The short answer
- 48 hours for hourly visits, either sideYou can end the arrangement on 48 hours' notice, and so can the carer, from the first visit onwards.
- Live-in care moves to seven days after 168 hoursUntil the carer has been in the house for a full week, 48 hours is enough. After that the longer period applies to both sides.
- The visits inside the notice are still payableA booked visit you cancel is payable in full, apart from unplanned hospitalisation, illness, or another reason the carer agrees to.
- A safety concern ends an arrangement immediatelyNotice does not apply where there is a safety concern or serious misconduct. Care can stop the same day.
PrimeCarers is an introductory service, not a care agency, and holds no CQC registration. Carers are self-employed, so the notice period sits in the contract between your family and the carer, and PrimeCarers does not set those terms or decide disputes about them.
The notice periods
How much notice each arrangement needs
A private carer is self-employed, so there is no employer and no employee here. The notice period comes from the contract between your family and the carer, and the same document decides what you pay while the notice runs.
48 hours
of notice
Hourly visits, from the first one
Either side. You can end it, and so can the carer, on the same notice.
- What is payable
- The visits that fall inside the 48 hours stand, and a visit you cancel is payable in full. The contract makes three exceptions: unplanned hospitalisation, illness, or another reason the carer agrees to.
- Worth knowing
- Notice covers the visits already agreed and booked. Beyond those, neither side has to offer or take on more work.
48 hours
of notice
Live-in care, in the first seven days
Either side, until the carer has been in the house for 168 hours in total.
- What is payable
- The days inside the 48 hours are payable in the same way as any agreed booking.
- Worth knowing
- A live-in placement that is not going to suit usually shows itself in the first few days, and the shorter notice at the start is there for that.
7 days
of notice
Live-in care, once 168 hours have been worked
Either side, from the moment seven full days have been worked.
- What is payable
- The week of care inside the notice is payable, because those days were agreed and the carer is there to work them.
- Worth knowing
- A live-in carer is losing their bed as well as their booking, so the week gives them time to arrange somewhere to go.
A week or more
of notice
A carer you employ yourself, outside the platform
You, as the employer, and the carer, as your employee. Statutory minimum notice applies instead of a contract between two businesses.
- What is payable
- Notice is worked and paid, or paid in lieu where both sides agree to that. Your own written contract can set a longer period than the statutory minimum, but not a shorter one.
- Worth knowing
- The statutory minimum from an employer is one week after a month of service, then a week for each year of service from two years, up to twelve weeks. An employee gives one week after a month.
Notice periods for a carer found through PrimeCarers come from the contract between the client and the carer. Both sides can agree a different period in writing, which takes effect 48 hours later for hourly care and a week later for live-in care. None of it prevents care ending the same day where there is a safety concern or serious misconduct.
Government guidance on employment status puts it plainly: a self-employed person has the rights and responsibilities set out in the contract they have with their client. The first three rows come from the contract between clients and carers on PrimeCarers, under Notices. The fourth is different law for a different situation: where you have taken somebody on as your employee instead, statutory minimum notice applies, and gov.uk sets out the ladder by length of service, which also sits in section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Can I employ a private carer? sorts which of the two you have, and the private carers guide is the place to start if this is new. Sources checked 14 September 2026.
Giving notice
How to give notice to a carer
Ending an arrangement is a short piece of admin and a difficult conversation, and they are two separate jobs. Do the conversation first where the situation allows, then put the ending in writing so both of you work to the same dates.
- 1
Tell the carer before anything is sent
FirstA phone call is kinder than a message arriving out of nowhere, and it lets the carer ask what went wrong. Where you have a safety concern, skip this step. - 2
Put it in writing, and name the last day
The same dayThe contract asks for notices in writing, by email, WhatsApp or the chat on the platform. Two lines will do: that you are giving notice, and the date and time of the last visit you want worked. - 3
Decide whether you want the notice worked
Straight awayAsking the carer to work the visits inside the notice buys time to arrange cover. You can ask them to stop sooner, but those visits are still payable unless the carer agrees otherwise. - 4
Settle the last invoice and collect the keys
The final weekCheck the bookings on the platform match the visits worked. Bank holidays inside the notice are charged at one and a half times the carer's rate and Christmas Day at twice. Travel is chargeable only where it was agreed in advance in writing.
