How Much to Charge for Private Pay Caregiving Per Hour
Independent private-pay caregivers typically charge $22–$38 per hour depending on region and skill level, with a 3–4 hour minimum visit, an awake-overnight rate at or slightly above the day rate, a live-in day rate of roughly $200–$350, holiday hours at 1.5×, and mileage billed separately for transport. Rates sit below agency pricing because there's no agency overhead, but well above the take-home an agency caregiver actually receives.
The baseline numbers
- Hourly — $22–$38, by region and skill level
- Minimum visit — 3–4 hours
- Awake overnight — at or above your day rate
- Asleep overnight — flat night rate, with a wakeup clause
- Live-in day rate — $200–$350, priced as a day, never hourly × 24
- Holiday — 1.5×, with the specific holidays named in writing
What justifies the top of the range
- Certification — CNA, HHA, or med-tech training
- Transfers and mobility — Hoyer lifts, two-person transfers
- Dementia experience — a genuinely different job
- Driving — your car, your insurance, their appointments
- Availability — weekends, overnights, and short-notice coverage
Bill the mileage
Transport is probably the most under-billed thing in private-pay care. Doctor’s appointments, pharmacy runs, and grocery trips in your own car cost you fuel, wear, and insurance exposure. Set a per-mile rate at the start and put it on every invoice.
Price the day, not the clock, for live-in
An hourly rate applied to a live-in arrangement produces a number nobody will pay and still undercounts what you’re giving up. A day rate is the honest unit here — it prices presence, which is what the family is actually buying.
Put the whole rate sheet in writing
Hourly, minimum, overnight, holiday, mileage, last-minute — all six, agreed before the first shift. Almost every uncomfortable money conversation in this work traces back to a rate that was never named, and none of them get easier once you’re the person the family depends on.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my rate lower than the agency's?
Because roughly a third to a half of an agency's hourly price covers their overhead — recruiting, scheduling, insurance, and profit. Pricing between what the agency charges and what its caregivers take home is where an independent belongs: better for the family, far better for you.
Should I set a minimum visit length?
Yes, usually 3–4 hours. A one-hour visit costs you the same drive and the same blocked afternoon as a four-hour one, and a schedule full of short visits is how caregivers burn out at a low effective hourly rate.
How do I price an overnight?
Awake overnight at or above your day rate — it's harder, not easier. Asleep overnight is usually a flat night rate with a clause that wakeups past a certain count convert to hourly.
When should I raise my rate?
Annually, announced in writing a month ahead, and never mid-crisis. Families accept a scheduled increase from someone they trust; they resent one that appears on an invoice unannounced.