraud.

Don't worry dads, there is a Dad Salary Wizard too. Just in case you thought they forgot about your contribution to the family.