Being given notice
If the carer gives you notice, or leaves without it
Notice runs both ways. A carer can end the arrangement on the same terms you can, and they do not have to explain why. What the contract settles is what happens to the visits inside it.
| What the contract says | What it means for you | |
|---|---|---|
| The carer gives the full notice | They work the visits inside the notice and are paid as normal. | You have 48 hours, or a week for settled live-in care, to find cover. Ask them to write the routine down first. |
| The carer leaves without notice, for illness or a serious emergency | The contract treats both as reasons that excuse the shorter notice. | You are looking for cover today rather than next week. Visits not worked are not charged. |
| The carer leaves without notice for another reason | They are not paid for visits inside the notice that they did not work, and you may recover reasonable and foreseeable costs that follow, including replacement care at an equivalent rate. | Write down what covering the gap cost you and raise it with the carer. PrimeCarers can pass messages between you but does not decide the outcome. |
The carer gives the full notice
- What the contract says
- They work the visits inside the notice and are paid as normal.
- What it means for you
- You have 48 hours, or a week for settled live-in care, to find cover. Ask them to write the routine down first.
The carer leaves without notice, for illness or a serious emergency
- What the contract says
- The contract treats both as reasons that excuse the shorter notice.
- What it means for you
- You are looking for cover today rather than next week. Visits not worked are not charged.
The carer leaves without notice for another reason
- What the contract says
- They are not paid for visits inside the notice that they did not work, and you may recover reasonable and foreseeable costs that follow, including replacement care at an equivalent rate.
- What it means for you
- Write down what covering the gap cost you and raise it with the carer. PrimeCarers can pass messages between you but does not decide the outcome.
From the client and carer contract on PrimeCarers, checked 14 September 2026. PrimeCarers is not a party to that agreement and does not supervise carers.
Where a carer leaves suddenly and your relative cannot be left alone, treat it as a cover problem first and a money problem afterwards. Care at short notice covers what can be arranged in a day or two, and emergency respite is the page to read if the person who has stopped is a family carer.
Ending it the same day
When care can stop the same day
Notice periods exist so neither side is left stranded. They do not apply where somebody is at risk. The contract allows immediate termination for safety or serious misconduct, and for live-in care it says the carer's presence in the home depends on the client's continuing consent.
If you are ending it immediately
0 of 6 ticked
Reasons that do not wait for notice
What to do on the day
Who to contact
Covering the gap
Finding someone to cover once notice has been given
Whichever direction the notice went, the days after it are a scheduling problem. Start looking the same day rather than at the end of the notice, because an overlap between the old carer and the new one is what prevents a gap.
- 1
Start looking on the day notice is given
Day oneSearching by postcode is free. Every profile shows the carer's rate, experience, availability and reviews, and their identity, right to work and enhanced DBS are checked and an online interview completed before it appears. Carers are insured while they work. - 2
Message two or three, and be clear about the date
The first day or twoSay when the current arrangement ends and what the week looks like. A carer who cannot start on your date can sometimes cover part of it, and two carers sharing a week beats a gap. - 3
Hand over the care plan, and overlap the visits
The final few daysAsk the carer who is leaving to write down the routine and the medicines during their notice. An hour with both carers in the house is the easiest handover. Where that cannot happen, be at the first visit yourself.
When you are ready, you can search for carers near you and compare their rates and message the ones free then. Carers on PrimeCarers charge £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, against £28 to £35 from an agency filling the same visits. An hour every morning for a week is £126 to £175. What a private carer costs per hour breaks the rates down by area, and questions to ask a private carer at interview is worth a look first.
Questions
Questions families ask about ending an arrangement
For hourly visits booked through PrimeCarers, 48 hours, from the first visit onwards. For live-in care, 48 hours while the carer has been in the house for less than 168 hours, and seven days once they have worked a full week. Both sides can agree a different period in writing, which takes effect 48 hours later for hourly care and a week later for live-in.
Yes. Visits that were booked and agreed are payable in full where the client cancels them, and the contract makes three exceptions: unplanned hospitalisation, illness, or another reason agreed with the carer. A carer may waive part or all of it, and that is their decision. PrimeCarers does not charge anything for ending an arrangement.
Yes. The notice period does not apply where immediate termination is needed for safety or serious misconduct. For live-in care the contract says the carer's presence in the home depends on the client's continuing consent, so you can ask them to leave. Raise a safeguarding concern with your relative's local council, and ring the police if you believe a crime has been committed.
Yes, the same period applies in both directions. Where a carer ends the arrangement without notice, other than for illness or a serious emergency, the contract says they are not paid for visits inside the notice that they did not work, and that you may recover reasonable and foreseeable costs that follow, including replacement care at an equivalent rate.
Employment law applies instead, because the carer is your employee rather than a self-employed contractor. The statutory minimum from an employer is one week after a month of service, then one week for each year of service from two years onwards, up to twelve weeks. Employing a private carer covers the other duties that come with it.