PRICE GUIDE · CARE & SUPPORT · 2026–2027
Home Care Assistant cost in the UK
£26–£38 per hour. Typically £30.
Rising carer wages have pushed home care assistants to £26–£38 an hour through a private agency, with about £30 a common rate. Visits by assistants from a newer agency outside the South East cost least; weekend, evening and London visits cost most.
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HOW MUCH IT COSTS
How much does a home care assistant cost in the UK?
| Low end | £26 | weekday hour-long visits outside the South East |
|---|---|---|
| Typical | £30 | what most people pay |
| High end | £38 | short evening or weekend visits in London |
Locufy guide prices for 2026–2027. Updated 2026. A national range, not a quote — enter your town above for real prices from the carers and care agencies near you.
What moves the price
- Agency costs — a home care assistant's hourly rate covers wages, training, travel time and supervision
- Unsocial hours — home care assistant visits at weekends, bank holidays and late evenings cost more
- Short calls — a thirty-minute home care assistant visit usually costs more per hour than a full hour
- Region — home care assistants in London and the South East are paid and charged more
- Tasks — a home care assistant giving personal care is priced above one helping with chores
- Continuity — keeping the same home care assistant on a fixed round can affect which slots are available
WHAT YOU GET
What a home care assistant visit includes
Takes: Visits of thirty minutes to two hours, arranged as a regular weekly rota. Not included: Nursing tasks, overnight and live-in care, and specialist dementia or palliative care have their own guides below.
WHAT PEOPLE BOOK
Common home care assistant jobs
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Home Care Assistant near you, with prices shown
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Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.
How to pay less
- Book home care assistant visits on weekdays where possible, as weekend rates are usually higher
- Ask whether a home care assistant can combine two short visits into one longer one
- Check council funding and benefits before paying for home care assistant visits privately
Before you book
- You can ask whether the agency supplying the home care assistant is registered with CQC, the Care Inspectorate, CIW or RQIA
- Ask how home care assistants are trained, supervised and checked, including DBS, PVG or AccessNI
- Agree the home care assistant's tasks in a written care plan and review it regularly
- Ask what happens if a home care assistant is late or cannot come, and how you will be told
Home Care Assistant cost: questions people ask
Usually £26–£38 an hour through a private agency, around £30 being common. Weekday hours away from London cost least; weekend and South East visits cost most.
Most visits run thirty minutes to an hour, and some agencies insist on a minimum. Longer visits of two hours suit outings or several tasks.
Yes, but you then become an employer, with payroll, insurance and holiday cover to arrange. Self-employed carers are not regulated by CQC or its equivalents in the other nations, so check references carefully.
Many can prompt or assist with medicines if trained and if it is in the care plan. Injections and some clinical tasks need a nurse or specially trained staff.
Nursing procedures, overnight or live-in care and specialist end-of-life care are separate services, priced separately.
They are Locufy guide prices for the UK, based on published private home care rates and a national price index. They are a range, not a quote.
MORE GUIDES