The short answer
- No, not as part of the weekly rateTravel to and from a placement is treated like getting to any other job. It sits outside what a carer charges unless you agree otherwise.
- Distance is what starts the conversationA short local journey rarely comes up. A placement that's hours away, or one that repeats at every changeover, often does.
- Put whatever you agree in writingPrimeCarers' contract doesn't include travel expenses in a carer's rate unless both sides have expressly agreed them in advance.
- This isn't about driving during the placementUsing a car for shopping trips or appointments once the carer has arrived is a different question, answered on its own page.
PrimeCarers introduces you to self-employed carers, so travel to the placement, like the rate itself, is something you and the carer agree directly.
The short answer
No, travel to the placement is not normally part of a carer's rate
A live-in carer moving into your relative's home for a week or several weeks is not usually paid extra for getting there. Most carers treat the journey the way anyone treats getting to a new job: their own time and their own cost, built into the rate they quote for [live-in care](/live-in-care) rather than charged separately. That is the usual starting point, not a rule, and it can be changed by agreement.
Where it tends to change is distance. A carer travelling from the next town rarely raises it. A carer travelling across the country, or one asked to start with only a day's notice, often will, and it is a reasonable thing for them to ask. How much is a live-in carer paid? sets out what the weekly rate itself typically covers; travel, when it is agreed, sits outside that figure rather than inside it.
Before you agree a placement
- Ask how far away a carer is based, early in your messages
- Raise travel as its own line, separate from the weekly rate
- Agree a figure and get it confirmed in writing before the carer sets off
- Treat a placement that repeats every few weeks differently from a one-off
Don't assume
- That distance never matters because the weekly rate is fixed
- That PrimeCarers or a carer's contract sets a travel rate for you
- That a verbal 'that's fine' from either side will be remembered the same way later
- That travel to the placement is the same question as driving during it
Two kinds of travel
Getting to the placement, and getting around once there, are different questions
The word 'travel' covers two things a family can easily run together. One is the carer's own journey to start or end a placement. The other is using a car, once the carer has moved in, to get your relative to appointments, the shops or somewhere they enjoy going. The two are agreed separately and usually have different answers.
Getting to the placement
If your relative's placement runs as a rotation between two carers, can a live-in carer work part-time? covers how that pattern usually works day to day. It is worth reading before you settle travel costs, since a rotation means the same journey happens at every changeover rather than once.
When distance matters
Where the conversation usually starts
There is no fixed distance or time at which travel becomes chargeable. Most families and carers land in one of three places, and it is worth using this as a starting point for the conversation rather than a rule.
Same town, or a short drive away
- What's typical
- Not usually raised. A carer based nearby treats getting to your relative's home like getting to any other job, and it sits inside their weekly rate rather than as a separate cost.
- What to agree
- Nothing extra to agree, though it is still worth checking the carer is comfortable with the journey for a placement that runs for several weeks.
An hour or two away, or a placement that repeats every few weeks
- What's typical
- Sometimes raised, especially once a rotation between two carers settles into a pattern and the same journey happens at every changeover rather than once.
- What to agree
- A flat amount per changeover, agreed once and used every time the carer travels to start or end their week.
Several hours away, a different region, or a one-off placement
- What's typical
- Often raised by the carer, and reasonable to expect, since the journey itself can take up the best part of a working day.
- What to agree
- A lump sum for the trip, or mileage at or near the HMRC rate, 55p a mile, if the carer is driving themselves.
None of this is set by PrimeCarers or by the live-in care contract; it is agreed between you and the carer, and it is worth raising while you are still comparing carers rather than after you have chosen one. How far do live-in carers travel? looks at the distances carers are typically willing to travel for a placement in the first place, which is useful to know before this conversation even starts.
Agreeing it in writing
How to settle it before the carer sets off
Whatever you agree, PrimeCarers' contract is clear that travel expenses are not charged unless both sides have expressly agreed them in advance, and the agreement has to be in writing. That protects you both: the carer is not relying on a verbal promise, and you are not presented with a cost you did not expect on the first invoice.
- 1
Ask early
When you message a carerMention where your relative lives and ask whether the carer has any thoughts on travel before you get further into the conversation. Most carers are upfront about it if it matters to them. - 2
Agree a figure, not a feeling
Before you confirm the placementA flat amount for the trip, or mileage if the carer is driving themselves, works better than leaving it open. If you need a starting point, the HMRC mileage rate for a car is currently 55p a mile. - 3
Get it in writing
Before day oneA short message confirming the amount and when it will be paid is enough. It is what PrimeCarers' contract requires before travel can be charged at all. - 4
Decide if it is a one-off or a recurring cost
For rotationsIf two carers are sharing a placement, work out whether the agreed amount applies once or at every changeover, so neither of you is left assuming the other has covered it.
The cost of live-in care sets out what the weekly rate itself typically covers, so you know what any agreed travel is being added to rather than taken out of.
Questions
Questions families ask about carers and travel
No, not automatically. Getting to the placement is treated as part of the carer's own arrangements, in the same way as getting to any other job, unless you and the carer expressly agree otherwise. How much is a live-in carer paid? sets out what the weekly rate itself covers.
No, they are different questions. Travel to the placement is the carer's own journey in; mileage for using a car once they have arrived, for shopping trips or appointments, is agreed separately and needs its own insurance. Can a live-in carer take a client out in their car? covers that in full.
There is no set figure. Some families agree a flat amount for the trip; others use the HMRC mileage rate as a starting point if the carer is driving themselves, currently 55p a mile for a car. What matters more than the number is agreeing it before the carer sets off and confirming it in writing.
Then none is owed. PrimeCarers' contract does not include travel expenses in a carer's rate unless both sides have expressly agreed them in advance and put the agreement in writing, so a cost that was never agreed cannot be added afterwards.
It is worth deciding that upfront rather than assuming. Many live-in placements run as a rotation between two carers, often one week on and one week off, so the same journey happens at every changeover rather than once. Can a live-in carer work part-time? covers how rotations are usually arranged.