The short answer
An hour of care, by route
| An hour, weekdays | Who employs the carer | |
|---|---|---|
| Agency offices that publish a price | £28.99 to £39.50 | The agency |
| Homecare Association minimum price | £34.42 | What it says an agency needs to charge to pay carers properly and stay viable |
| Self-employed carer through an introductory service | About £18 to £32, fees included | Nobody: you hire the carer |
| Hiring someone you already know, no service | About £16 to £18 | You, or they are self-employed |
Agency offices that publish a price
- An hour, weekdays
- £28.99 to £39.50
- Who employs the carer
- The agency
Homecare Association minimum price
- An hour, weekdays
- £34.42
- Who employs the carer
- What it says an agency needs to charge to pay carers properly and stay viable
Self-employed carer through an introductory service
- An hour, weekdays
- About £18 to £32, fees included
- Who employs the carer
- Nobody: you hire the carer
Hiring someone you already know, no service
- An hour, weekdays
- About £16 to £18
- Who employs the carer
- You, or they are self-employed
The agency and introductory figures are set out with their sources below. Prices vary a lot by area, and most agencies charge more at weekends and on bank holidays.
What agencies charge
Hourly prices that agency offices publish
Most home care agencies give prices only after an assessment. These local offices publish theirs. Each office of a franchise sets its own price, so the same brand costs different amounts in different towns.
| Weekday hour | Weekend hour | |
|---|---|---|
| Bluebird Care Calderdale | £28.99 (30 minutes £21.99) | Not published |
| Bluebird Care Stevenage & North Herts | £34 | £39 (bank holidays £48) |
| Radfield Home Care Liverpool North & Sefton | £36.75 | £38.75 |
| Bluebird Care Peterborough & Oundle | £37.50 | £39 |
| Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead | £38.95 | £41.95 (bank holidays double) |
| Radfield Home Care Derby, Ashbourne & South Derbyshire | £39.50 | £41.50 |
Bluebird Care Calderdale
- Weekday hour
- £28.99 (30 minutes £21.99)
- Weekend hour
- Not published
Bluebird Care Stevenage & North Herts
- Weekday hour
- £34
- Weekend hour
- £39 (bank holidays £48)
Radfield Home Care Liverpool North & Sefton
- Weekday hour
- £36.75
- Weekend hour
- £38.75
Bluebird Care Peterborough & Oundle
- Weekday hour
- £37.50
- Weekend hour
- £39
Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead
- Weekday hour
- £38.95
- Weekend hour
- £41.95 (bank holidays double)
Radfield Home Care Derby, Ashbourne & South Derbyshire
- Weekday hour
- £39.50
- Weekend hour
- £41.50
Read on each office's own page on 5 November 2026; none gives a date for its price.
Sources: Bluebird Care Calderdale, Bluebird Care Stevenage, Radfield Liverpool North, Bluebird Care Peterborough, Bluebird Care Camden, Radfield Derby.
The Homecare Association, the trade body for home care providers, puts its Minimum Price for Homecare in England for 2026-27 at £34.42 an hour, and says councils pay an average of £25.37 (Homecare Association). Private clients usually pay more than councils do.
What self-employed carers cost
Hourly prices through introductory services
Self-employed carers set their own rates. These are the figures each service publishes, with its fee added where it charges one on top.
| An hour | The service's fee | |
|---|---|---|
| Care.com (directory) | £15.08 average for elderly care | Paid membership for some features. Its terms say it does not check DBS |
| PrimeCarers | £18 to £25, typically £19.47 | Inside the price: 20% on visits under 6 hours |
| Curam | About £22.96 with its fee (£20.50 average, August 2025) | 12% client fee added to invoices |
| TrustonTap | About £27.56 with its fee (£23 to £34, average £26) | 5% administration fee plus VAT |
| Elder (visiting, some cities) | From £30 | Inside the price |
| Gladys (south-west England) | From £32 | Not published separately |
Care.com (directory)
- An hour
- £15.08 average for elderly care
- The service's fee
- Paid membership for some features. Its terms say it does not check DBS
PrimeCarers
- An hour
- £18 to £25, typically £19.47
- The service's fee
- Inside the price: 20% on visits under 6 hours
Curam
- An hour
- About £22.96 with its fee (£20.50 average, August 2025)
- The service's fee
- 12% client fee added to invoices
TrustonTap
- An hour
- About £27.56 with its fee (£23 to £34, average £26)
- The service's fee
- 5% administration fee plus VAT
Elder (visiting, some cities)
- An hour
- From £30
- The service's fee
- Inside the price
Gladys (south-west England)
- An hour
- From £32
- The service's fee
- Not published separately
From each service's own pages: Care.com elderly care (its November 2026 figure), PrimeCarers pricing, Curam client information, TrustonTap pricing and Elder visiting care read on 5 November 2026, Gladys client questions read on 4 November 2026.
