Home care typically costs £25 to £38 per hour in the UK in 2026, although the final price depends on location, visit length, care needs and the provider selected.
Routine companionship or domestic support may be available from around £20 to £25 per hour. Regulated agency care involving washing, dressing, medication support or mobility assistance commonly costs closer to £30 to £38 per hour. Specialist dementia care, complex support, waking-night care and visits requiring two care workers can cost more.
The NHS currently gives a broad consumer estimate of £15 to £30 per hour, while more recent private-market data places average home care prices at approximately £26 to £38 per hour. The Homecare Association calculates that £34.42 per hour is the minimum sustainable price for legally compliant home care in England during 2026/27. That figure is an industry cost benchmark, not a legally fixed price that every customer must pay.
How Much Does Home Care Cost Per Hour in the UK at a Glance?
| Type of support | Indicative 2026 cost |
| Companionship or light home help | £20–£25 per hour |
| Routine visiting home care | £25–£38 per hour |
| Personal care through a regulated agency | £30–£38 per hour |
| Dementia or specialist care | £35–£45+ per hour |
| Two-carer visit | Often close to twice the single-carer rate |
| Sleeping-night care | Usually charged per night |
| Waking-night care | Usually charged per shift |
| Live-in care | Usually charged per day or week |
These figures are planning ranges rather than national tariffs. Families should obtain a written quotation showing the complete charge for each visit, including supplements and call-out fees.
What Does Home Care Include?
Home care, also called domiciliary care, visiting care or care at home, allows someone to receive practical and personal support without moving permanently into a residential care home.
A home care worker may help with:
- Washing, dressing and personal hygiene
- Getting into or out of bed
- Toileting and continence support
- Preparing food and drinks
- Medication reminders or administration
- Moving safely around the home
- Shopping and attending appointments
- Light housework linked to the care plan
- Companionship and emotional support
- Respite for an unpaid family carer
- Dementia-related support
- Recovery following an illness, operation or hospital stay
The NHS describes home care as a flexible service that can range from occasional weekly assistance to several visits each day. It is different from clinical treatment provided by a district nurse, although some agencies can deliver nurse-led or clinically supervised services at a higher price.
What Is a Realistic Home Care Price in 2026?
For an ordinary self-funded package arranged through a regulated home care agency, £30 to £35 per hour is a realistic starting budget in many parts of the UK.
Lower quotations may still be available where:
- The care involves companionship rather than personal care
- Visits are long and scheduled at predictable times
- The provider has several clients in the same area
- Care takes place during normal weekday hours
- The person does not require specialist support
- Prices may move above £35 per hour where care involves:
- Dementia, Parkinson’s disease or complex behaviour
- Hoisting or specialist mobility procedures
- Medication administration
- Palliative or end-of-life support
- Short or irregular visits
- Evenings, weekends or bank holidays
- Rural journeys and substantial travel time
- Two care workers attending together
The Homecare Association’s 2026/27 minimum price for home care in England is £34.42 per hour. It is intended to cover care-worker wages, employment costs, travel, mileage, training, waiting time and the operating costs of a compliant care business. It should not be interpreted as the care worker’s personal hourly wage or a compulsory retail charge.
How Much Would Home Care Cost Each Week?
The number of required care hours normally has a greater effect on the final bill than a small difference in the hourly rate.
| Weekly care required | At £25 an hour | At £30 an hour | At £35 an hour |
| 5 hours | £125 | £150 | £175 |
| 10 hours | £250 | £300 | £350 |
| 14 hours | £350 | £420 | £490 |
| 20 hours | £500 | £600 | £700 |
| 35 hours | £875 | £1,050 | £1,225 |
Two hours of support every day equals 14 hours per week. At £30 per hour, that would cost:
- £420 per week
- Approximately £1,820 per month
- £21,840 per year
These calculations assume that every visit is charged at the ordinary rate. They do not include bank-holiday premiums, travel charges, minimum visit fees or additional workers.
Do 30-Minute Visits Cost Half the Hourly Rate?
Not always.
An agency charging £32 per hour might charge £16 for a 30-minute visit, but some providers impose a minimum visit or call-out fee. A short visit can therefore cost more than half of the advertised hourly price.
