When a parent starts needing help at home, one of the first questions families ask is what it will cost. The honest answer depends on two things: how the care is paid for, and how many hours are needed. A family whose mother qualifies for Medicaid may pay nothing at all for the hours her plan authorizes. A family paying privately for round-the-clock care may spend more than a nursing home would charge. Most families fall somewhere in between.
This guide sets out what home care costs in New York in 2026, using published figures rather than sales estimates, explains why the numbers are what they are, and walks through every way New York families pay for care.
What Home Care Costs in New York in 2026
The short answer: at the statewide median, non-medical home care in New York costs about $35 an hour, or about $80,080 a year for 44 hours of care a week. That figure comes from CareScout’s 2025 Cost of Care Survey, the largest annual study of long-term care prices in the United States, which collected more than 25,000 rates from providers in the second half of 2025. New York’s median matched the national median exactly.
Two cautions apply. First, a statewide median blends New York City, Long Island, and Westchester with upstate regions where wages and costs are lower, so quotes in the city and its suburbs often sit at or above the median. Second, the survey measures non-medical care, the help with bathing, dressing, meals, mobility, and companionship that most families mean when they say “home care.” Skilled nursing visits are priced separately and cost considerably more.
For families whose loved one has Medicaid, the picture is different. Medicaid home care in New York is delivered through a Managed Long Term Care plan, and the hours the plan authorizes are covered in full, with no hourly charge to the family. The exception is a person whose income is above the Medicaid limit and who has a monthly “spend-down” to meet; our guide to how Medicaid home care works in New York explains eligibility, spend-down, and enrollment step by step.
Why Home Care Costs What It Does in New York
The largest part of any home care rate is the aide’s wage, and New York sets a floor under it. Since January 1, 2026, the minimum wage for home care aides is $19.65 an hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, and $18.65 an hour in the rest of the state. Aides who care for Medicaid clients in the city and its suburbs must also receive additional wage parity benefits.
On top of the wage, a licensed agency pays employer payroll taxes, workers’ compensation and liability insurance, and the cost of training, background checks, and health screening for every aide. It employs registered nurses who assess each client and supervise the plan of care, as New York requires of a Licensed Home Care Services Agency. It also keeps coordinators on call to find a replacement when an aide is sick or on vacation, which is the part of the rate families notice only when they need it.
That is why a quote far below the market deserves questions. An hourly rate close to the aide’s minimum wage leaves little room for supervision, insurance, or backup cover, and it may mean the caregiver is not an agency employee at all. Our guide to choosing a home care agency in New York covers how to check a license, what supervision should look like, and which questions separate a well-run agency from the rest.
Hourly, Live-In, and 24-Hour Home Care in New York
How care is scheduled changes the cost as much as the hourly rate does. Hourly care, a few hours a day or a few days a week, is the most common arrangement and the easiest to budget. Many agencies set a minimum shift length, often three or four hours, because shorter visits are hard to staff reliably.
Live-in care is priced differently because of a New York rule. When one aide lives in the home for a 24-hour shift, New York law allows the aide to be paid for 13 of those hours, provided the aide has at least eight hours for sleep, actually gets five hours of uninterrupted sleep, and has three hours for meals. The state’s highest court upheld this “13-hour rule” in 2019. If the client needs help often enough through the night that the aide cannot get that sleep, every hour of the shift must be paid, and live-in care is no longer the right arrangement.
For someone who needs an alert caregiver around the clock, the answer is usually two aides working 12-hour shifts, and all 24 hours are paid. At the state median rate, that comes to roughly $5,900 a week. This is the most expensive form of home care, and it is where families most often compare home care with a facility. Our home health aides page describes the live-in and 24-hour care we provide, and what home health aides can and can’t do in New York explains which tasks an aide can take on at each level.
Home Care vs. Assisted Living and a Nursing Home in New York
New York is one of the most expensive states in the country for facility care. According to the same CareScout survey, a semi-private nursing home room in New York costs a median of about $186,333 a year, and a private room about $200,750, compared with $114,975 and $129,575 nationally. Assisted living in New York also runs above the national median of $74,400 a year.
Against those figures, part-time home care is far less expensive: 44 hours a week at the median costs less than half of a semi-private nursing home room. Round-the-clock home care is a different matter. At the median rate, two aides covering 24 hours a day cost more than a year in a nursing home. Many families still choose home care at that level, because it keeps a parent in familiar surroundings with one consistent caregiver, but the decision should be made with the numbers in view. For families whose loved one is coming home from a hospital or rehabilitation stay, our guide to hospital discharge and home care in New York covers the short-term options that bridge the gap.
Who Pays for Home Care in New York
Medicaid and Managed Long Term Care. For people who qualify, Medicaid is the largest payer of long-term home care in New York. After an assessment by the New York Independent Assessor, a Managed Long Term Care plan authorizes a number of hours and pays the agency directly. Families who were told to get a doctor’s form first can check whether they still need it in our page on the M11Q form.
Medicare. Medicare pays for short-term, part-time skilled care at home after an illness or hospital stay, arranged through a Certified Home Health Agency, when the patient is homebound and a doctor orders it. It does not pay for ongoing help with daily living, which is why so many families are surprised when Medicare-covered visits end.
Long-term care insurance. Most policies written in the last two decades cover care at home, not only in a nursing home. The details that matter are the daily benefit, the elimination period, and whether the insurer will pay the agency directly. Our guide to paying for home care in New York without Medicaid explains how to read a policy, and families ready to use one can start with our long-term care insurance and private pay options.
Private pay. Families who do not qualify for Medicaid, who are waiting for an application to be approved, or who want more hours than a plan authorizes pay the agency directly. Private pay home care can usually start within days, and the schedule can be as flexible as the family needs.
EISEP. New York’s Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program helps people aged 60 and over who need help at home but are not eligible for Medicaid. Clients contribute on a sliding scale based on income, from no cost to full cost. EISEP is run through local offices for the aging: in New York City, the Department for the Aging, and elsewhere, the county office for the aging.
Veterans’ benefits and specialized programs. Eligible veterans may receive home care through the VA, and some qualify for pension benefits that help with the cost. Our veterans home care page explains the options. Holocaust survivors may be eligible for funded home care through our Caring Companions program, and adults with disabilities or brain injuries may qualify for Medicaid waiver programs described on our specialized home care page.
How to Get an Accurate Home Care Quote in New York
Because no two care plans are alike, a reliable agency will not quote a meaningful price until it understands the situation, usually through a free assessment. When you compare agencies, ask the same questions of each. What is the minimum shift, and are nights, weekends, and holidays charged at a higher rate? Is a registered nurse involved in the assessment and in supervising the aide? What happens, and how quickly, if the aide cannot come? Will the agency bill your long-term care insurer directly? Are there deposits, contracts, or cancellation terms?
The answers tell you as much about the agency as they do about the price. An agency that answers plainly, in writing, and without pressure is the kind of agency you want in your parent’s home. Our article on what to expect from your first week of home care in New York shows what should happen once care begins.
How Caring Professionals Helps New York Families Plan for the Cost of Care
Caring Professionals has been a Licensed Home Care Services Agency in New York since 1994. We do not publish a standard rate, because the right plan depends on the hours, the level of care, and how it is funded. We do give every family a clear, written answer after a free assessment. We accept Medicaid, Managed Long Term Care plans, long-term care insurance, and private pay, and we help families work out which applies to them before care begins.
Our multilingual home health aides are matched by language, culture, and personality, and supervised by registered nurses. We serve families across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, Westchester, and Long Island, from offices in Forest Hills, Far Rockaway, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Yonkers, and Hempstead. Learn more about our home care services across New York, call us at (718) 333-1400, or send us a message to arrange a free assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Care Costs in New York
How much does a home health aide cost per hour in New York?
At the statewide median, non-medical home care in New York costs about $35 an hour, according to CareScout’s 2025 Cost of Care Survey. Rates in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester are often at or above the median, because the minimum wage for home care aides there is $19.65 an hour in 2026.
Does Medicaid pay for home care in New York?
Yes. For people who qualify, Medicaid covers long-term home care through a Managed Long Term Care plan, which authorizes a number of hours after an assessment by the New York Independent Assessor. The authorized hours are covered in full, unless the person has a monthly spend-down.
Does Medicare pay for home care in New York?
Medicare pays for home health care when you are homebound and your doctor certifies that you need part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology services. That care does not have to follow a hospital stay, and it is not limited to situations where you are expected to improve — Medicare also covers skilled care to maintain your current condition or slow a decline. Once you qualify for skilled care, Medicare can also cover a home health aide on a part-time or intermittent basis, generally up to 8 hours a day and 28 hours a week.
What Medicare does not cover is personal or custodial care — help with bathing, dressing, meals or housekeeping — when that is the only care you need. That is the kind of ongoing support most families come to us for, and it is usually paid for through Medicaid, long-term care insurance, or privately.
How much does 24-hour home care cost in New York?
It depends on whether one live-in aide or two aides on 12-hour shifts provide the care. A live-in aide may be paid for 13 hours of a 24-hour shift if they get eight hours for sleep, including five uninterrupted, and three hours for meals. Two aides on 12-hour shifts are paid for all 24 hours, roughly $5,900 a week at the state median rate.
Is home care cheaper than a nursing home in New York?
Part-time home care is much cheaper: 44 hours a week at the median costs about $80,080 a year, against about $186,333 for a semi-private nursing home room. Round-the-clock home care with two aides can cost more than a nursing home.
Does long-term care insurance cover home care in New York?
Most policies do, including personal care, help with daily activities, and companionship. Check the daily benefit, the elimination period, and whether the insurer will pay the agency directly.
Sources
- CareScout, 2025 Cost of Care Survey results (March 2026)
- Brevy Care, Cost of Senior Care in New York (2026), citing CareScout 2025 New York data
- LeadingAge New York, Home Care Minimum Wage Increases January 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals, Andryeyeva v New York Health Care, Inc. (2019)
- New York State Department of Health, Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly (EISEP)
