Kinds of care at home
Agency or your own carer? The honest comparison
An agency runs the rota and covers sickness; a self-employed carer costs less and is the same face every time. What each gives you, what each costs, and how to decide.
7 minute read · Updated 29 August 2026 · By Home Care Prices
There are two ways to bring a carer into the house. An agency employs the carers, plans the rota, sends whoever is free and covers holidays and sickness. Or you choose one self-employed carer, agree the hours with them, and they come every time. The second costs a good deal less per hour. The first takes less arranging. This guide sets them side by side without pretending either is right for everyone.
What each one gives you
| A home care agency | Your own self-employed carer | |
|---|---|---|
| Who the carers are | Employed and trained by the agency; you see whoever is on the rota | One person you choose from their profile and a meeting |
| Continuity | A small team at best; more at large agencies | The same carer every visit |
| Cover when someone is off | Sent by the office automatically | Arranged by you, with help from the platform |
| Care plan | Written and reviewed by the agency | Agreed between you and the carer |
| Regulation | Registered with and inspected by the CQC | Not regulated; vetted by the platform: interview, DBS, ID, right to work |
| Paperwork | One monthly invoice | The carer invoices you, or the platform collects payment |
| If something goes wrong | A manager to complain to | You and the carer, with the platform behind you |
What each one costs
The agency rate has to pay the carer, the office, the coordinator, travel between visits, training, insurance and a margin. A self-employed carer sets their own rate and keeps it. Across England the typical agency weekday rate is £32 an hour; carers on PrimeCarers charge £18 to £25, and set their own weekend rates, which are usually a smaller uplift than an agency’s.
The gap is real but it is not the whole story. The agency figure buys cover and management; the platform figure buys a person. Which you need depends on the next two sections.
Continuity and cover
Ask anyone who has had visits from an agency what they minded most and the answer is usually the number of different faces. Good agencies try to keep a small team on each client; large rotas and staff turnover make it hard. With your own carer there is one person, who learns the house, the routine and the moods. For someone with dementia, that matters more than anything else on this page.
The flip side is cover. When an agency carer is ill, another arrives. When your own carer is ill, you need a plan: a second carer you have met who can step in, or the platform’s help finding one. Families who make it work usually have two carers on the books from the start, one main and one occasional.
One carer you know beats five you do not, right up until the morning nobody comes. Plan for that morning before you need it.
Vetting and regulation
Agencies that provide personal care must register with the Care Quality Commission, which inspects them and publishes a rating. That is a real protection: a rating of Inadequate or Requires improvement tells you something. Self-employed carers working on their own are outside CQC regulation, so what you rely on is the platform’s checks and your own judgement. PrimeCarers, which runs this site, interviews every carer online, checks an enhanced DBS, ID and right to work, and publishes reviews from previous clients. It does not train carers or supervise their work; that is the trade for the lower rate. Read the checklist for what to ask either way.
Who does the paperwork
With an agency, none. You get an invoice. With a self-employed carer you agree the hours, the rate and what happens when either of you cancels, and they invoice you or the platform collects payment on their behalf. You are not an employer: the carer runs their own business, works for several clients and sorts their own tax. That only holds if they are genuinely self-employed; a carer who works full time for one household to that household’s timetable is an employee in HMRC’s eyes, and the direct payments guide explains what employing someone involves.
How to decide
- Choose an agency if you need care starting this week, if the needs are complex or clinical, if nobody in the family can help arrange cover, or if the council is arranging the care.
- Choose your own carer if continuity matters most, if the budget is tight, if there is a family member who can hold the arrangement together, or if you want to interview the person yourself.
- Do both if the hours are high: a self-employed carer for the regular visits and an agency for nights or holidays is a common shape.
The estimate on this site puts an agency’s published rate against the platform rate for the hours you need, over a year and five.
Common questions
- Is a self-employed carer cheaper than an agency?
- Usually by a third or more an hour: £18 to £25 through PrimeCarers against a typical agency rate of £32. The difference is the agency's office, cover and margin.
- Are self-employed carers regulated by the CQC?
- No. A carer working on their own is outside CQC registration. A platform such as PrimeCarers vets them (interview, DBS, ID, right to work) and publishes reviews, but does not inspect their work the way the CQC inspects an agency.
- Will I become an employer?
- Not if the carer is genuinely self-employed and works for several clients. You are a client. If you take someone on to work only for you, to your hours, you are their employer whatever the contract says.
- What happens when my own carer is ill?
- You arrange cover, with the platform's help. Families who make it work have a second carer they have met who can step in. An agency sends cover automatically; that is part of what its rate pays for.