For example, a provider could charge:
- £32 for a 60-minute visit
- £24 for a 45-minute visit
- £19 for a 30-minute visit
Short visits still create travel, scheduling, record-keeping and administrative costs for the provider. Families should ask for the price per visit, rather than assuming every charge will be calculated strictly by the minute.
What Factors Affect the Hourly Cost of Home Care?
Location
Home care generally costs more in London, the South East and areas where providers face high wage, property and travel costs.
Rural care can also be expensive because workers may spend substantial unpaid or paid time travelling between homes. An agency may add mileage or a geographical supplement.
Type of Care
Companionship and meal preparation tend to cost less than complex personal care.
A person who only needs help with shopping and preparing lunch may receive a lower quotation than someone requiring continence support, medication administration, hoisting or behavioural assistance.
Number of Care Workers
Some mobility procedures require two trained care workers. This is sometimes called double-handed care.
A one-hour visit involving two workers may be charged at twice the standard rate, although some providers offer a slightly reduced combined price.
Timing
Evening, overnight, weekend and bank-holiday visits may have separate rates.
Providers can use:
- A standard weekday rate
- A higher evening rate
- A weekend supplement
- A bank-holiday multiplier
- A separate waking-night or sleeping-night fee
The contract should state these charges clearly before care begins.
Visit Length
Short visits may have a high effective hourly cost because the agency must still fund travel and administration.
Longer blocks of two or three hours may offer better value where the person needs companionship, meal preparation, household support and personal care during the same visit.
Specialist Requirements
Dementia, palliative, neurological or complex clinical care may require additional training, supervision and risk management.
The provider may also charge more where a registered nurse oversees the care plan.
Is It Cheaper to Hire an Independent Carer?
An independently hired carer may charge less than a fully managed agency because there are fewer management and administration costs.
The typical self-employed carer hourly rate in the UK is approximately £18 to £30, with experienced or specialist carers potentially charging £30 to £40 or more.
However, a cheaper headline rate does not always mean a simpler arrangement.
Where a family hires someone directly, it may need to consider:
- Whether the carer is genuinely self-employed
- PAYE and payroll responsibilities
- Employers’ liability insurance
- Holiday pay and pension duties
- Sickness and emergency cover
- DBS checks
- References and training records
- Care regulation requirements
- Who replaces the carer during holidays
An agency will normally organise recruitment, supervision, care records, insurance and replacement cover. The higher rate pays for more than the time spent inside the person’s home.
Can the Council Help Pay for Home Care in England?
A local council may pay some or all of an eligible person’s home care costs, but help is not automatic.
The first step is to request a free care needs assessment. Anyone can ask for one, regardless of income or savings.
The assessment considers how the person manages everyday activities such as:
- Washing and dressing
- Cooking and eating
- Using the toilet
- Moving around safely
- Taking medication
- Maintaining relationships
- Keeping the home safe
Where eligible needs are identified, the council usually completes a financial assessment to decide how much the person must contribute.
In England, the council generally helps with care costs where savings are below £23,250, although income, benefits, disability-related expenditure and other financial circumstances are also considered.
Importantly, the value of the person’s main home is not included in the financial assessment when a paid carer is supporting them in that home.
Someone with more than £23,250 in savings will usually be expected to self-fund, but should still request a needs assessment. The council can provide care-planning advice and may become involved later if savings fall.
How Do Home Care Funding Rules Differ Across the UK?
Social care is devolved, so charging systems are not identical in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
England
Home care is normally means-tested. Savings, income, benefits and eligible disability-related expenses are considered after a needs assessment.
There is no universal weekly cap on what an English council can charge for non-residential care.
Wales
Welsh local authorities must carry out a financial assessment before charging for non-residential care.
The Welsh Government’s social care charging rules state that the maximum charge for non-residential care is £100 per week. Savings and investments over £24,000 may affect the assessment, but the value of the person’s home is not included for this purpose.
The £100 maximum applies to council-arranged eligible support. It does not restrict what a private agency can charge a self-funding customer.
