How much does Care.com charge?
Care.com is free to join, but both sides usually pay something. Families pay $13.99 to $39.99 a month to message caregivers, depending on billing term. Individual caregivers pay an annual background-check fee unless they hold a Premium Membership. Households that want payroll and tax help can add HomePay from $59/month.
Last verified 1 November 2026 · Feebite Editorial · Independent fees calculator
care.com
Quick Verdict
Rating: 4.0/5
Best for: caregivers who want visibility in childcare, senior care, pet care, or housekeeping, and families who want a large marketplace plus optional payroll support.
Not ideal for: families with a one-off need who might forget to cancel, because plans renew automatically and aren't refundable. It also doesn't suit freelancers looking for built-in payments, because families pay caregivers outside the platform.
Fees & Pricing — The Full Picture
Care.com works differently from typical freelancer marketplaces. It is primarily a matching platform for care services, not a gig app that takes a cut of every job. Its help centre says job payment happens outside Care.com, using whatever method suits the family and the caregiver, so there's no per-job commission taken from that payment.
What families pay
These are the plans shown on Care.com's Plans & pricing page on 1 November 2026, in USD. Care.com says not all plans are available in all areas and that they can change at any time.
| Plan | Price per month | Billed upfront | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest | $0 | $0 | Search and view profiles, post jobs, receive applications. You can't message caregivers. |
| Premium monthly | $39.99 | $39.99 | Message candidates, plus safety tools and discounts |
| Premium quarterly | $25.99 | $77.97 | Same as monthly |
| Premium annual | $13.99 | $167.88 | Same as monthly |
The upfront totals are our arithmetic, since Care.com says Premium plans are billed in full upfront.
Which billing term is cheapest
| If you need Care.com for | Cheapest plan | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | Monthly | $39.99 |
| 2–3 months | Quarterly | $77.97 |
| 4–6 months | Two quarterly terms | $155.94 |
| Over 6 months | Annual | $167.88 |
These totals are our arithmetic. Annual costs only $11.94 more than two quarterly terms and covers 12 months, so it is worth considering if your need might run on.
Family add-ons
| Add-on | Price | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Feature your job post | $4.00 | Billed monthly |
| Hiring Helper | $19.99 | One-time |
| Social Media Check | $29.99 | One-time |
| Additional criminal background checks | Price varies | Per report |
| Senior Care Advisor (includes 90 days of Premium) | $349.99 | One-time |
What caregivers pay
| Membership | Cost | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Annual Care.com Background Check fee. Amount not stated on the public help pages we read. | Profile, job search and applications. The check is required before you can interact with families. |
| Premium | Subscription price not on the public pages we read | Premium badge, see who viewed your profile, background check included |
Care.com says Premium must be active when your check is processed or renewed, or you'll incur an additional charge for the annual screening. Basic members, and caregivers who downgrade before the check comes due, are charged every year.
Cancellation and refunds
- Auto-renewal: subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel.
- Cancelling: you can cancel at any time and keep your benefits to the end of the billing term.
- Refunds: Care.com says it doesn't offer refunds for Premium, Complete or other paid membership plans.
Care.com's help pages also mention a Complete plan, which wasn't among the plans shown on the page we read.
HomePay, the payroll add-on
HomePay is for families who become household employers.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $59/month | Tax registration, quarterly tax filing, year-end tax forms, automated payroll and direct deposit, support |
| Plus | $75/month | Everything in Essentials, plus dedicated account management and audit support, an employee app, tax-agency notice handling and a free Care.com membership. First month advertised as free. |
Plus costs $16 a month more than Essentials and includes a Care.com membership, which is worth weighing if you would otherwise be paying for Premium.
Key Facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Category | Gig-economy caregiver marketplace |
| Pricing | Families $13.99–$39.99/month; caregivers an annual background-check fee or Premium; HomePay from $59/month |
| Free plan | Yes, Guest access for families, but no messaging |
| Founded | 2006 |
| HQ | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Best feature | Broad care categories in one marketplace, plus optional household payroll support |
| Worst limitation | Plans auto-renew and aren't refundable |
How It Compares
Care.com is strongest when you need household care specifically. It is less of a general freelance platform and more of a niche marketplace for recurring trust-based services.
| Name | Fee | Best For | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care.com | Families $13.99–$39.99/month; caregivers an annual check fee; HomePay from $59/month | Families hiring childcare, senior care, pet care, or housekeeping | Best specialist option if you want one marketplace for home-based care needs |
| Sittercity | Membership/pricing varies by user needs | Childcare-focused family matching | Simpler for babysitting-oriented searches, but narrower overall care scope |
| UrbanSitter | Pricing varies by plan/location | Parents seeking faster babysitter discovery in supported areas | Better for on-demand childcare in some markets, less broad across care categories |
Pros
- No commission on the job payment, because families pay caregivers outside the platform.
- Covers multiple care categories: childcare, senior care, pet care, and housekeeping in one place.
- Better suited to ongoing household relationships than many one-off gig apps.
- Published family prices, so you can compare billing terms before you join.
- HomePay is a meaningful add-on for families that need payroll and tax support for regular caregivers.
Cons
- Not free for caregivers in practice, since the required background check carries an annual fee.