Not every introductory service is cheaper than every agency: Elder and Gladys publish visiting prices close to an agency's. The saving comes from the carer's own rate, so compare carers, not just services. Care.com is a directory rather than an introductory service, and says in its terms that it does not check whether carers have a valid DBS, so you would do every check yourself. Alternatives to Gladys and alternatives to Care.com list other services of each kind, with what each publishes.
Over a week
What 14 hours a week costs each way
Two one-hour visits a day, every day, is a common starting pattern.
| 14 hours a week | Over a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed carer at £19.47 (PrimeCarers typical) | £273 | £14,174 |
| Agency at £34.42 (Homecare Association minimum) | £482 | £25,058 |
| Agency at £39.50 (highest weekday price above) | £553 | £28,756 |
Self-employed carer at £19.47 (PrimeCarers typical)
- 14 hours a week
- £273
- Over a year
- £14,174
Agency at £34.42 (Homecare Association minimum)
- 14 hours a week
- £482
- Over a year
- £25,058
Agency at £39.50 (highest weekday price above)
- 14 hours a week
- £553
- Over a year
- £28,756
Weekday rates only. Weekend and bank holiday rates raise both, and agencies often charge more for visits under an hour.
At those rates a self-employed carer saves about £209 a week against an agency charging the minimum price, or about £10,868 a year. The hourly cost of care at home covers visit lengths, nights and weekends.
What the difference buys
What an agency's higher price pays for
The gap is not just profit. An agency takes on jobs that, with a self-employed carer, fall to you.
| Agency | Self-employed carer | |
|---|---|---|
| Who chooses the carer | The agency, from its rota | You, after meeting them |
| Same carer each visit | Depends on the agency's rota | Yes, unless they are away |
| Cover for illness and holidays | The agency sends someone | You arrange it with the carer, with help from the service |
| Checks and training | The agency's responsibility | Depends on the service; check what it verifies and ask the carer the rest |
| Regulated by the CQC | Yes | No: the carer is not required to register |
| Employment costs | In the price: holiday pay, National Insurance, pension | The carer handles their own tax and insurance |
Who chooses the carer
- Agency
- The agency, from its rota
- Self-employed carer
- You, after meeting them
Same carer each visit
- Agency
- Depends on the agency's rota
- Self-employed carer
- Yes, unless they are away
Cover for illness and holidays
- Agency
- The agency sends someone
- Self-employed carer
- You arrange it with the carer, with help from the service
Checks and training
- Agency
- The agency's responsibility
- Self-employed carer
- Depends on the service; check what it verifies and ask the carer the rest
Regulated by the CQC
- Agency
- Yes
- Self-employed carer
- No: the carer is not required to register
Employment costs
- Agency
- In the price: holiday pay, National Insurance, pension
- Self-employed carer
- The carer handles their own tax and insurance
On PrimeCarers, every carer has an ID check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS (or PVG or Access NI) issued within the last 2 years and an online interview. We do not verify references, qualifications or training, so ask the carer about those yourself. Private carers vs agency carers covers choice, continuity and who is responsible for what in more depth.
Questions
Questions about the cost of a self-employed carer or an agency
A self-employed carer is usually cheaper. On PrimeCarers they cost £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, and Curam and TrustonTap averages come to about £23 to £28 with their fees, while agency offices that publish prices charge about £29 to £40 an hour on weekdays. The Homecare Association's minimum price for agencies in England for 2026-27 is £34.42 an hour. The agency price includes cover, supervision and CQC registration.
Agency offices that publish prices charge from £28.99 (Bluebird Care Calderdale) to £39.50 (Radfield Home Care Derby) for a weekday hour, more at weekends. The Homecare Association says £34.42 an hour is the minimum an agency in England needs to charge in 2026-27.
Self-employed carers set their own rates. On PrimeCarers they charge £18 to £25 an hour, typically £19.47, with our fee included. Curam's average was £20.50 (August 2025) before its 12% client fee, and TrustonTap publishes £23 to £34 plus a 5% fee and VAT.
Mainly guaranteed cover. If a self-employed carer is ill or on holiday, you arrange a replacement with them and the service rather than the agency sending someone. You also supervise the care yourself, because the carer is not regulated by the CQC. In return you choose the carer and usually see the same person each visit.