Agency paycheck vs going independent. Free, no signup.
How to read this: families routinely pay agencies $25-$45/hr while caregivers see $12-$20 of it. Going independent keeps the spread, but you trade guaranteed hours for finding your own clients and covering your own insurance and taxes. Rate starting points are reported 2026 ranges, not quotes - price from your local market and your experience. Estimates for planning only.
Start in the "Your agency job now" card with the hourly pay the agency gives you, not what it bills the family, and your hours per week. Next, in "Going independent," pick a care-level preset for an editable starting hourly rate: Companionship at $22, Personal care or ADLs at $28, Dementia or specialized care at $34, or Overnight awake at $30. These reflect widely reported 2026 private-pay ranges; set your own number for your market and experience. Enter the billable hours you can realistically fill each week, and if you work live-in, enter your weekly flat rate instead of an hourly one. In "Independent costs," enter your monthly costs, such as liability insurance, background checks, transport, and supplies, plus a tax set-aside percentage for self-employment and income tax. This is rough planning only, not tax or legal advice. The "Side by side" card compares agency take-home per week against independent gross, costs, and tax set-aside, ending in independent net per week, with a comparison bar and a verdict: GO INDEPENDENT (more than 15 percent ahead), AGENCY WINS FOR NOW (more than 15 percent behind), or CLOSE CALL, plus a break-even line showing the independent hours to match your agency paycheck.
Example only, not typical earnings. A caregiver earns $15 an hour from an agency for 40 hours a week, which is $600 a week take-home. She considers going independent doing personal care at $28 an hour for 30 billable hours a week, with $120 in monthly costs and a 25 percent tax set-aside. The tax figures are rough planning estimates only, not tax advice.
Independent gross is $28 x 30 = $840 a week, or $840 x 4.33 = $3,637.20 a month. Subtracting $120 in costs leaves $3,517.20, and the 25 percent tax set-aside brings it to $3,517.20 x 0.75 = $2,637.90 a month, which is $2,637.90 / 4.33 = $609.21 a week net. That is +$9.21 a week over the agency paycheck, a 1.5 percent difference, so the verdict reads CLOSE CALL.
The break-even line says about $600 / ($28 x 0.75) = 28.6 independent hours a week at $28 an hour would match the agency paycheck after the tax set-aside, before monthly costs.
How does the tool compare agency and independent pay?
Agency side is simple: your hourly pay x hours per week. Independent side starts with your hourly rate x billable hours (or your live-in flat rate), converts to a monthly figure, subtracts your monthly costs, applies your tax set-aside percentage, then converts back to a weekly net. The verdict compares the two weekly numbers.
What does the tax set-aside percentage do?
It reduces your independent gross by that percentage to approximate what you would owe in self-employment and income tax. It is a rough planning estimate only, not tax advice; the right number depends on your situation, so ask a tax professional.
How is the break-even number calculated?
Break-even divides your agency weekly pay by your independent rate after the tax set-aside: agency pay / (rate x (1 - tax set-aside)). It answers "how many independent hours a week match my agency paycheck?" Note it is calculated before your monthly costs, so your real break-even is a bit higher.
What happens when I enter a live-in flat rate?
Entering anything above 0 in the live-in weekly field switches the tool to live-in mode: it compares that flat weekly rate against the agency paycheck instead of using hourly rate x hours. The note below the results switches too, giving reported live-in weekly ranges as context rather than a quote.
Is this tax or legal advice?
No. The tool gives estimates for planning only, and its tax set-aside is a rough estimate, not tax advice. Going independent also changes your legal and insurance situation, which this tool does not cover. Check with a qualified tax or legal professional before making the switch.