In England, a typical care home care assistant earns around £12.71-£14 per hour in 2026.

The median hourly wage for care workers in the independent care sector was £12.60 in December 2025, according to Skills for Care. The National Living Wage increased to £12.71 per hour on 1 April 2026 for workers aged 21 and over.

Typical pay

These are indicative ranges, not guaranteed rates.

What does that mean annually?

For a care assistant working 37.5 hours a week:

These figures are before tax and National Insurance and assume paid work throughout the year.

How does this compare with the care home fee?

Using the earlier example of a care home charging £1,300 per resident per week:

A care assistant earning £13 an hour receives £487.50 gross for a 37.5-hour week.
The resident's weekly fee is £1,300.
The fee is not the worker's wage: it also covers employer National Insurance, pension contributions, paid leave, other staff, accommodation, food and operating costs.
The important point

Care workers carry substantial responsibility for vulnerable people, yet pay in the independent care sector remains close to the minimum wage.

Skills for Care reported that experienced care workers earned only around 10p an hour more than newly recruited workers in December 2025.

That limited difference raises questions about how the sector rewards experience, retains staff and maintains continuity of care.