The amount you pay for care at home (also known as 'domiciliary care') will depend on the level of care you need and the type of care provider you choose.
It may also vary depending on where you live in the UK.
Most home care agencies will quote an hourly rate for domiciliary care services. Fees for live-in care are usually calculated on a weekly basis.
Each year the Homecare Association calculates the minimum rate that local authorities should pay to home care agencies for domiciliary care services. In 2024-25 the Homecare Association recommends that local authorities should pay a minimum of £28.53 per hour when they are funding home care services.
This is the minimum rate at which home care agencies can deliver a financially sustainable service and also comply with the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.
But the Homecare Association also says that councils should ideally go beyond this minimum rate and pay a higher price to enable agencies to meet the non-statutory UK, Scottish and London Living Wages.
These higher rates factor in extra agency costs, such as travel expenses and office costs.
The recommended higher rates for 2024-25 are:
London: £31.70 per hour Elsewhere in the UK: £29.52 per hour
These rates are recommendations aimed at local authorities and are not fixed in law, but they give a useful indication of the kind of home care fees you can typically expect to be charged.
If you're paying for your own care, an agency can charge whatever it believes to be a fair and competitive price.
But you can expect to pay at least the minimum rate of £20+ per hour.
