The care you give has never had a price tag. Until now.

    You have been giving care without a paycheck, a title, or a reimbursement rate. This tool exists to change that — at least on paper. Tell us about your caregiving and we will show you exactly what your contribution is worth.

    Step 1 of 5

    Where are you providing care?

    We use your state's actual professional care rates — not national averages. Your contribution is worth what it would cost to hire someone locally.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Because every hour you provide is an hour an agency, home health aide, or care manager would otherwise be paid for. AARP estimates the unpaid value of family caregiving in the U.S. exceeds $600 billion a year. Putting a number on your contribution is not about turning love into a transaction — it is about making your work visible to employers, family members, attorneys, and benefit programs that can actually help.

    We use conservative 2026 national medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CareScout for comparable paid roles: companion sitters, home health aides, homemakers, LPNs, overnight aides, and care managers. Rates in high-cost metros can run 30–60% higher. This calculator deliberately uses national medians so the result is defensible — your local market value is almost certainly higher.

    Often, yes. Most states have Medicaid self-directed waivers (such as California's IHSS, New York's CDPAP, and Washington's CDWA) that pay family caregivers — sometimes including adult children, and in a few states even spouses. VA Veteran-Directed Care does the same for eligible veterans. Several states (notably Hawaii, Washington, and Minnesota) also fund non-Medicaid caregiver stipends. Our Caregiver Compensation guide walks through eligibility state by state.

    Yes — those are real economic costs of caregiving. The MetLife and AARP studies on caregiving consistently find that family caregivers lose an average of $300,000+ in lifetime wages, Social Security, and retirement contributions. Out-of-pocket spending averages roughly $7,200 per year. Capturing both alongside the value of your care hours gives you the truest picture of what you are contributing.

    Three things. (1) Use it in conversations with siblings or family members about cost-sharing. (2) Bring it to an elder law attorney when drafting a personal care agreement so you can be compensated at fair market rates (and protect future Medicaid eligibility). (3) Use it as a baseline when applying to Medicaid self-directed waivers or VA Veteran-Directed Care so you understand the hours you are already covering.