Many families do believe that live in care is an expensive solution and only rich families can afford it. But if you look at it you can clearly see that the cost of the Caregiver is affordable and valuable solution and in many instances would cost less than a Day care or a Nursing home.

There are expenses that the family will incur before the caregiver arrives:

Advertisement – most websites, including the Job Bank, do not charge for the advertisement but local newspapers do charge.

Recruitment – if you are not able to find a caregiver on your own, and hire an agency to find you the right person, you will have to pay the cost of the recruitment. Different agencies have different prices but beware of agencies that do not charge anything. Not only does it mean that they charge the recruitment fee to the caregiver, it also means that you, the employer, could be found breaking provincial rules.

Airfare – you are responsible for paying the cost of transportation from the place where the caregiver lives to your home.

Contact us for the quotation on the before arrival charges! We have developed surprisingly affordable solutions for you!

After the caregiver arrives, you will be responsible for:

Wages – each province has different hourly minimum wages for the Live in caregivers. Presently they vary between 8.00 CAD in BC and 10.25 CAD in Ontario.

From the net salary, you may deduct room and board from your Live-in Caregiver (the amount depends on the Province and it is between 152.00 CAD monthly in YT  and 420.00 CAD in NU. If you live in QC you can not deduct room and board).

The Canada Revenue Agency will require you to submit the Federal & Provincial Tax deductions, Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance that are to be deducted from your caregiver’s pay.  As an employer you will also be required to make monthly contributions for CPP & EI. 

In the table below we provide examples of how much a Live in Caregiver can cost to a Family in different provinces for 40 hrs a week. Calculations include the Gross wage of the Live in caregiver, monthly contributions for CPP & EI and room and board.

Please remember that these figures are based on the Canada Revenue Agency web site that reflects their changes effective April 1, 2010.  These figures are also based on a wage that is paid monthly and not weekly or bi-weekly.  Please see www.cra-arc.gc.ca for more details. 

Not included in these figures are vacation pay, statutory holidays, W.S.I.B contributions* and Medical insurance coverage**. We recommend that you hire a payroll expert.

* Workers’ Compensation (WSIB) or alternative insurance – some provinces already have this plan in place, some do not – in these cases, an equivalent accident insurance must be purchased for the caregiver.

**Medical insurance until the provincial coverage starts. In some provinces, the waiting period is about 3 months.