- Plans auto-renew and aren't refundable, so a forgotten monthly plan keeps costing $39.99.
- Works best in areas with enough local demand; results can vary a lot by location and category.
- More of a lead-generation marketplace than a guaranteed-bookings platform, so paying users still need to do their own vetting.
Who Should Use Care.com
Perfect for: caregivers happy to pay for a yearly background check in exchange for access to a large care-focused marketplace, and families looking for recurring childcare, senior care, pet care, or housekeeping with the option to add payroll help.
Skip it if: you only want occasional one-off help and don't want to manage a subscription.
How to Get Started
- Choose your role: sign up as a caregiver or a family looking to hire care.
- Build your profile: add services offered or needed, availability, location, and relevant experience.
- Review the costs: families can browse as a Guest first and pick a billing term once they are ready to message. Caregivers should check the background-check fee shown before they pay.
- Contact and vet matches: compare profiles, discuss responsibilities and pay directly, and use payroll support if hiring regularly as a household employer.
- Set a reminder to cancel if you only need Care.com for a short time.
Care.com Affiliate Program — How to Earn by Referring
Beyond hiring and caregiving, Care.com also runs an affiliate (referral) program, a common question for bloggers, parenting sites, and creators who want to monetize care-related content. Care.com's affiliate link leads to a Care.com (US) sign-up on Impact, and FlexOffers also lists the programme.
Care.com affiliate commission (2026)
These are FlexOffers' listed figures, checked on 1 November 2026. They are not a statement from Care.com, and we couldn't see Impact's terms without a publisher login.
| What you refer | Listed payout | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free member registration | $0.80 | Low value but easy to convert |
| Care Seeker premium subscription | $16 | The paying customer |
- Cookie window: FlexOffers lists 30 days.
- Exclusions: sales from existing customers are excluded, and FlexOffers says restrictions apply.
- Rates can differ by network and country, so check the live terms on the network you join.
How to join the Care.com affiliate program
- Pick a network: Impact or FlexOffers.
- Apply to the Care.com program inside that network.
- Grab your tracking link and place it in relevant content, such as nanny hiring guides, senior-care checklists, or care-cost comparisons.
- Optimize for the paid action (the family subscription) rather than free signups, since that's where most of the payout sits.
Honest note: Care.com's per-lead payouts are modest, so affiliate income here works best as part of a broader care/parenting content site with real traffic, not as a standalone earner.
Sources checked (November 2026)
- Care.com Plans & pricing: Guest and Premium scope, family prices, add-ons, Senior Care Advisor
- How much does Care.com membership cost?: Guest access and plan availability (dated 20 October 2026)
- When am I charged for a service?: billing terms, background-check billing, payment outside Care.com (dated 20 May 2026)
- What is Care.com's refund policy?: refunds (dated 23 September 2026)
- How do I cancel my family's paid plan?: auto-renewal and cancelling (dated 20 October 2026)
- Is Care.com free? (caregivers): required background check and annual fee (dated 20 May 2026)
- Basic and Premium Membership for caregivers: what each membership includes (dated 23 September 2026)
- Care.com auto-renewal for caregivers: annual charge for Basic members (dated 4 February 2026)
- Care.com HomePay product and pricing: Essentials and Plus prices and contents
- Care.com affiliate sign-up and FlexOffers: Care.com affiliate program: programme availability and third-party listed payouts
- Prices are in USD, checked on 1 November 2026. Care.com says plans vary by area and can change at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Care.com free?
It is free to join, but not free to use fully. Families can browse and post jobs as a Guest, but need a paid plan to message caregivers. Individual caregivers can set up a Basic Membership, but must complete a Care.com Background Check, which carries an annual fee.
Does Care.com charge caregivers?
Yes, in most cases. All individual caregivers must complete the Care.com Background Check to interact with families, and Basic members are charged for it every year. Care.com doesn't state the amount on the public help pages we read. A Premium Membership includes the check at no additional cost, as long as it is active when the check is processed or renewed.
How much do families pay to use Care.com?
Care.com's plans page showed $39.99/month on a monthly plan, $25.99/month on a quarterly plan and $13.99/month on an annual plan on 1 November 2026. Plans are billed in full upfront, so that is $77.97 a quarter or $167.88 a year. Care.com says not all plans are available in all areas.
Can I get a refund from Care.com?
Generally no. Care.com says it doesn't offer refunds for Premium, Complete or other paid membership plans, and subscriptions renew automatically. You can cancel at any time and keep your benefits until the end of the billing term.
How much does Care.com HomePay cost?
HomePay's published prices are $59/month for Essentials and $75/month for Plus. Plus adds dedicated account management, tax-agency notice handling, an employee app and a free Care.com membership, and its page advertised the first month free.
Does Care.com have an affiliate program?
Yes. Care.com's affiliate link leads to a Care.com (US) sign-up on Impact, and FlexOffers also lists the programme. FlexOffers shows $16 per Care Seeker premium subscription and $0.80 per free registration, with a 30-day cookie and existing customers excluded. Those are FlexOffers' listed figures, not a Care.com statement, and rates may differ on other networks.
This review was last updated November 2026. Fees and availability may change — always check Care.com's website for the latest information.