Paying for care

Private pay home care in Tampa Bay: costs and other ways to pay

Most families use a mix of private hours, insurance and programs. Here are the real published numbers and the programs people often miss.

Published by Aster Care LLC · Last updated November 1, 2026 · Sources listed below

An Aster Care caregiver walking beside an older man in a wheelchair along a palm-lined waterfront, both holding coffee

The short answer

Published 2026 figures put non-medical in-home care in Florida at about $31 to $32 an hour, and CareScout's national median for a private duty nurse at $90 an hour. Medicare does not pay for long-term personal care. Long-term care insurance usually starts after a waiting period of up to 180 days. Ask us for our current rates before anything starts.

What care costs

MeasureFigureSource and year
Non-medical caregiver, Florida, annual median at 44 hours a week$73,216 (about $32 an hour)CareScout 2025 survey; hourly figure is our math
Non-medical in-home care, Florida median$31 an hourA Place for Mom, 2026
Non-medical caregiver, U.S. median$35 an hourCareScout 2025 survey
Private duty nurse, U.S. median$90 an hour or $160 a visitCareScout 2025 survey
Individual caregivers' asking rates, Tampa$20 to $23 an hourCare.com, November 2026

Care.com's numbers are what individual caregivers post, not what an agency charges. An agency's rate also covers payroll taxes, screening, supervision and backup when someone is sick. Agencies often set a minimum visit length, commonly a few hours. Ask about it, along with weekend and holiday rates. Florida law requires an agency's charges to be in a written agreement with you.

Medicare

Medicare pays for part-time or intermittent skilled care when a provider orders it and the person is homebound. It does not pay for round-the-clock care, or for bathing and dressing help when that is the only care needed. Read the full explanation.

Long-term care insurance

Policies usually pay once someone needs help with two or more daily activities, or has a cognitive impairment. Florida law says a policy cannot require more than three, and the Department of Financial Services says the longest waiting period (elimination period) is 180 days. Call the insurer early and ask whether agency care counts toward that waiting period.

State programs for people not on Medicaid

  • Community Care for the Elderly. For people 60 and older with functional limits. Services can include personal care, homemaker, respite and meals.
  • Home Care for the Elderly. A subsidy for low-income elders living with an approved caregiver, with a basic subsidy listed at $160 a month.
  • Alzheimer's Disease Initiative. Respite and caregiver support for families living with dementia.

All three start with the Elder Helpline at 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). In Hillsborough, County Aging Services at (813) 272-5250 also offers sliding-scale in-home services for adults over 60. In Pasco, County Senior Services at 727-834-3340 is the lead agency for these programs. Note that Optional State Supplementation only helps people in licensed assisted living or similar homes, so it does not pay for care in a private home.

Mixing private and covered hours

Many families use private hours to fill the gaps around covered hours. We will show you how it adds up before anything starts.

Questions families ask

Are there long contracts?

Ask any agency this. Florida requires a written agreement listing services and charges, so read how to end service before you sign.

Is home care cheaper than a nursing home?

It depends on hours. CareScout reported a Florida private nursing home room at $138,700 a year in 2024, and full-time non-medical care in the $70,000s. Round-the-clock care at home can cost more than a facility.