The short answer
- The rate you see is what the carer earnsOn PrimeCarers, a carer's advertised day rate is typically £1,120 a week, from £1,050. Our fee is already built into that figure, not added on top of it.
- A traditional agency pays its own carer a wageThe family's invoice covers that wage plus the agency's overheads and margin, and the split between the two is not published.
- Three things push a carer's own day rate upPersonal care rather than company alone, complex or specialist needs, and caring for a couple. A waking-night carer is a separate addition to the week, not a change to this rate.
- Live-in care is priced by the day, not the hourPast about 35 hours a week of hourly visits, a live-in carer's flat weekly rate usually works out cheaper, and it covers the nights too.
Figures are what carers on PrimeCarers advertise, September 2026, with our fee included. Every carer sets their own rate, so the exact figure is always the one on their profile.
The short answer
What a live-in carer is paid, and what it costs your family
Three ways to arrange a live-in carer exist, and they pay the carer very differently even when the weekly figure on the invoice looks similar. The three prices differ because of who the money passes through before it reaches the carer, not because of the carer's skill.
| A week | What it means for the carer | |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional live-in agency | £1,400+ | The agency employs the carer and pays them a wage out of this figure. The family's invoice also covers the agency's own overheads and margin, and that split is not published. |
| PrimeCarers | typically £1,120, from £1,050 | The carer sets this rate themselves and keeps it. Our fee is already built into the figure on their profile, not added afterwards. |
| Fully independent carer | £980 average | Whatever the carer and family agree directly, kept in full since no fee sits between them, but with none of the vetting, insurance or contract help either. |
Traditional live-in agency
- A week
- £1,400+
- What it means for the carer
- The agency employs the carer and pays them a wage out of this figure. The family's invoice also covers the agency's own overheads and margin, and that split is not published.
PrimeCarers
- A week
- typically £1,120, from £1,050
- What it means for the carer
- The carer sets this rate themselves and keeps it. Our fee is already built into the figure on their profile, not added afterwards.
Fully independent carer
- A week
- £980 average
- What it means for the carer
- Whatever the carer and family agree directly, kept in full since no fee sits between them, but with none of the vetting, insurance or contract help either.
PrimeCarers figures are advertised rates, September 2026, with our fee included. Agency and independent figures are typical market rates rather than PrimeCarers prices.
None of the three is wrong, and each suits a different family. An agency handles everything and can usually start a placement fastest, which matters after a hospital discharge or a sudden fall. A fully independent arrangement is cheapest on paper, but there is nobody to call if it goes wrong, no DBS check kept current and no insurance while the carer works in your home. PrimeCarers sits between the two: you choose and interview the carer yourself, and their rate, insurance while they work, and the contract are handled through the platform for a fee that is already inside the figure you see. The cost of live-in care breaks down what a typical week includes, and is live-in care cheaper than a care home? sets the total cost against residential care if that is the comparison you are weighing up.
What changes the rate
Four things that shape a live-in carer's own day rate
Carers price for what the job involves, not for a flat national average. The same carer might charge one figure for a companionship role and a good deal more for a couple with advanced dementia, and the difference is not arbitrary.
- 1
Companionship and light help
£1,050–£1,120 a weekMostly independent: company, meals, prompts and a hand with the day. The starting point for a live-in day rate.
- 2
Standard personal care
£1,120–£1,260 a weekWashing, dressing, continence, medication and housekeeping. Most live-in carers on PrimeCarers charge in this band.
- 3
Complex or specialist care
£1,260–£1,750 a weekAdvanced dementia, hoisting, a stoma or PEG feed, or behaviour that needs an experienced hand. Carers with this experience price for it.
- 4
Care for a couple
around £1,350 a weekOne carer for two people, priced at roughly a fifth more than for one, not double, because most of the work is the same whichever one of you needs the hands-on help.
Rating and experience move the price too, though less predictably than the factors above: a carer with years of dementia or complex-care experience can charge more even for what looks like a standard role, because families are paying for judgement as much as hands-on tasks. What a carer is and is not expected to do, including breaks and time off within the week, is set out in what are live-in carers entitled to?, which is worth reading alongside this page since entitlements and pay are two sides of the same conversation with a carer.
Where the money goes
Why a self-employed carer is paid differently to an employed one
The clearest way to see the difference is to compare the headline weekly figures directly. The gap between the two figures is an extra layer of employment, not extra care.
£1,120
Typical weekly rate on PrimeCarers, with our fee included and the carer keeping the rest. A traditional agency typically charges £1,400 or more for a comparable week, paying the carer a wage out of that figure rather than passing the whole rate through.
PrimeCarers advertised rates, September 2026, fee included.
A carer employed by a traditional agency is not self-employed. They are paid whatever wage the agency sets, usually calculated against the hours the agency judges the role to involve, and the family's invoice on top of that wage covers the agency's recruitment, training, supervision, insurance and its own profit. None of that is a criticism of agencies, since running one properly costs real money and some families want exactly that level of support behind the placement. It does mean the headline weekly figure a family pays and the amount the carer receives are two different numbers, and only the agency knows both of them. On PrimeCarers, a carer sets their own rate because they are self-employed and responsible for their own tax and National Insurance, so there is only ever one number: the rate on their profile, which is what you pay and what they are paid, with our fee already inside it.
