Purpose To assess performance of existing wear/nonwear time classification algorithms for accelerometry data collected in the free-living environment using a wrist-worn triaxial accelerometer and a waist-worn uniaxial accelerometer in older adults. Methods Twenty-nine adults aged 76 to 96 years wore wrist accelerometers for ~24-h per day and waist accelerometers during waking for ~7 days of free-living. Wear and nonwear times were classified by existing algorithms (Alg[Actilife], Alg[Troiano] and Alg[Choi]) and compared with wear and nonwear times identified by data plots and diary records. Using bias and probability of correct classification, performance of the algorithms, two time-windows (60- and 90-min), and vector magnitude (VM) vs. vertical axis (V) counts from a triaxial accelerometer, were compared. Results Automated algorithms (Alg[Choi] and Alg[Troiano]) classified wear/nonwear time intervals more accurately from VM than V counts. The use of 90-min time window improved wear/nonwear classification accuracy when compared with the 60-min window. The Alg[Choi] and Alg[Troiano] performed better than the manufacturer-provided algorithm (Alg[Actilife]), and Alg[Choi] performed better than Alg[Troiano] for wear/nonwear time classification using data collected by both accelerometers. Conclusions Triaxial wrist-worn accelerometer can be used for an accurate wear/nonwear time classification in free-living older adults. The use of 90-min window and VM counts improves performance of commonly used algorithms for wear/nonwear classification for both uniaxial and triaxial accelerometers.