Scotland
Personal care provided or arranged by a Scottish local authority is free where an assessment confirms that it is needed. This can include help with washing, dressing and getting into or out of bed.
Other services, such as cleaning, shopping or general domestic assistance, may still be charged for following a financial assessment.
The official Scottish information on care available at home confirms that free personal care is available regardless of age or means where the assessed eligibility conditions are met. Privately arranged care remains chargeable.
Northern Ireland
Health and Social Care Trusts assess care needs and may arrange domiciliary support. Private home care agencies set their own charges.
Families should contact the relevant Trust to establish:
- What support has been approved
- How many visits or hours are included
- Whether any contribution is required
- Whether direct payments are available
- When the care plan will be reviewed
Private domiciliary care providers in Northern Ireland are regulated by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority.
Can the NHS Pay the Full Cost of Home Care?
Some people with complex, primarily health-related needs qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare.
NHS Continuing Healthcare can pay the full cost of an assessed care package in the person’s own home. Eligibility is based on the nature, intensity, complexity and unpredictability of the person’s needs, not simply on their diagnosis.
A person does not automatically qualify because they:
- Have dementia
- Have cancer
- Have Parkinson’s disease
- Use a wheelchair
- Need help every day
- Have substantial savings
An initial checklist may lead to a full multidisciplinary assessment. Where health is deteriorating rapidly and the person may be nearing the end of life, a fast-track assessment may be appropriate.
Is Home Care Free After Leaving Hospital?
Some people may receive free short-term support after illness, injury or hospital discharge.
This is commonly known as intermediate care or reablement. In England, it may be available free for up to six weeks, although availability and the actual duration depend on local provision and assessed needs.
Reablement is intended to help someone regain independence rather than provide indefinite ongoing care. It may include:
- Help washing and dressing
- Support preparing meals
- Mobility practice
- Equipment and minor adaptations
- Assistance rebuilding daily routines
Long-term needs are normally reassessed before the free period ends.
Can Attendance Allowance Help Pay for Home Care?
Attendance Allowance can help State Pension-age adults who have a disability or health condition that creates qualifying care or supervision needs.
The 2026/27 weekly rates are:
- £76.70 at the lower rate
- £114.60 at the higher rate
A claimant does not need to employ a carer to qualify. The money can be used flexibly towards care, heating, transport, household assistance or other disability-related costs.
At a home care rate of £30 per hour:
- The lower rate could cover approximately 2.5 hours per week
- The higher rate could cover approximately 3.8 hours per week
Attendance Allowance will rarely cover an extensive care package by itself, but it can reduce the amount paid from savings or pension income.
People in Scotland normally claim Pension Age Disability Payment instead of making a new Attendance Allowance claim.
Benefit income can also affect a council financial assessment. People receiving benefits while earning additional income should check how side income interacts with means-tested and non-means-tested benefits before making financial assumptions.
Is Home Care Cheaper Than a Care Home?
Home care is often cheaper where someone needs a limited number of visits each week.
For example, ten hours of care at £30 per hour costs £300 per week. This may be substantially less than full-time residential care.
The comparison becomes less straightforward when someone needs:
- Several long visits each day
- Continuous supervision
- Two care workers
- Frequent waking-night support
- Extensive household assistance
- Rapid emergency cover
Seven hours of visiting care per day at £30 per hour would cost £1,470 per week. At that point, live-in care, supported living or residential care may need to be compared.
Live-in care does not mean that a worker provides uninterrupted active care for 24 hours. Breaks, sleeping arrangements, maximum working expectations and night-time interruptions must be agreed.
What Should Be Included in a Home Care Quote?
A written quotation should explain more than the standard hourly rate.
Families should look for:
- The exact weekday hourly charge
- The cost of 30-minute and 45-minute visits
- Minimum visit duration
- Evening and weekend rates
- Bank-holiday charges
- Travel or mileage fees
- Call-out charges
- Two-carer pricing
- Overnight fees
- Cancellation rules
- Annual price-review arrangements
- Notice required to end the service
- What tasks are included
- What happens when the regular carer is unavailable
Ask whether the quoted hour means 60 minutes in the home or whether part of it can be used for travel or administration.
