Become a Caregiver
Get paid hourly to help older or disabled adults with daily tasks, either through an agency or by finding your own clients on a care marketplace.
The numbers
Each one links to its source and the day it was checked.
Source: thegigwolf.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: bls.gov · checked 2026-10-23
Corroborated by payscale.com
What it is
Caregiving covers non-medical help in someone's home: companionship, errands, meals, laundry, bathing and dressing, and rides to appointments. You can do it as an employee of a home-care agency, as a contractor taking visits through an app, or independently with clients you find yourself. Most entry-level work needs no license, though some states require home health aide certification and agencies increasingly want a CNA or HHA credential.
How it works
- Decide agency or marketplaceAn agency gives you steadier hours, training and sometimes benefits but sets your rate. A marketplace or visit app lets you pick your schedule and rate but offers no guaranteed hours.
- Check your state's rulesSome states require a home health aide license or certification involving training, a background check and a competency exam. Agencies that bill Medicare must follow federal aide training regulations.
- Clear a background checkEvery route screens you. Care.com requires its own background check before you can contact families, and Papa requires background-check consent plus identity verification and safety training.
- Build a profile and applyOn a marketplace you write a profile, list your rate and availability, and apply to family job posts. On a visit app you accept visits from a queue in the app.
- Add a credential once you're workingA CNA or HHA certification, plus CPR/BLS, moves you out of the lowest pay band and opens agency and facility work. Many state workforce offices will fund the course.
What you need
- High school diploma or equivalent is typical, though some positions don't require one
- Ability to pass a criminal background check
- Reliable transportation; some platforms require a driver's license and insured vehicle in your own name
- A smartphone that runs a current version of iOS or Android for the platform app
- Physical ability to lift, transfer and support an adult
- In some states, a home health aide license or certification; some agencies require 6 months of paid caregiving experience or a CNA/HHA/LVN/RN credential
- CPR and first aid certification is often required
The gear
The catch
The pay sits near the bottom of the US wage scale and the work is physically and emotionally heavy — lifting and transferring adults, bathroom help, dementia behaviour, and clients who decline or die. On the marketplace side nothing is guaranteed: you pay the background-check fee before you earn anything, you are usually a 1099 contractor with no benefits and no paid sick time, travel between clients is unpaid, and a single cancellation wipes out a day's income. Getting out of the lowest pay band realistically means a CNA or HHA certification, which is weeks of unpaid class time before the raise arrives.
Where the work is
Every number on this page
13 facts, each with its source and the day it was checked.
Source: bls.gov · checked 2026-10-23
Source: payscale.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: papa.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: flcc.edu · checked 2026-10-23
Source: care.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: thegigwolf.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: bls.gov · checked 2026-10-23
Source: papa.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: flexoffers.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: advancedmedicalcertification.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: accelerationpartners.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: affiliate-program.amazon.com · checked 2026-10-23
Source: honorcare.com · checked 2026-10-23
Researched 2026-10-23. Back to every hustle