Personal care assistants can earn anything from £8.00 to £20.00 per hour. Higher wages are generally paid in Greater London, which usually takes into consideration the London Living Wage (£10.75 as of Feb 2020).

In general, there is no rule of thumb on what you should pay your new PA, other than ensuring that what you are paying meets minimum wage criteria.

Remember to keep your wages competitive, have a look around at what other people in your area are offering. And note that a good personal care assistant may be worth more and that paying a little more can keep them more interested in working for you.

If you are unsure about how things will work out with your new PA, or about how much to pay from the outset, you can always offer a probation period (e.g. a fortnight-long) at a lower wage, which will give you both time to help assess how well you work together. And then, once the trial period is over, and you are satisfied with the PA, you can arrange to increase the wage.

Ultimately, what you pay your personal care assistant should reflect what you are expecting of them and based on how much responsibility you are giving them. Think carefully and if you are unsure, you are welcome to mail one of our support team at support@ukcil.com.

Finally, if you are considering paying minimum wage, please be aware that it rises each year and more information on current rates can be found on the gov.uk site.