For care professionals · Elder care
How should I set my rates for private elder care?
Set your private elder care rate by starting from the care itself: companionship or personal care, mobility and transfers, dementia support, visit length and time of day. Add your real costs, such as travel between clients, training renewals, checks and insurance. Then compare with local rates, write your terms down and confirm your sales tax situation.
In 60 seconds
- A private elder care rate has to cover more than time in the client’s home, including travel, unpaid gaps between visits, training renewals, checks and insurance.
- Personal care, transfers, dementia support, overnights and short-notice visits usually ask more of you than companionship and household help.
- Many independent caregivers set a minimum visit length, because very short visits can cost almost as much travel time as long ones.
- The Competition Act treats a price that cannot be paid because of added mandatory fees as misleading, so quote rates that include every required charge.
- Section 13 of Part II of Schedule V to the Excise Tax Act exempts home care services in circumstances it lists, such as when a government home care program pays, so confirm your GST/HST situation with the CRA.
- Maple Care does not set rates or handle payment for care; you and each client agree on them directly.
What should a private elder care rate cover?
A private elder care rate should cover your time and the real cost of providing care. That includes travel to and between clients, the unpaid gaps between visits, first aid and other training renewals, vulnerable sector checks, insurance, gloves and other supplies, phone costs, and the time you spend on care notes, messages and records.
Many caregivers who leave a home care company price only the hours they used to be paid for. Working on your own, you also carry the time a company used to absorb: scheduling, travel, cancellations and paperwork. List those costs once a year so your rate reflects what care actually costs you to provide.
What factors change an elder care rate?
The main factors are the kind of care, the client’s needs, the timing and your training. Personal care, transfers, dementia support and palliative support ask more of you than companionship or errands. Overnights, weekends, holidays and last-minute visits commonly cost more, and so does care for two people, such as a couple.
- Companionship and household help compared with personal care
- Mobility needs, transfers and any equipment involved
- Dementia, behaviour changes or end-of-life support
- Overnights, and whether you are expected to stay awake
- Weekends, holidays and short-notice requests
- Driving the client, and whose vehicle is used
- Your training, experience and any specialty
Should you set a minimum visit length?
Many independent caregivers do. A short visit can take almost as much travel and preparation as a long one, and it can block a time slot you could have used for another client. A minimum visit length, stated in writing, keeps your schedule workable and helps families plan care in useful blocks.
If a client truly needs only a brief daily check, you might group visits geographically or agree on a set weekly amount. Whatever you choose, explain it at the first meeting so it does not feel like a surprise later.
How do you find out what private elder care costs in your area?
Ask rather than guess. Talk to other independent caregivers, ask families what they have paid before, and look at what local professionals post publicly. Rates differ between cities, towns and provinces, so a figure from another region or an online forum is not a reliable guide for yours.
Treat what you learn as a range, then place yourself in it honestly based on your training and experience. Keep in mind that what a family pays toward publicly funded home care is set by provincial programs and is not a fair comparison with private care. Revisit your range once a year.
How should you present your rates to clients?
Present your rates in writing before care starts, including every required charge. Section 74.01 of the Competition Act says a price that cannot be paid because of added fixed obligatory charges is a misleading representation, apart from charges imposed by law. Quote the full rate, then list any optional extras separately.
- Your rate and what it includes
- Any different rate for overnights, weekends, holidays or short notice
- Mileage or driving charges, if any
- How purchases made for the client are repaid, with receipts
- When and how payment is made, and whether you give receipts
- Cancellation notice, for you and for the client
Do you charge GST/HST on private home care?
It depends. Part II of Schedule V to the Excise Tax Act defines home care services, such as bathing, feeding, help with dressing or medication, cleaning and meal preparation, for someone who needs help because of age, infirmity or disability. Section 13 of that Part exempts them in listed circumstances, such as when a government home care program pays.
Privately paid care may therefore be treated differently from publicly funded care. Separately, section 148 defines a small supplier and section 240 says who must register. How these rules apply depends on what you provide and your total sales, so confirm your situation with the Canada Revenue Agency or an accountant before you set your prices.
Does Maple Care set elder care rates?
No. Maple Care does not set rates and never collects or handles payment for care. You and each client agree on rates, schedule and payment directly. Clients post requests describing the care they need, which helps you judge what is involved before you decide whether to pay for their contact details.
Your profile at /apply/ is free, and the price for a client’s contact details is shown before you pay. Ask our team for our care agreement template if you want a written starting point for rates, cancellations and payment terms.
Free to join. Pay only for the offers you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge more for personal care than for companionship?
Many independent caregivers do, because personal care involves more skill, physical effort and responsibility. Some use one rate for companionship and household help and another for personal care. Explain the difference in writing so families know which rate applies to each visit.
Should I charge for overnight elder care differently?
Many caregivers price awake overnights differently from overnights where they can sleep on site. Agree in advance whether you must stay awake, how often to check on the client, where you will sleep and what counts as an interruption, and write it into your agreement.
How do I raise my rates with a long-term client?
Give clear written notice well before the change, explain briefly why and apply it from a set date. Check what your agreement says about changing rates. A family may decide the new rate does not work for them, and that is their choice to make.
Should my rate change when a client’s needs increase?
It can. If a client moves from companionship to needing help with bathing or transfers, the care has changed. Talk with the family, agree on the new services and rate in writing, and suggest they ask the provincial home care program for a reassessment too.
Can I charge families for mileage?
Many caregivers charge for driving clients to appointments or errands, either within their rate or as a stated extra. Say which in writing before care starts. Also ask an insurance broker whether your auto policy covers driving clients, and get the answer in writing.
Sources and evidence
- Justice Laws Website: Excise Tax Act, full text (Schedule V, Part II, home care services)
- Justice Laws Website: Excise Tax Act, section 148 (small suppliers)
- Justice Laws Website: Excise Tax Act, section 240 (registration)
- Justice Laws Website: Competition Act, section 74.01 (misleading representations and drip pricing)
Last updated: