The Cost of Home Care in New Jersey
New Jersey's 2025 median rate for a non-medical caregiver was $38 an hour. What a family pays depends on the schedule, the level of help and how care is funded.
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Home Care Costs in New Jersey
In 2025, the median rate for a non-medical caregiver in New Jersey was $38 an hour, according to the CareScout Cost of Care Survey, compared with a national median of $35. At the survey's standard schedule of 44 hours a week, that rate comes to about $7,245 a month. These are statewide survey figures, not a quote from Award Homecare.
CareScout gathered about 16,000 surveys from care providers between July and November 2025, roughly 6,000 of them from home care agencies. The median is the midpoint of the reported rates: half were lower and half were higher.
The survey's non-medical caregiver category includes a home health aide who assists with bathing, dressing, moving from bed to chair and using the toilet. It can also include light housekeeping and meal preparation, and CareScout now reports aides and homemakers as a single group. Holiday rates are excluded, and an individual agency may charge more or less than $38.
Estimated Monthly Cost at the New Jersey Median
Applied to common weekly schedules, the $38 median gives the following budgeting estimates. They are not a price list.
| Schedule | Hours per week | Per week | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five 4-hour visits | 20 | $760 | $3,293 | $39,520 |
| Four hours every day | 28 | $1,064 | $4,611 | $55,328 |
| CareScout's standard week | 44 | $1,672 | $7,245 | $86,944 |
| Every hour of the week | 168 | $6,384 | $27,664 | $331,968 |
The 44-hour row matches CareScout's published monthly figure for New Jersey. CareScout's online calculator accepts any schedule from 7 to 168 hours a week.
Why Individual Quotes Differ
Your quote from Award Homecare is based on your loved one's schedule and the help they need. Our Hourly Care is arranged in four-hour shifts, with a minimum of 20 hours a week, and our team will go over the full schedule with you, including any nights, weekends or holidays, before preparing your quote.
How Live-In Care Is Priced
Because a live-in caregiver resides in the home, an hourly figure does not describe the arrangement well. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, some families pay a flat "per diem" or shift rate for 24/7 support rather than an hourly rate. The 168-hour row is therefore the upper end of the hourly calculation, not a live-in estimate. Our live-in care page explains how the arrangement works.
Factors That Affect the Cost of Home Care
Four factors shape the cost of care, and our team reviews each of them with your family when preparing a quote.
Hours of Care
In-home care is typically billed by the hour, so each additional visit raises the monthly total, as the estimates above show.
Overnight Care
Overnight pricing depends on whether the caregiver needs to stay awake through the night or may sleep. We review your loved one's nights with you at the free in-home assessment and include them in your quote. Our overnight care page provides more detail.
Weekends and Holidays
When care includes weekends or holidays, we include those days in your quote, so the full schedule is clear before care begins. CareScout's survey figures exclude holiday rates.
Level of Help
CareScout notes that more help generally means more hours of care. It reports nursing care at home as a separate category with higher rates, which the $38 figure does not measure.
Pricing at Award Homecare
Award Homecare provides non-medical care and does not provide skilled nursing or medical care. We do not publish rates. We provide a quote by phone or after the free in-home assessment, based on your loved one's schedule and the help required.
Our Hourly Care starts at four-hour shifts, with a minimum of 20 hours a week. We also offer Live-in Full-time Care, Overnight Care and 24-hour shifts. Families are welcome to put the pricing questions below to our team. Request a free in-home assessment or call 732-994-0309.
Paying for Home Care in New Jersey
Home care can be paid for in several ways, depending on your loved one's insurance, income, health and, for veterans, service record. Each program sets its own eligibility, so please confirm current rules through the links.
| Payment source | General rule | Accepted by Award Homecare |
|---|---|---|
| Private pay | People with sufficient income and savings pay for long-term care services on their own. Administration for Community Living | Yes |
| Long-term care insurance | A policy pays after a benefit trigger and a waiting period are met, and then according to its own terms. The next section explains both. Administration for Community Living | Yes |
| CareScout network | According to CareScout, preferred pricing is available from providers in its Quality Network, and network providers undergo a structured review at least once a year. CareScout | Yes, we are in-network |
| Medicare | Medicare does not pay for long-term care, which it also calls custodial care. It covers some home health services, but only part-time or intermittent skilled care ordered by a doctor or other health care provider for someone who is homebound. It does not cover 24-hour-a-day care at home, or personal care when that is the only care needed. Medicare.gov: long-term care and home health services | No, as Medicare does not pay for non-medical care |
| New Jersey Medicaid: MLTSS | Managed Long Term Services and Supports is the part of New Jersey Medicaid that covers long-term care services. NJ FamilyCare health plans coordinate these services whether the person lives at home, in assisted living or in a nursing home. A person must qualify both clinically and financially. NJ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services | No, we do not accept Medicaid |
| JACC | JACC is a state-funded program, separate from Medicaid, for New Jersey residents age 60 and older who need nursing-home level of care and wish to remain at home. It has income and asset limits and a sliding-scale co-pay. Applications go through the county Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 1-877-222-3737. NJ Division of Aging Services | No, we do not accept JACC |
| VA benefits, such as Aid and Attendance | Aid and Attendance is an added monthly amount paid with a VA pension, for qualified Veterans and survivors who need help with daily activities or are housebound. A person may qualify if they receive a VA pension and meet at least one VA requirement. VA also operates a Homemaker and Home Health Aide program, and services vary by location. VA.gov: Aid and Attendance and Homemaker and Home Health Aide care | Yes, we accept VA benefits |
Long-Term Care Insurance and Home Care
Long-term care insurance can pay for home care when the policy covers care at home. According to the Administration for Community Living, most policies sold today are comprehensive and can be used at home. Two provisions determine when benefits begin.