Day rate vs hourly rate
Why live-in care is priced by the day, not the hour
Hourly visits and live-in care are both ways of paying for the same underlying thing, somebody's time and attention, but they are priced on entirely different logic, and it helps to understand why before comparing the two.
| Priced by | Typical rate | What it covers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly visits | By the hour, per visit | £18–£25 an hour | The hours booked. Nothing is charged for the time between visits. |
| Live-in care | One flat rate, by the day or week | £1,050–£1,400 a week | A carer living in the house, covering the day and the gaps in between, priced as one figure rather than by the hour. |
Hourly visits
- Priced by
- By the hour, per visit
- Typical rate
- £18–£25 an hour
- What it covers
- The hours booked. Nothing is charged for the time between visits.
Live-in care
- Priced by
- One flat rate, by the day or week
- Typical rate
- £1,050–£1,400 a week
- What it covers
- A carer living in the house, covering the day and the gaps in between, priced as one figure rather than by the hour.
An hourly visit is paid for the time booked, so if your parent needs help at seven in the morning and again at six in the evening, you pay for those two visits and nothing in between. A live-in carer's day rate reflects a broader expectation: they are in the house the whole time, available for whatever happens between the planned tasks, and the rate is set against that availability rather than against a count of hours worked. This is also why live-in care is not simply the hourly rate multiplied by twenty-four; nobody is awake and working around the clock, and the carer's own sleep and time off are built into how they price the day. Past about 35 hours a week of hourly visits, a live-in carer's flat rate usually works out better value as well as covering the nights, which how many visits a week does my parent need? works through in detail from the hourly side.
How to start
How to find out what a carer near you charges
The figures on this page are typical ranges. The rate that matters is the one on the profile of the carer you choose, and that takes a few steps to get to.
- 1
Write down what the role involves
TodayPersonal care or company, one person or a couple, and whether nights are likely to need covering. This is what a carer prices against, so the clearer it is, the more accurate the quotes you get back will be. - 2
Search carers near you by postcode
FreeEvery profile shows the carer's own rate, their experience and their reviews. Every carer has an online interview, and their identity, right to work and enhanced DBS are checked before they appear. They are also insured while they work. - 3
Talk to two or three before deciding
This weekDescribe the role you wrote down and ask how they would price it. Rates vary between carers with similar experience, so it is worth comparing more than one before you commit. - 4
Agree the rate and any extras in writing
Before day oneConfirm the day rate, food (usually about £5–£10 a day), and anything else you have agreed, such as mileage at 55p a mile, before the carer moves in rather than assuming it is covered. - 5
Book the first week
Week 1There is no long-term contract to sign upfront. If your relative's needs are likely to be met by funding rather than paid privately, look at this alongside a needs assessment, since a direct payment can cover a carer you have already chosen.
If cost is the main worry rather than finding the right carer, how to fund live-in care goes through the routes, including Attendance Allowance and council funding, that can reduce what a family pays out of pocket.
Questions
Questions families ask about live-in carer pay
Typically £1,120 a week, starting from about £1,050 for a companionship role and rising to £1,750 or more for complex or specialist care. Every carer sets their own rate, so the figure to plan around is the one on the profile of the carer you choose, and it already includes our fee. The cost of live-in care breaks the figure down further.
The family's invoice covers more than the carer's wage. It also pays for the agency's recruitment, training, supervision, insurance and its own margin, and agencies do not usually publish how that figure splits between the carer's pay and the rest. A self-employed carer working through an introductory service such as PrimeCarers sets their own rate and keeps it, so there is one figure rather than two.
Mainly the level of care needed: companionship and light help cost the least, standard personal care such as washing, dressing and medication sits in the middle, and complex needs such as advanced dementia, hoisting or a stoma cost the most. Caring for a couple adds roughly a fifth to the rate, not double, and a carer with more experience or a strong reputation for a specific condition can charge more even for a role that otherwise looks standard.
Only if you agree it separately and in writing. A carer's day rate does not automatically include mileage for driving your relative around, or travel to reach the placement in the first place. Do live-in carers get paid for travel? covers what is usually agreed and what is not.
Yes. Carers on PrimeCarers are self-employed, so they are responsible for declaring their own income and paying their own tax and National Insurance, in the same way as any other self-employed person. You are not their employer and do not need to run a payroll for them. How self-employed carers pay tax covers it from the carer's side, if you want to understand what they are responsible for.
Below about 35 hours a week, hourly visits are usually the cheaper option, because you are only paying for the time booked. Past that point, a live-in carer's flat weekly rate tends to work out better value, and it covers the nights as well, which visits do not unless you book them separately. How many visits a week does my parent need? works through where that point falls for different levels of need.
Not twenty-four. A live-in carer's day rate reflects them being available in the house through the day and for anything that comes up at night, but they are not working every one of those hours, and their own sleep and time off are part of how the role is planned and priced. How many hours does a live-in carer work? goes through a typical day in full.