Home care worker jobs

Home care workers (also called domiciliary care workers) visit people in their own homes to help with washing, dressing, meals, medication and getting in and out of bed. Most are employed by private agencies commissioned by councils or the NHS, and pay is usually by the hour. Anyone aged 21 or over must be paid at least the National Living Wage, £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026, for every hour they work, and that includes travel time between visits.

What a shift looks like

A typical day is a “run” of short visits booked across a morning, lunchtime, teatime and evening. Some visits are a quick medication check, others a long morning routine, and some people need two carers for hoisting. Common tasks:

• personal care, washing and continence care
• helping with meals and drinks
• prompting or giving medication, depending on your training and the care plan
• checking the person is safe, and reporting changes to the office
• writing up each visit, now mostly on a phone app

Split shifts are normal. You may work 7am to 11am and then 4pm to 10pm, with unpaid time in between. Weekends and bank holidays are part of most rotas because people need care every day.

Some councils and NHS trusts employ their own home care staff, usually in reablement teams that help people recover after a hospital stay. Those jobs follow council or NHS pay and conditions, which are generally better than agency terms.

Pay per hour, and what counts as work

Private agencies typically pay an hourly rate for time with clients. The legal minimum from 1 April 2026 is £12.71 an hour at 21 and over, and £10.85 for 18 to 20-year-olds. The voluntary Real Living Wage, announced on 15 October 2026, is £14.10 an hour across the UK and £15.45 in London. Some councils require their care providers to pay it, and many do not.

Travel time between visits is working time for minimum wage purposes. If you are paid only for “contact time”, your average pay across all the hours you work (contact plus travel) must still be at least the National Living Wage for your age. Many disputes start here. Check that your payslip shows the hours you have been paid for, which you have a right to when pay varies with time worked. If you think you are being underpaid, you can complain to HMRC or get advice from ACAS or a union.

Waiting time between visits when you are free to do what you want is not normally working time. Time spent on mandatory training is.

Mileage

If you use your own car, the agency usually pays a mileage rate. The employer sets that rate, and it can be well below the cost of running a car. HMRC sets approved mileage rates for tax purposes, and if your employer pays less than those, you can claim tax relief on the difference. The mileage allowance guide explains how, and the HMRC rates are on gov.uk.

Mileage payments do not count towards minimum wage pay, and car costs you have to pay yourself can, in some cases, reduce your pay below the minimum. That is a complicated area, and ACAS or a union can help.

Contracts and rights

Zero-hours contracts are common in home care. You cannot be stopped from working for another agency (exclusivity clauses are unenforceable), and if you work irregular hours you get holiday at 12.07 per cent of hours worked. Statutory Sick Pay is paid from the first day of sickness since 6 April 2026. The zero-hours guide covers what else applies, including the guaranteed hours and shift cancellation rights planned under the Employment Rights Act 2025 for 2027.

The government has also set up a negotiating body for an Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement, with regulations due in October 2026. That could eventually set minimum pay and terms across the sector in England, but nothing had been agreed at the time of writing.

Training and checks

You do not need qualifications to start. In England, new care workers complete the Care Certificate in their first weeks, covering standards such as safeguarding, infection control and moving and handling. Employers often support a level 2 or level 3 diploma in adult care after that.

Employers must carry out an enhanced DBS check with the adults’ barred list. The fee for an enhanced check is £41.00 from 5 October 2026. Many agencies pay it, and some deduct it from wages, which they can only do if you agreed in writing in advance.

Care providers in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland care workers must also register with the social care regulator (the SSSC, Social Care Wales or NISCC) within set timescales, and in Scotland you need a PVG scheme membership.

Where it leads

Home care can lead to senior carer, field supervisor or care coordinator roles in the office, and to registered manager posts with experience and qualifications. Others use it as a step into NHS jobs: healthcare assistant, nursing associate or nursing, where care experience counts at interview.