Care workers and home carers Pay Data UK — 2024

Care workers and home carers roles in the UK earn a median of £19,661 per year, equivalent to £12.81 per hour as of 2024. This represents a 9.3% increase in annual pay compared to the previous year. Pay varies across the UK, ranging from £15,670 to £24,213 per year.

How Pay Varies Across the UK

Each bar shows how many areas of the UK have a median annual pay in that range for Care workers and home carers roles. The dashed line marks the national median.

Based on sub-regional area data. Want a precise figure for your area?

About Care workers and home carers

Care workers and home carers attend to the personal needs and comforts of children, the elderly, the infirm and others with care and support needs (‘service users’) within residential care establishments, day care establishments or in their own homes.

Typical Tasks and Duties

• assists and enables service users to dress, undress, wash, use the toilet and bathe
• serves meals to service users at table or in bed, and assists with feeding if required
• assists with service users’ overall comfort and wellbeing
• provides interest and activities to stimulate and engage the service user
• helps with daily activities such as letter writing, paying bills, collecting benefits
• undertakes light cleaning and domestic duties including meal preparation as required
• monitors service users’ conditions by taking temperature, pulse, respiration and weight, and contributes to record keeping
• liaises with professional staff in carrying out care plans etc.

Entry Routes and Qualifications

There are no formal academic entry requirements. In most cases workers will be required to register with the appropriate statutory body which involves satisfying the registration criteria. This would normally include holding or working towards the appropriate qualification for the job. Entrants must typically be 18 years old and have experience of working in a care environment. Both Off and on-the-job training is available. A wide range of qualifications including NVQs/SVQs covering various aspects of care are available. Background checks including a DBS check are likely to be required.

Related Occupations

Salary data is sourced from official UK pay datasets and updated periodically.