How much does home care cost in Ireland in 2026?

Most families price home care in a hurry, after a fall or a hospital stay, with nothing to measure the first quote against. Here is what Irish providers publish, and the HSE and Revenue rules that change what you pay, checked on 30 September 2026. Treat the figures as ranges and ask for a written quote.

In this guide

• Hourly rates
• Evenings, weekends and bank holidays
• Overnight care
• Live-in carers
• Minimum visit lengths
• What HSE home support covers
• The new home support law
• Tax relief for employing a carer
• Health Expenses relief
• Home care against a nursing home
• Combining HSE, private and family care
• Questions families ask
• Sources

How much does a private carer cost per hour?

Agencies charge by the hour, and the rate depends on the kind of care. Kare Plus Ireland (April 2026) quotes €25 to €30 for home help such as meals and companionship, €28 to €35 for personal care, and €30 to €40 or more for dementia or palliative care.

Homecare Solutions' list dates from January 2025, so its rates may have risen. Hiring a carer yourself is usually cheaper than an agency, whose price pays for vetting, insurance and cover when your carer is sick, but you become the employer.

Do evenings, weekends and bank holidays cost more?

Usually, yes. Hibernia Homecare says it pays carers extra for evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and that its hourly rate varies with the time and day. Homecare Solutions publishes the gap: €48 an hour on Sundays and bank holidays against €33 on other days, about 45% more.

We found no Irish provider that publishes a separate evening rate. Comfort Keepers advises asking for evening and weekend pricing before comparing quotes. A low weekday rate can hide an expensive Sunday.

How much does overnight care cost?

• A sleeping night. The carer sleeps in the house and gets up if needed. Homecare Solutions charges €265 for 10 hours, any night of the week.
• A waking night. The carer stays awake and is paid by the hour. United Irish Healthcare's waking nights run 8 hours, usually 10pm to 6am, at €25 to €35 an hour: €200 to €280 a night, plus a one-off €799.99 placement fee.

If the worry is mainly a fall on the way to the bathroom, a sleeping night may be enough.

How much does a live-in carer cost?

• ALHomecare: €622 to €809 a week, depending on the carer's experience, for 35 hours of work over five days with the carer sleeping in. On top: a €1,895 + VAT placement fee, free room and board, and overtime from €15.30 an hour gross.
• Kare Plus Ireland: €900 to €1,600 or more a week.
• Royal Homecare: €1,200 to €1,500 a week.

The difference is mostly hours. A 35-hour live-in carer is not 24-hour care, so ask exactly what is included at night.

Is there a minimum visit length?

Most private providers sell visits in blocks of an hour or more. Caremark offers visits from one hour, Dovida's plans run from 1 to 24 hours a day, and Family Carers Ireland provides in-home respite in blocks of two hours or more. For a short lunchtime check, ask whether you will be charged a full hour.

What does HSE home support cover, and what doesn't it?

The HSE Home Support Service is free, not means tested, and needs no medical card, according to Citizens Information and the HSE. It is for people aged 65 or over, and some younger people, such as those with early-onset dementia.

It covers everyday personal care: getting in and out of bed, showering and dressing. A public health nurse, physiotherapist or occupational therapist assesses the need, and you can appeal within 20 days.

It does not cover 24-hour care, which Citizens Information says funding cannot stretch to, or hours beyond your assessment, which the HSE says you pay for yourself. Nor does it replace care the family already gives.

The catch is the wait. The HSE's 2026 service plan targets 26.7 million hours of home support and commits to reducing the waiting list. Some families pay for private hours in the meantime.

Tick the box for Consumer Directed Home Support to get weekly funding to spend with an approved provider you choose, at its HSE-agreed rate.

Is there a legal right to home care yet?

No. Ireland has no statutory entitlement to home support, as the Oireachtas Library noted in February 2026.

The Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Act 2026, signed on 1 July 2026, does not create one. Once in force, it will require home care providers to register with HIQA's Chief Inspector and be inspected. The Department of Health calls it the first step towards a statutory home care scheme. On 30 September 2026 the Irish Statute Book listed the whole Act as not yet commenced.

Can you claim tax relief for employing a carer?

Yes, if the person cared for is totally incapacitated by physical or mental infirmity. Revenue's relief covers care for yourself, your spouse or civil partner, a relative, or your spouse's relative.

• It is a deduction at your highest rate of tax, on the actual cost or €75,000 a year per incapacitated person, whichever is lower.
• Agency carers count, as do carers you employ yourself.
• It does not cover anything the HSE or a local authority funds, or someone employed only as a housekeeper.
• If siblings share the bill, each claims on what they paid, within one €75,000 limit.
• You must have paid tax that year. Claim through myAccount or ROS; Revenue may ask for Form HK1.

For illustration: if a daughter pays €15,000 a year for her mother's carer, and at least that much of her income is taxed at 40%, the relief is worth up to €6,000.

Employ a carer directly and you are their employer: register with Revenue, deduct PAYE, PRSI and USC, and pay at least the minimum wage, €14.15 an hour in 2026.

Does Health Expenses relief cover home care?