- The benefit trigger. This is the condition that makes your loved one eligible. Most policies pay when a person needs help with two or more of six activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing, or has a cognitive impairment. Most insurers rely on an assessment by a nurse and social worker team.
- The waiting period. Also called the elimination period, this is the time between the trigger and the first payment. Most policies let the buyer choose 30, 60 or 90 days at purchase. Some count a day toward the waiting period only if paid care is received. Once benefits begin, some policies pay a set cash amount for each day the trigger is met, whether or not paid care is received.
Before care begins, review the policy and contact the insurer to confirm what documentation it requires. Award Homecare accepts long-term care insurance, and each policy's own terms determine what it pays. New Jersey also publishes a long-term care insurance consumer guide.
Questions to Ask About Pricing
- What is the hourly rate, and does it change at night, on weekends or on holidays?
- Is there a minimum visit length or a minimum number of hours each week?
- How is live-in care billed? Is it charged by the day or by the hour, and how are the caregiver's breaks and sleep time handled?
- Will I receive the rates in writing before care begins?
- How often will I be billed, and is a deposit required?
- What happens if I cancel a visit, or if my parent is admitted to the hospital?
- Is the agency licensed in New Jersey? Award Homecare holds New Jersey Health Care Service Firm License #HP0314200, and our questions and answers page explains how to check any agency's license.
- Does the agency work with my parent's long-term care insurance, and with CareScout?
Home Care Cost Questions and Answers
How much does home care cost in NJ?
The 2025 median rate for a non-medical caregiver in New Jersey was $38 an hour, according to the CareScout Cost of Care Survey. At 44 hours a week, that comes to about $7,245 a month. The cost for an individual family depends on the hours, the schedule and the agency.
How much does a live-in caregiver cost in NJ?
The CareScout survey reports an hourly rate for non-medical caregivers but no New Jersey live-in figure, so we do not give one. Because some live-in care is priced by the day, our team will explain how your loved one's live-in schedule would be priced and what the rate covers. Our live-in care page explains how the arrangement works.
How much does 24/7 in-home care cost per month in NJ?
Applying the $38 New Jersey median to every hour of the week gives $27,664 a month. The Family Caregiver Alliance describes several ways to arrange full-time care: a live-in caregiver, a live-in caregiver plus a night shift, two 12-hour shifts, or three 8-hour shifts. Our team can explain how each option would be priced for your loved one.
How much does a home health aide cost in NJ?
A home health aide in New Jersey cost about $38 an hour in 2025, based on the CareScout survey. CareScout now groups home health aides and homemakers together as "non-medical caregiver" because their prices became so close. It reports nursing care at home separately, with a 2025 national median of $90 an hour.
Does Medicare pay for home health care in NJ?
Medicare pays for home health care only when specific conditions are met. It covers part-time or intermittent skilled care ordered by a doctor or other health care provider for someone who is homebound, from a Medicare-certified agency. Medicare does not pay for long-term care or for 24-hour-a-day care at home, and home health care differs from the non-medical home care described above. Our questions and answers page compares home care and home health care side by side.
Does Medicaid pay for home health care in New Jersey?
New Jersey Medicaid can pay through MLTSS when a person qualifies both clinically and financially. JACC is a separate state-funded program for residents 60 and older who need nursing-home level of care. It is not Medicaid and has its own income and asset limits. Award Homecare does not accept Medicaid or JACC.
Can veterans get help paying for home care in NJ?
Some veterans and survivors can receive help through VA benefits. VA Aid and Attendance is an added monthly amount paid with a VA pension, for qualified Veterans and survivors who need help with daily activities or are housebound. Contact VA to confirm what applies to your family member. Award Homecare accepts VA benefits.
This information is general and is not financial, legal or medical advice. For a specific situation, please consult the program concerned, the insurer, an elder law attorney or your loved one's physician.
Last reviewed November 2026.
Request a Quote for Your Loved One's Care
Call 732-994-0309 or arrange a free in-home assessment. We will review the schedule and the help your loved one needs, and provide a quote based on both.
Award Homecare LLC, 2214 Route 37 East, Suite 9, Toms River, NJ 08753. New Jersey License #HP0314200.
