Care at Home Costs | How Much Is Home Care In 2024?
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Care at home costs vary across the UK, due to the level of care needed, the number of hours required, where you live and what type of support you choose. Home care is a popular alternative to a care home, as you'll stay in the comfort of your own home.
From the cost of 24-hour care to choosing between a home care agency or an independent carer, it can quickly becoming confusing. That's why we've clearly outlined home care costs across several different types, along with what financial support is available in the UK and whether you’re eligible for this.
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In this article:
- What is care at home?
- Care at home costs in 2024
- Who pays for home care?
- Different ways to pay for home care as a self-funder
- Find home care near you
What Is Care At Home?
Through care at home, trained care staff will look after people in their own homes, rather than in a care home or a similar environment. Also known as home care, this can be arranged privately, or through a local council or the NHS.
Home care is perfect for people who wish to continue living in their own home, but would benefit from some assistance with daily tasks and personal care.
There are different types of care at home, including:
Home care workers will be properly trained and DBS checked, while there are also regulatory bodies such as the CQC who monitor and assess home care agencies.
Care At Home Costs in 2024
The average cost of hourly home care in the UK is £28 (based on the the providers we're partnered with). Hourly home care is also known as domiciliary care. How much you’ll pay on a daily, weekly or monthly basis depends on how much care you require per week. For example, five hours of home care per week at this price would cost £140 a week, £606.67 a month and £7,280 a year.
Meanwhile, live-in care costs around £228 per day in the UK. If you’re receiving permanent live-in care seven days a week, this would cost around £1,596 per week, £6,916 per month and £82,992 per year.
Overnight sleeping care costs an average of £187 per night. If you're receiving overnight sleeping care seven nights a week, this would cost £1,309 a week, £5,672.33 a month and £68,068 a year.
Finally, overnight waking care costs an average of £244 per night. If you're receiving overnight waking care seven nights a week, this would cost £1,708 a week, £7,401.33 a month and £88,816 a year.
We’ve summarised these costs in the table below. The cost of domiciliary care is based on receiving five hours of care per week, while the cost for the other three types of care is based on receiving it full-time, seven days a week:
| Domiciliary care | Live-in care | Overnight sleeping care | Overnight waking care | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per day | N/A | £228 | £187 | £244 |
| Per week | £140 | £1,596 | £1,309 | £1,708 |
| Per month | £607 | £6,916 | £5,672 | £7,401 |
| Per year | £7,280 | £82,992 | £68,068 | £88,816 |
Hourly home care costs
In the UK, hourly home care costs around £28 per hour. If you’re receiving 10 hours of care per week, this comes to £280 a week, £1,213.33 a month and £14,560 a year.
Through hourly home care (also known as domiciliary care), a carer will provide whatever support is needed within your home. Hourly home care is perfect if you wish to continue living independently and you don’t require a live-in carer. Here, you’re able to choose how much support is given. It could be as little as 30 minutes a day, or as much as 20 hours a week.
Hourly home care can cover things like companionship and personal care.
Live-in care costs
In the UK, permanent live-in care costs around £228 per day. This comes to £1,596 a week, £6,916 a month and £82,992 a year.
A fully trained carer will come and live in your home, meaning they’ll be on hand 24/7 to provide whatever care and support is needed. Regular home care often progresses to live-in care when extra support is required.
In some cases, live-in care is provided by a team of carers, such as one main carer and other additional carers who look after you when your main carer is unavailable or asleep.
Live-in care can include support such as palliative or end-of-life care, dementia care, nursing care and personal care. It’s also similar to the Shared Lives scheme.
Overnight home care costs
In the UK, overnight care costs around £187 per night for sleeping care and £244 per night for waking care. If you're receiving overnight sleeping care seven days a week, this would cost £1,309 a week, £5,672.33 a month and £68,068 a year, while overnight waking care would cost £1,708 a week, £7,401.33 a month and £88,816 a year.
Overnight care is when a carer stays in your home overnight, to assist with any health needs or emergencies. This is also useful for people who feel anxious by themselves during the early hours.
A waking night carer will be on-call to look after your loved one throughout the night, while a sleeping night carer will also be available, but for a limited number of occasions.
Overnight home care is often included with live-in care. Here, a separate carer may take over while your full-time live-in carer gets a good night’s sleep.
Overnight home care may include types of support such as companionship, dementia care, nursing care and personal care.
