How much does a carer cost per hour?
Most published figures are for England and for care arranged through an agency. They show three different things: what councils pay, what agencies say a sustainable price is, and the broad range the NHS gives the public.
| Benchmark | Per hour | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Average council fee to homecare agencies | £25.37 | Homecare Association, 107 councils, 2026–27 |
| Average cost of an hour of externally provided home care | £24.72 | DHSC finance report, 2025 to 2026 |
| Minimum Price for Homecare (care workers on the National Living Wage) | £34.42 | Homecare Association, 2026–27 |
| Minimum Price with care workers on the London Living Wage | £38.69 | Homecare Association, 2026–27 |
| Range the NHS gives for help at home from a paid carer | £15 to £30 | NHS, page reviewed January 2024 |
Council rates vary by area. For 2026/27, Solihull’s standard rate for care at home is £25.84 an hour, Buckinghamshire’s standard home care rate is £26.49, and Oxfordshire’s ceiling rate for homecare is £30.87.
The Homecare Association found that none of the council contracts it reviewed for 2026–27 met its Minimum Price. If you pay for your own care, expect to be quoted more than the council rate in your area, and ask every agency or carer for their rate in writing.
Agency, private and self-employed carers: why prices differ
An agency’s hourly price pays for more than the carer. In the Homecare Association’s 2026–27 calculation, £26.17 of the £34.42 goes on care worker costs: the National Living Wage for all working time, including travel and waiting time between visits, plus holiday pay, employer’s National Insurance and pension. The other £8.25 covers running a regulated service, including managers, coordinators and supervisors.
A self-employed carer sets their own rate. There is no agency between you, so the rate can be lower than an agency’s for the same hours, but the carer has their own costs to cover: holidays, travel, insurance, training and tax. You also take on the checks an agency would do. The guide to hiring a self-employed carer covers them.
Through VerriPro, the Professional sets their rate, and VerriPro adds a 13.5% platform fee, plus VAT on the fee where it applies. You see the total in £ before you book. For a Professional who charges £22 an hour, the fee is £2.97, so the hour costs £24.97 plus any VAT on the fee.
Overnight and waking-night care costs
Night care comes in two forms, and they are priced differently:
- A sleeping night (sleep-in): the carer sleeps at the home and is there if needed. It is usually priced per night.
- A waking night: the carer stays awake and works through the night. It is usually priced by the hour, like daytime care.
There is no NHS or GOV.UK figure for private night care. Council rates give a sense of scale: Oxfordshire’s 2026/27 ceiling rate for a sleep-in is £84.97 a night.
For care workers who are employed, GOV.UK guidance says sleep-in time counts for the minimum wage only when the worker is “awake for the purposes of working”. That is one reason agencies price sleeping and waking nights so differently.
Live-in care costs
The NHS says having a carer who lives with you “costs from around £800 a week. But it can cost as much as £1,600 a week if you need a lot of care.” As a council example, Oxfordshire’s 2026/27 ceiling rate for live-in care with breaks is £1,600.64 a week.
Before you compare live-in prices, check what each one includes:
- the carer’s breaks each day, and who covers them;
- days off, holidays and the cost of a replacement carer;
- whether night-time help is included, or charged on top;
- food and a private bedroom for the carer, which you usually provide.
What VerriPro Professionals charge
Every Professional on VerriPro sets their own hourly rate and shows it on their profile. The total, including VerriPro’s 13.5% platform fee, is shown in £ before you book.
VerriPro publishes rate ranges by role here only once at least 10 Professionals in that role have set a rate, so a handful of profiles cannot skew them. No role has reached that yet. Until then, compare the rates on the area pages or search by postcode.
Help with paying for care
Council support
The NHS says a needs assessment from your council “is free and anyone can ask for one”. If you are eligible, a financial assessment works out what you pay. In England, the limits for 2026 to 2027 stay at £23,250 (upper) and £14,250 (lower). Above the upper limit you usually pay in full; for care at home, the NHS says the value of your home is not counted.
Direct payments
If the council funds your care, you can ask for the money as direct payments and arrange the care yourself, including hiring a carer or personal assistant. GOV.UK notes that you may become an employer if you pay someone to care for you.
Attendance Allowance
If you have reached State Pension age and need help caring for yourself, or someone to supervise you for safety, Attendance Allowance is £76.70 a week (lower rate) or £114.60 a week (higher rate) for 2026 to 2027. It is not means-tested.
NHS continuing healthcare
If your needs are mainly health needs, you may qualify for NHS continuing healthcare: care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. Eligibility depends on your assessed needs, not on a diagnosis, and your integrated care board must assess you if it seems you may need it.
Costs by area
Rates differ between and within regions. The Homecare Association’s 2026–27 survey found average council fees ranging from £22.66 an hour in Greater London to £27.18 in the South West. To see what Professionals on VerriPro charge where you live, open your area: