How much does home care cost per hour in the UK?

There is no single national price for home care, but there is a well-evidenced floor, and it is more useful than the vague ranges most sites quote.

The number that actually means something

The Homecare Association publishes an annual Minimum Price for Homecare: the hourly rate a provider must charge to pay careworkers legally and run a compliant business. For England in 2026/27 that is £34.42 an hour.

That figure covers:

• The National Living Wage for all working time, including travel between visits and waiting time
• Mileage reimbursement
• Holiday pay and employer National Insurance
• Pension contributions
• The cost of running a CQC-registered business

It is a cost-of-delivery floor, not a profit margin. A provider charging much less than this is either paying staff badly, not paying for travel time, or heading for trouble.

What councils actually pay

Councils in England pay an average of £25.05 an hour, against a calculated minimum of £34.42.

That gap of roughly nine pounds an hour is the central fact of English home care, and it explains a great deal that otherwise looks inexplicable:

• Why providers hand back council contracts
• Why council-arranged visits are short and tightly scheduled
• Why carer turnover is high and continuity is poor
• Why self-funders are often quoted more than the council pays, and are in effect subsidising the council rate

What you will pay as a self-funder

Expect quotes at or above the minimum price, with real variation by region and by the shape of the care:

• Shorter visits cost more per hour. A 30 minute call is rarely half the price of an hour, because travel and scheduling costs are the same.
• Evenings, weekends and bank holidays carry enhanced rates.
• Two carers for moving and handling doubles the rate for that visit.
• Live-in care is priced weekly rather than hourly, and becomes competitive against hourly care at high volumes.
• London and the South East sit at the top of the range.

We do not publish regional hourly tables, because we have not found a primary published source for private-pay rates that we would be willing to put someone’s budget on. Ring three local agencies and ask for a written quote. That is the only number that matters to you.

Questions worth asking before you sign

• Is the price different for evenings, weekends and bank holidays?
• What is the minimum visit length, and what is the price for it?
• Do you charge for travel time or mileage on top?
• What happens if a visit is missed, and how is that refunded?
• What is the notice period, and are there cancellation charges?
• How many different carers should we expect in a typical month?
• Do you charge extra for two carers, and how is that decided?

Continuity is the thing families care most about afterwards and ask least about beforehand.

Home care versus a care home

For a few hours a week, home care is far cheaper than residential care. As hours climb, the comparison narrows, because a care home price includes accommodation, meals and round-the-clock cover in a single figure.

Where the crossover falls depends on how many hours you need, whether you need waking nights, and what your home costs to run. If you are approaching daily visits plus night cover, it is worth pricing both properly rather than assuming home is cheaper.

How to pay less than the sticker price

Get a council needs assessment. It is free and it is your right regardless of savings. Even as a self-funder the council must assess you, and it can arrange care on your behalf, sometimes at its own contracted rates.

Claim Attendance Allowance or PIP. Neither is means tested. At the higher Attendance Allowance rate that is £114.60 a week, £5,959 a year, going straight towards care costs. Use our Attendance Allowance checker.

Check NHS Continuing Healthcare. If needs are primarily health needs, the NHS pays for everything with no means test. Read what actually qualifies.

Ask about disability related expenditure. If the council does fund you, it must deduct disability-related costs from your assessed income. This is routinely missed and can cut your contribution substantially.

Consider direct payments. Taking the money and arranging care yourself can stretch it further, though it comes with employer responsibilities if you hire directly.

Work out your own position

Our care fees means test calculator applies the 2026/27 England rules to your figures and shows what the council would likely ask you to contribute, and what it would pay.

Then find CQC-registered home care agencies in your area and get three written quotes.