We can help you find the best home carer for you or your loved one’s care needs, including domiciliary (hourly) and live-in carers. Request a free list of home care agencies, and our care experts will match you with suitable carers with availability in your local area.
Who Pays For Home Care?
Whether you’ll pay for home care depends on how much you have in savings and income. If your savings are above the upper threshold, you’ll be required to self-fund your care. If your savings are below the lower threshold, you’ll be eligible for maximum support from your local council. If your savings fall between these two thresholds, you’ll be eligible for partial support from your local council.
Following a care needs assessment, your local council will carry out a financial assessment to determine the value of your savings and income. When it comes to home care, this assessment won’t take the value of your property into account.
Here are the UK 2023/2024 savings thresholds for home care fees:
| Country | Upper Savings Threshold | Lower Savings Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| England | £23,250 | £14,250 |
| Northern Ireland | £23,250 | £14,250 |
| Scotland | £32,750 | £20,250 |
| Wales | £24,000 | N/A |
Self-funding
If your savings and income are greater than £23,250 in England or Northern Ireland, £32,750 in Scotland and £24,000 in Wales, you won’t be eligible for local authority support and will need to self-fund your home care.
This upper savings threshold is due to rise to £100,000 in England from October 2025.
If you're classed as a self-funder and all your eligible income is taken account during the financial assessment, you must be left with an income of at least £189 a week. This is known as the Minimum Income Guarantee. This applies if you're single and above the Pension Credit qualifying age.
As a self-funder, you can:
- Arrange and pay for home care yourself, without getting your local council involved
- Ask your local council to arrange and pay for your care. In this case, the council will send you a bill. Not all councils offer this service, and some charge for it
Local authority funding
Currently, if your savings are less than £23,250 in England or Northern Ireland, £32,750 in Scotland and £24,000 in Wales, you’ll qualify for some level of financial assistance from your local council. How much this is depends on whether your savings fall below the upper or lower threshold.
The council will either pay a small amount towards your care and you’ll pay for the rest, or they’ll pay the maximum amount towards your care and you may also have to make a small contribution.
If your home care is funded by the local authority, you’ll be given a personal budget. Your personal budget can take any of the following forms (or a combination of them):
- A payment made directly into your bank account to be spent on your home care
- Your local council arranges your home care and directly pays the provider
- A relevant organisation of your choice manages your personal budget
NHS funding
If you have long-term and complex healthcare needs, you may also be eligible for funding support through the NHS. This is known as NHS Continuing Healthcare. Here, the NHS will arrange and entirely fund your home care.
To be eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare, you’ll need to be assessed by a team of healthcare professionals. During this assessment, they’ll consider:
- The help you require
- How complex and intense your needs are
- How unpredictable your needs are, particularly any health risks if the right care isn’t provided
Different Ways to Pay For Home Care As A Self-Funder
- Benefits such as Attendance Allowance and Personal Independence Payment (neither of these are means-tested)
- An immediate needs annuity
- Sale-and-rent-back schemes
- Releasing money from your home (known as equity release)
- Downsizing
Find Home Care Near You
We’re partnered with the best home care agencies across the UK, including in the following locations:
- South West England
- South East England
- London
- East of England
- West Midlands
- East Midlands
- Yorkshire and the Humber
- North West England
- North East England
- Scotland
Lottie matches care seekers with the best home carers for their care needs. You can request a free home care shortlist, where we’ll find you home care providers with availability in your local area.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does private home care cost per hour in the UK?
Private domiciliary home care costs around £28 per hour in the UK. If you were to require three hours of home care each day, this would work out as around £84 a day, £588 a week, £2,548 a month and £30,576 a year.
How much does it cost to have a full-time carer at home in the UK?
The average cost of a full-time live-in carer in the UK is around £228 per day. This works out to approximately £1,596 per week, £6,916 per month and £82,992 per year.
How many hours a week do live-in carers work?
On average, live-in carers work 56 hours per week (or eight hours per day). This could be slightly more or less, depending on the needs of the person they’re caring for. These hours won’t necessarily be consecutive either, but the carer will always be on hand to provide whatever support is needed.
Often, somebody who requires round-the-clock care will also have a night-time carer. This carer (or carers) will tend to your loved one’s needs throughout the night, allowing their live-in carer to get a whole night’s uninterrupted sleep.
Can you get free home care?
If you’re eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC), you may receive free care at home. People eligible for NHS CHC will have been assessed as having a ‘primary health need’.
In Scotland, people aged over 65 can also receive free personal care from their local council, following a care needs assessment.
