Home Care Cost Per Hour in Illinois (2026)

What You Will Pay in 2026

Private-pay nonmedical home care in Illinois averages $30 to $35 per hour statewide. Northern Illinois and the Chicago metropolitan area can vary by agency, level of care, and shift; use approximately $35 per hour as a planning figure and confirm the agency's current quote.

At 40 hours per week, that translates to roughly $62,400 to $72,800 per year before any subsidies. Twenty-four-hour arrangements can cost substantially more and should be priced with the agency directly.

For context, the average annual cost of a private room in an Illinois nursing home runs approximately $110,595. Whether home care costs less depends on the number of hours, the level of care, and the current quotes for both options.

Breaking Down the Rates by Region

Illinois has significant geographic cost variation. Agency rates include overhead and other employer costs, so compare current quotes for the parent's location. If you hire a caregiver independently, confirm the payroll, worker's compensation, and background-check responsibilities before treating the person as a private employee.

Skilled Home Health vs Nonmedical Home Care

The rates above apply to nonmedical home care — help with bathing, dressing, meal preparation, and household tasks. Skilled home health care (physical therapy, wound care, skilled nursing) carries much higher rates:

Rates for registered-nurse visits, therapy, and home health aide services vary by provider and service. Medicare may cover skilled home health when the applicable requirements are met; it does not cover nonmedical home care.

Medicare covers skilled home health when ordered by a physician and the patient is homebound. It does not cover nonmedical home care at all.

How the Community Care Program Reduces Your Cost

The Illinois Community Care Program eliminates or sharply reduces the cost of nonmedical home care for seniors who meet the eligibility criteria:

• Age 60 or older
• Non-exempt assets at or below $17,500
• DON score of 29 or higher (the functional assessment performed by a Care Coordination Unit)

CCP has no income limit. Seniors with income at or below the federal poverty level receive services at no cost. Those with higher incomes pay a sliding-scale copayment — significantly less than private-pay rates.

For families that qualify for the Medicaid Persons Who Are Elderly waiver (income at or below $1,330/month single, plus the $17,500 asset limit), there is zero copayment for covered services.

What CCP Pays Caregivers

On the provider side, the state pays contracted home care agencies a set reimbursement rate. Under the Home Services Program administered by the Department of Human Services (for individuals under 60 with disabilities), the current SEIU-negotiated rates are:

• Standard Personal Assistants: $20.00/hour (effective July 1, 2026)
• Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs): $23.00/hour
• Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs): $30.00/hour
• Registered Nurses (RNs): $36.75/hour

CCP homemaker rates for the over-60 population are set separately through agency contracts and vary by region, with a typical $13–$25 per hour range for caregiver pay.

Strategies to Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs

Apply for CCP as early as possible. The application costs nothing, and the CCU evaluation is free. Even if your parent's income is moderate, the sliding-scale copayment may be lower than private-pay rates; the CCU determines the actual amount.

Stack Medicare and CCP. Medicare covers skilled home health (therapy visits, nursing care) in short-term episodes. CCP covers daily nonmedical assistance. The two programs complement each other — your parent can receive PT visits under Medicare and daily homemaker services under CCP simultaneously.

Consider a family caregiver arrangement. If an adult child or spouse lives with the parent and is willing to provide daily care, the CCP allows family members to be hired as paid W-2 caregivers through a contracted agency. The pay is lower than private-agency rates, but the family member earns income instead of paying it out — and live-in caregivers may qualify for the IRS Notice 2014-7 tax exclusion on that income.

Negotiate with private agencies. For private-pay arrangements, many agencies offer reduced rates for guaranteed weekly minimums (typically 20+ hours) and for off-peak shifts (weekday daytime is the most expensive; overnight and weekend shifts may be discounted).

The Illinois home care guide walks through the full CCP application process, the financial eligibility framework, and includes cost comparison worksheets for private-pay vs subsidized scenarios.

See more Illinois guides →