How Can Someone Check a Home Care Provider?
A provider should be checked with the appropriate regulator before a contract is signed.
In England, the Care Quality Commission’s home care directory allows families to review registration details, inspection findings and ratings.
A good provider should also be willing to explain:
- How care workers are recruited and checked
- What training they receive
- How medication is managed
- How missed visits are handled
- How safeguarding concerns are reported
- Whether the same workers can attend regularly
- How complaints are investigated
Price matters, but reliability, continuity and safe care planning should not be sacrificed solely to obtain the lowest quotation.
What Is the Latest Position on UK Home Care Costs?
Home care prices are under continued pressure from wage increases, travel costs, employer contributions, recruitment difficulties and regulatory requirements.
The Homecare Association’s 2026/27 calculation places the sustainable cost of compliant home care in England at £34.42 per hour. At the same time, some councils and NHS commissioners continue to purchase care at rates below the association’s estimated sustainable level.
This helps explain why private customers may see quotations above £30 per hour even when the individual care worker earns considerably less.
The wider debate over long-term funding is continuing. Reported options such as a new earnings-based contribution remain proposals rather than current taxes, as explained in the latest assessment of the reported DHSC social care income tax.
Families should base present decisions on current council, NHS and benefit rules rather than unconfirmed future reforms.
Conclusion
Home care generally costs £25 to £38 per hour in the UK in 2026, with £30 to £35 representing a realistic budget for many standard regulated agency packages.
The real cost depends on the number of hours, visit duration, location, care complexity, number of workers and timing. Weekend visits, bank holidays, waking nights and specialist support can raise the charge significantly.
Before paying privately, the person should request a free needs assessment, complete any available financial assessment, check NHS Continuing Healthcare eligibility and review benefit entitlement.
At least two or three written quotations should be compared on a like-for-like basis. The lowest hourly figure may not be the cheapest overall once call-out fees, travel charges, short-visit pricing and weekend supplements are included.
Care funding and benefit entitlement depend on individual circumstances and the rules applying in the relevant UK nation. Personal financial or legal decisions should be checked with the local authority, NHS body or an appropriately qualified adviser.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a private carer per hour in the UK?
A private carer generally costs approximately £25 to £38 per hour through a home care agency. An independent carer may charge around £18 to £30, while specialist support may cost £35 to £45 per hour or more.
What is the average cost of elderly home care per hour?
A sensible 2026 planning estimate is £30 to £35 per hour for routine regulated agency care. Prices can be lower for companionship and higher for dementia, complex or night care.
How much does ten hours of home care cost each week?
Ten hours costs £250 per week at £25 per hour, £300 at £30 per hour or £350 at £35 per hour.
How much does two hours of home care a day cost?
Two hours each day equals 14 hours per week. That costs approximately £350 per week at £25 an hour, £420 at £30 or £490 at £35.
Does the council pay for home care?
A council may contribute after completing a care needs assessment and financial assessment. Eligibility depends on the person’s needs, finances and the rules applying in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Is home care free for someone with dementia?
Dementia does not automatically make home care free. Council support is generally subject to assessment, while NHS Continuing Healthcare depends on the nature, complexity, intensity and unpredictability of the person’s health needs.
Is the value of the house counted when paying for care at home?
In England, the value of the main home is not included in the financial assessment while the person continues living there and receives care at home.Different rules apply to a permanent move into residential care.
Are home care visits more expensive at weekends?
They can be. Some providers charge the same rate throughout the week, while others apply evening, weekend and bank-holiday supplements.
Does home care include cleaning?
Light housework may be included where it supports the person’s assessed care needs. General cleaning, gardening and larger domestic tasks may be excluded or charged separately.
Is live-in care charged by the hour?
Live-in care is normally priced per day or per week rather than by every active hour. The agreement should state sleeping arrangements, breaks, night-time support and any additional charges.
Can Attendance Allowance be used for home care?
Yes. Attendance Allowance can be used towards home care or other disability-related costs. It does not have to be paid directly to a care provider.
How often can a home care provider increase its fees?
There is no universal timetable. The service contract should explain when fees can be reviewed, how much notice must be given and whether increases apply automatically each year.
