Before you compare two totals, separate the charges that happen once from the charges that repeat each week. One-time charges usually sit at the start (intake, screening, a first-week minimum) or at the end (a fee to hire a caregiver directly, a cancellation charge). They often do not appear in the hourly rate, so two estimates can look close while one carries a much larger cost to begin.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Step 1: Ask for every one-time charge in writing

  1. Ask: Is there any charge at signing, before the first shift, or on the first shift? Listen for a named list. A bare no with no page reference is not an answer you can check.
  2. Ask about each of these by name: intake or assessment, background check, placement or matching, and any fee if the family later wants to hire the caregiver directly.
  3. Ask whether the first week has a minimum number of paid hours, and whether that minimum is billed when a shift ends early.

Write here: Charge name ____ Amount ____ When billed ____ Refundable (yes or no) ____ Page or clause where it is written ____

Step 2: Put both estimates on the same line

  1. Copy each one-time charge onto a single sheet, one row per charge, with the same labels for both providers.
  2. If a provider lists a charge in a call but not on the estimate, mark it as unconfirmed. Do not add it to the total until it appears on paper.
  3. Add the one-time charges to the first month only. Keep the repeating hourly figure on a separate line so the two costs are not mixed.

Step 3: Read the ending terms for hiring-out fees

Find the clause that covers what happens if the family wants to hire the caregiver directly after a period of agency work. Write down whether a fee applies, how it is calculated, and the date the clause starts. The ending clause is covered in its own article, so use this step only to find the fee line.

Signs to walk away

  • A fee that was named on the phone but is missing from the written estimate.
  • A non-refundable charge that is billed before the first shift starts.
  • A figure that changes between the call and the signed copy with no reason given.
  • No answer when you ask which page or clause a fee comes from.

What to write down before you decide

Keep one sheet per provider with three numbers: total one-time charges, the first-month total including those charges, and the repeating weekly cost. Note the page number for each line. If a line cannot be sourced to a page, mark it unconfirmed.

For the sources you should check against, see Sources. For the full order of the hiring steps, see Start Here: Five Steps to Hiring.