For the care itself, only home nursing counts. If a doctor advises that your parent needs constant nursing care at home from a qualified nurse, the nurse's fees can be claimed as a health expense, with a medical certificate, proof of the nurse's qualification and receipts.

A care assistant is not a nurse, so ordinary home care goes under the carer relief, and the same cost cannot be claimed under both. Health expenses generally get relief at 20%. Related costs such as prescribed medicines and nursing appliances can count too.

Is home care cheaper than a nursing home?

It depends on the hours. Kare Plus Ireland says home care can cost less when the hours needed are limited or moderate. Round-the-clock care is different: seven waking nights alone come to €1,400 to €1,960 a week at the rates above.

It is rarely like for like. A nursing home fee includes the room, food and heating; home care comes on top of household bills. And Fair Deal changes what a family pays for a nursing home. See what nursing homes cost in 2026 and Fair Deal against home care.

How do families combine HSE hours, private hours and a family rota?

Few families pay for all of it, and few get all of it from the HSE. Arrangements that last tend to look like this:

1. Apply to the HSE first. It costs nothing, and a hospital discharge team can help with the form.
2. Use HSE hours for personal care. Getting up, washing and dressing are what the service is built for.
3. Buy private hours for the gaps. A longer visit, an evening, a Sunday, or a break for the main family carer. Consumer Directed Home Support lets you set HSE days around family days.
4. Write the family rota down. A rota that lives in one person's head falls on that person.
5. Claim what is owed. Whoever pays may claim the carer relief. Whoever does most of the caring may qualify for Carer's Allowance or the Carer's Support Grant.
6. Ask for a review when needs change. The HSE reviews the hours and may increase them.

The hardest stretch is when nobody is there, especially at night. Between carer visits, some families add a sensor that alerts them if a parent falls, such as our SmartGuardian. It does not replace a carer, but the next visit is no longer the first anyone hears of a fall.

Questions families ask

How much does a carer cost per hour in Ireland in 2026?

Published rates run from about €20 to €40 an hour, with agency personal care such as washing and dressing typically €28 to €35. Sundays and bank holidays cost more.

Is HSE home support free?

Yes. It is free, not means tested, and needs no medical card. But the hours are set by a needs assessment, it cannot provide 24-hour care, and there is a waiting list.

How much does a live-in carer cost in Ireland?

From about €622 to €1,600 or more a week. The cheaper arrangements cover 35 hours of work with the carer sleeping in, plus a placement fee and room and board.

What is the difference between a sleeping night and a waking night?

On a sleeping night the carer sleeps in the house and gets up if needed; one provider charges €265 for 10 hours. On a waking night the carer stays awake and is paid by the hour, about €200 to €280 for 8 hours.

Can I get tax relief on my mother's home care?

Yes, if she is totally incapacitated by physical or mental infirmity. Whoever pays can claim relief at their highest rate of tax on up to €75,000 a year, but not on hours the HSE funds.

Can siblings split the cost and each claim the relief?

Yes. Each person claims on the share they actually paid. The €75,000 yearly limit applies to the total, not to each of you.

Is there a legal right to home care in Ireland?

Not yet. The Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Act 2026 regulates providers rather than creating a right to hours, and had not been commenced on 30 September 2026.

Sources

All checked on 30 September 2026. Provider prices are what each provider published on that date. They change, so confirm with a written quote.

1. Citizens Information, Home Support Service (page edited 1 July 2026)
2. HSE, Home Support Service for older people and After you apply for the Home Support Service
3. HSE, HSE publishes 2026 National Service Plan (22 December 2025)
4. Revenue, Employing a carer, including Amount of relief, Restrictions, Two or more people paying and Tax obligations when employing a carer (19 January 2026)
5. Revenue, Health expenses, What are qualifying expenses? and Nursing home and additional nursing care expenses (June and September 2026)
6. Revenue, Tax and Duty Manual Part 15-01-12, Health Expenses (March 2026), paragraph 10.1 on home nursing
7. Citizens Information, Minimum wage (page edited 1 January 2026)
8. Houses of the Oireachtas, Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025, enacted 1 July 2026 as Act 17 of 2026
9. Oireachtas Library & Research Service, Bill Digest: Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 (9 February 2026)
10. Department of Health, Significant milestone as Minister O’Donnell secures passage of Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 through both Houses of the Oireachtas (24 June 2026)
11. Irish Statute Book, Act 17 of 2026: commencement, amendments and SIs
12. Kare Plus Ireland, Homecare Costs in Ireland: How Much Should You Really Expect to Pay? (16 April 2026)
13. United Irish Healthcare, How much does homecare cost in Ireland?, What does overnight home care cost in Ireland and Overnight Care
14. Royal Homecare, Nursing Home vs Home Care in Ireland (2026) (27 March 2026)
15. Homecare Solutions, Cost of Care: private rates (rates stated as correct as of January 2025)
16. ALHomecare, Live-in care costs and prices
17. Hibernia Homecare, Frequently asked questions
18. Comfort Keepers, Planning your homecare budget in Ireland
19. Caremark Ireland, Homecare support and services; Dovida, Private home care services; Family Carers Ireland, Private home care

This guide is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. For a decision on your own circumstances, contact your local HSE Home Support Office, Revenue, or your local Citizens Information Centre on 0818 07 4000.