In 2026, most regulated UK home care agencies charge between roughly £20 and £35 per hour, depending on region and complexity. Our own rates in Surrey start at £36.95 for a one-hour visit, £29.95 for 30 minutes and £34.95 for 45 minutes, the same Monday to Sunday (Bank Holidays are charged at double the standard rate), with the exact quote confirmed at a free home assessment.
That is the whole answer in two sentences, because you deserve it up front. What follows is the interesting bit: what that hour actually pays for, why the cheapest quote is usually the most expensive mistake, and the questions that make any agency show its workings.
What do care agencies charge per hour across the UK?
Somewhere between £20 and £35 for daytime visiting care is the honest range for 2026, with London and the South East at the upper end. Anyone quoting a single “national average” down to the penny is being braver than the data allows, because rates move with local wages, travel distances and how much care each visit involves.
A more useful benchmark comes from the Homecare Association, the sector’s professional body. Each year it calculates the minimum price at which home care can be delivered while paying carers legally, covering their travel time and running a compliant business. For England in 2026/27 that figure is £34.42 per hour. Not a fancy figure. The minimum.
Why does an hour of care cost more than an hour of wages?
Because the carer’s hour in your kitchen is only part of the hour you are paying for. From every hourly fee, a legitimate agency also covers travel time and mileage between visits, DBS checks, training (moving and handling, medication, dementia awareness, first aid), employer’s National Insurance and pension, insurance, care planning, quality audits and someone sensible on the end of a phone when plans change.
Strip those out and you get a cheaper hour, in the same way that removing the brakes makes a cheaper car. When a quote comes in dramatically under the Homecare Association’s £34.42 floor, something on that list is being squeezed, and it is usually the carer’s pay or their travel time. Underpaid carers in a hurry is precisely the experience you are trying to avoid.
For the record, our from-£36.95 hour sits under that industry floor for one boring reason: we are a local operation. One office in Leatherhead, tight rounds, low overheads, no national head office with a fountain in reception.
Are all “care agencies” the same thing?
No, and this catches a lot of families. Three very different things share the name:
- Regulated home care providers (like us) employ, train and supervise their carers, and are registered with and inspected by the Care Quality Commission. If something is not right, there is a manager to call and a regulator behind them.
- Introduction agencies match you with self-employed carers for a fee. Often cheaper per hour, but the carer works for you, not them; you handle cover when they are ill, and there is usually no CQC oversight of the care itself.
- Directly employed private carers. Cheapest on paper, but you become an employer, with payroll, pension, insurance and holiday cover. Fine for some families; a shock for most.
None of these is wicked, but they are not comparable on price alone. It is apples, oranges and a fruit-shaped candle. You can check any regulated provider, including us, on the CQC website.
Which questions make an agency show its workings?
Print this list, pour a cup of tea, and enjoy watching sales scripts collapse:
- Is that rate the same at weekends and bank holidays? (Ours is. Many aren’t.)
- Is travel charged separately, or included?
- What is your minimum visit length, and its price?
- Will we have a consistent carer or a rotating cast?
- What happens if our carer is ill?
- What notice do we need to cancel a visit, or the whole service?
- Are your carers employed by you, trained by you, DBS-checked by you?
- Can I see your CQC rating and your latest inspection report?
A good provider answers all eight without blinking. Our answers, incidentally, live on our pricing page and FAQs, and the ones about people are simple: 52 trained, DBS-checked carers, employed by us, in green uniforms, so you always know who is at the door.
How do our rates compare, honestly?
| Aims visit | From (July 2026) |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes | £29.95 |
| 45 minutes | £34.95 |
| 1 hour | £36.95 |
| Waking night, per hour | £30 |
| Sleeping night, per night | £175 |
| Live-in care, per 24 hours | £245 |
Every rate is a from-rate, confirmed after a free assessment at your home, because quoting for care without meeting you would be guessing, and you can get guessing free elsewhere. If your savings are under £23,250 (England, 2026/27), you may also qualify for council funding towards these costs; our funding support guide and Age UK both explain how.
Do councils pay the same hourly rate as private customers?
No, and understanding this explains half the strange pricing you will meet. Councils buy home care in bulk at negotiated rates, which are often below what the same agency charges private customers, and sometimes below the Homecare Association’s sustainable minimum. Some agencies quietly balance the books by charging self-funders more. It is legal, it is common, and it is exactly the kind of thing worth asking about directly: “is your private rate subsidising your council contracts?” is a splendid question to watch someone answer.
If the council is contributing to your care after a needs assessment, you can usually still choose your provider by taking the support as direct payments, which can be spent with a regulated agency like us. Surrey County Council explains its own charging on its paying for care pages, and even offers an online care cost indicator, which is a decent reality check before any phone calls.
And whoever pays, one number matters more than the hourly rate: how much care actually happens in the hour. A carer who arrives on time, unhurried, and knows your mum takes her tea strong enough to trot a mouse across, delivers more care in sixty minutes than a rushed stranger manages in ninety. That is the thing you are actually shopping for.
Frequently asked questions.
Why do care agency prices vary so much between companies?
Different wage levels, travel patterns, overheads and standards. A national brand carries head-office costs; a rock-bottom quote usually means squeezed carer pay or unpaid travel time. Compare what is included, not just the headline number.
Is a cheaper hourly rate always better value?
No. An underpriced hour tends to arrive late, rushed and delivered by a different stranger each day. Value in care is consistency: the same trained people, on time, with a manager who answers the phone.
Do you charge for travel on top of the hourly rate?
Distance is considered once, openly, in your quote after the free assessment. There are no separate travel invoices and no surprise “service charges” appearing later like uninvited relatives at Christmas.
Can I change or cancel visits once care has started?
Yes. Care plans are reviewed regularly and visits can be adjusted as needs change. We ask for reasonable notice for one-off changes, and the details are agreed in writing before care begins, not discovered afterwards.
Want a real number instead of a range? Call our Leatherhead team on 01372 386222 or book a free assessment. One visit, one written quote, zero obligation.
Sources and references.
- Homecare Association, Minimum Price for Homecare, England 2026/27, published 19 January 2026
- Care Quality Commission, check a provider’s registration and rating
- Surrey County Council, paying for care (including the care cost indicator)
- Age UK, paying for homecare
- Aims Homecare price sheet, July 2026, at aimshomecare.co.uk/pricing
- MoneyHelper, Long-term care guidance
Where to go next.
Or talk it through with a person: call 01372 386222 or book a free assessment.