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At a glance: money to start · hours · how fast it pays · how much you keep · how much it can earn. Taller bars are better; the dashed line is halfway.

Home care agency: what it really costs to start

Starting a home care agency in Europe costs €20,000–€80,000 in 2026, with first income after about 20 weeks and earnings of up to €7,000 a month working full time.

Last updated: September 2026 · sources at the bottom of the page

Carers placed with clients at home.

Home care agency in numbers
Money to start €20,000–€80,000 What you spend before the first customer pays: kit, stock, licences, launch.
Hours a week 40–60 What it takes to run it properly, from part time to full time.
Weeks to first income about 20 How long you pay in before any money comes back. You still need to live in those weeks.
Kept of every €100 €12 What stays with you after running costs, before you pay yourself for your hours.
Most it earns a month €7,000 full time + A realistic ceiling for you running it. It can grow further, but only by hiring or adding units.
Competition low Few do it, usually because something hard keeps them out.
Licence or qualification needed Count it in months, not weeks, and check the rules where you live.

This maximum is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described: you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

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What nobody usually tells you

Demographics guarantee the demand for the next thirty years, and the ceiling is genuinely high once you run thirty carers. But margins per hour are thin, regulation is heavy, and staff turnover is the permanent problem.

The route, in five steps

  1. Registration and inspection come before a single client
  2. Hold three months of payroll: you pay carers before you get paid
  3. Recruiting carers is harder than finding clients — budget for it
  4. Private clients pay double what public contracts do
  5. Rota software is not optional past twenty carers

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories this business pays for in the first month. We go through the software side on the tools page.

registration and inspectionpayroll floatscheduling softwareinsurancerecruitment

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Common questions

How much does it cost to start a home care agency?

Between €20,000 and €80,000 to begin. That covers registration and inspection, payroll float, scheduling software and the rest of the setup. It does not cover your own living costs during the 20 weeks before the first income arrives, which is the cost most people forget.

How long after starting a home care agency does the first income arrive?

Around 20 weeks to the first euro. Reaching the realistic maximum of €7,000 a month takes considerably longer, and assumes 60 hours a week.

How much can you earn a month if you start a home care agency?

Up to about €7,000 a month working full time. Of every €100 it takes, about €12 stays with you after running costs. Past that it can grow, but by hiring people or adding units rather than by working more hours.

Can you start a home care agency alongside a job?

Not really. This one produces nothing at reduced hours: it is full time or it is nothing. At 40 hours a week minimum, and 20 weeks before the first euro, there is no part-time version of it that pays.

Is there a lot of competition?

Competition is low. Low competition here is not luck: it is a barrier doing its job, and barriers cost money or time to clear.

Similar businesses to compare

Sources

Where these numbers come from. Figures are rounded ranges for European markets; check the ones you are about to spend money on. Last checked September 2026.

  1. Homecare Association — Minimum price for homecare (5% net profit as the sustainable floor) share kept · what it earns
  2. The Access Group — Is the home care business profitable in the UK share kept · what it earns
  3. Birdie — How to open a home care agency (CQC registration and start-up costs) money to start · licence · time to first income

Does it fit you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your money, your hours and how long you can wait. Put them in and see.

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