DATA-BACKED GUIDE · UPDATED JULY 2026
How much does home care cost per hour in the UK?
Home care, sometimes called domiciliary care, is a carer coming to the house to help with things like washing, dressing, meals and medication. It is priced by the hour, and that hourly rate is the building block of a whole care package. Fifteen minutes twice a day looks cheap, but several visits a day, seven days a week, adds up faster than people expect. Rates are rarely published, and what you pay depends heavily on whether the council arranges the care or you buy it yourself, and on which agency or provider is doing the arranging.
The quick version
- Home care is charged per hour, and short visits several times a day are how the weekly cost builds up, not the headline rate alone.
- Rates rise at weekends, on bank holidays and for early or late calls, so a like-for-like comparison has to use the same time slot.
- Councils negotiate lower hourly rates than a self-funder buying the same care privately, because they commission in bulk.
- If your capital is below the upper capital limit, the council may fund some or all of your care after a means test, with your income taken into account too.
- When needs grow, live-in care can work out cheaper per week than many hours of separate visits, so it is worth costing both once visits get frequent.
- Two carers for a hoist transfer or other specialist tasks cost more per visit than a simple check-in, so ask what is included before comparing quotes.
What people actually paid
Where these 14 prices come from — 6 named sources
- mumsnet.com
- caresourcer.com
- homecareassociation.org.uk
- ageuk.org.uk
- trinityhomecare.co.uk
- helpinghandshomecare.co.uk
Each is a published price list, an official survey, or a receipt/quote a reader shared. The full per-price list with year and area is on the home care (hourly) page.
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 23% less than the advertised list price for home care (hourly).
List prices are advertised prices; paid figures are what people reported, often for different cases. Treat the gap as a signal, not a quote.
Real prices, in people's own words
- £13“We paid my sister half the going rate for a carer for her to look after mum for 20 hours a week, at the time it worked out that we gave her £12.50 an hour.”
- £15“We used a brilliant agency called Extra Help. It was £15 per hour including agency fee.”
- £21“I pay £13.20 for a half hour, I think it's about £21 for a full hour.”
- £25“Depending on the requirements, it's anything between £18 to £25 an hour.”
- £25“In London I pay £25 for an hour visit in the morning for mum.”
- £26“Standard rates round here (Bristol) seem to be about £24-£28/h.”
Genuine amounts posted publicly. We publish the price and the quote, never the person.
Why the price varies so much
The hourly rate depends first on where you live, since carers' wages and travel costs differ across the country and feed straight into the price, so a rate quoted in one region will not hold in another. Timing matters too, because early mornings, evenings, weekends and bank holidays usually carry a higher rate than a weekday daytime call. Then there is how the care is arranged. Councils commission home care in bulk and pay less per hour, so someone buying privately is generally quoted more for the same visit. Who runs the agency matters as well: some home care providers are small, independently owned local businesses, others are franchises of a national brand, and others are part of larger corporate groups, and their cost bases and pricing can differ even for a similar service in the same town. Complexity plays a part too, since two carers for a hoist transfer, or specialist tasks, cost more than a simple check-in. Because so few agencies publish rates, the real figures other families report are the most reliable guide, especially once you add up a full week rather than a single visit.
How to pay less
- Ask your council for a needs assessment, since even self-funders can be pointed towards better-value providers as part of that process.
- Get the hourly rate in writing, including weekend, bank holiday and short-visit charges, so you are comparing the same thing across quotes.
- Check whether Attendance Allowance can help fund the visits, as it is not means tested.
- Work out the true weekly cost of all your visits, then compare it with live-in care if needs are heavy rather than judging on the hourly rate alone.
- Ask about a minimum visit length, because paying an hourly rate for a fifteen-minute call is poor value.
- Ask how travel time between calls is charged, since some agencies fold it into the rate and others bill it separately.
Common questions
Is home care cheaper than a care home?
It can be, particularly when someone needs only a few visits a day. The economics flip as needs grow. Once you are paying for several long visits daily, or overnight support, the weekly total can match or beat a residential care place, and live-in care may then be better value than lots of separate hourly calls.
Will the council pay for my home care?
Maybe, depending on a means test. If your capital is below the upper capital limit, the council may fund some or all of your care, though your income is usually taken into account. In Scotland, personal care at home is provided free to those assessed as needing it, and Wales caps what councils charge for non-residential care, so the rules differ by nation. This is general information, not financial advice.
Why do agencies charge for a full hour when the visit is shorter?
Some do, and it is worth asking about. Carers have to travel between clients, and agencies price that in, so a short call can still be billed at or near an hourly rate. Ask about minimum visit lengths and how travel time is charged before you commit, because it makes a real difference to the weekly bill.
Does the hourly rate include weekends and bank holidays?
Usually not at the same price. Weekend, evening and bank holiday calls are commonly charged at a higher rate than weekday daytime visits, so a quote based only on a Tuesday morning slot will understate a real week that includes any of those times. Always ask for the rate card covering every time slot you actually need, not just the cheapest one.
Is a private agency always more expensive than council-arranged care?
Generally yes for the same type of visit, because councils negotiate bulk rates that an individual self-funder cannot match. That said, a private arrangement can still work out better value overall if it comes with a shorter minimum visit, less travel-time billing, or a provider whose ownership and pricing structure suits your budget, so it is worth getting quotes rather than assuming either route is cheaper.
How do I compare quotes from different home care providers fairly?
Ask each provider for the same details: the hourly rate at the time slots you need, any minimum visit length, how travel between calls is charged, and whether two carers are needed for any tasks. Add these up over a full week rather than comparing single hourly rates, since that is what actually determines the bill, and factor in whether the provider is a small independent business or part of a larger group, as service and pricing structures can differ.