Can you earn more as a self-employed or freelance carer?

Yes, self-employed carers can often earn a higher hourly rate than employed carers, because agencies typically pay freelancers a rate that reflects the fact they're not providing holiday pay, sick pay, pension contributions or guaranteed hours. But "more per hour" doesn't always mean "more overall" — your actual take-home depends on how consistently you're booked, how much you spend on tax, insurance and travel, and whether you can fill gaps between bookings. For many carers, freelance work is worth it when it's combined with steady access to shifts; it's harder to make pay when work is patchy.

Why freelance rates are often higher

When a care agency or care home books a freelance carer, they're usually paying for flexibility and short-notice cover — filling a shift that would otherwise go unassigned. That kind of cover tends to command a better hourly rate than a standard employed shift, because the provider isn't carrying the ongoing employment costs (holiday pay, sick pay, employer's National Insurance, pension auto-enrolment) that come with a payroll worker. As a self-employed carer, you're pricing in the fact you carry those costs yourself.

What actually affects your take-home pay

A higher advertised rate doesn't automatically mean more money in your pocket. The things that matter most are:

• Consistency of bookings. One agency's shifts here and there won't fill a working week. Carers who do best financially tend to be the ones who can pick up shifts across multiple providers, not just one.
• Travel and admin time. Time spent travelling between clients, or chasing paperwork and payment, isn't billable — it eats into your effective hourly rate.
• Tax and National Insurance. As a self-employed carer you're responsible for registering with HMRC, filing a Self Assessment return, and paying Income Tax and Class 2/4 National Insurance yourself — nothing is deducted at source the way it is for employees. It's worth setting money aside from each payment and, if you're unsure, speaking to an accountant or HMRC directly.
• Insurance and DBS costs. Public liability insurance and a DBS check are often expected before you can work, and if you're paying for these yourself rather than an employer covering them, that's a real cost against your earnings.
• No sick pay, holiday pay, or guaranteed hours. This is the trade-off for the higher rate — a quiet week or an illness has a direct, immediate impact on your income in a way it wouldn't for an employed carer.

Why proximity and repeat work matter

The carers who tend to do best on a freelance basis are the ones who get matched to shifts near where they live, and who build up recognised, repeat relationships with the same clients and providers rather than one-off bookings scattered across a wide area. Less time travelling means more time (and money) actually spent working.

How carer sharing changes the picture

One of the historic problems with freelance care work is that every agency wants to verify you separately — repeating DBS checks, ID checks and onboarding paperwork each time you want to pick up work with a new provider. This is part of why freelance work can feel unreliable: the admin overhead of joining a new agency often isn't worth it for a handful of shifts.

Nanum is built to change that. The idea behind carer sharing is that you're verified once, at the Nanum layer, and can then be matched to shifts from multiple agencies and care homes — not just one employer's rota. Nanum's matching also weighs proximity, so freelancers are put forward for shifts genuinely near them rather than jobs that cost more in travel than they pay. Every match is still a human decision on both sides: a provider requests a carer, and the carer accepts — nothing is auto-assigned. That means more potential access to work, without the constant re-onboarding that's made freelance care work impractical for many people until now.

FAQ

Do freelance carers pay their own tax and National Insurance? Yes. Self-employed carers register with HMRC, file a Self Assessment return, and pay their own Income Tax and Class 2/4 National Insurance — nothing is deducted automatically as it would be for an employee. It's sensible to set aside a percentage of every payment and check current thresholds with HMRC or an accountant.

Do I need my own DBS check as a freelance carer? Most agencies and care homes will expect an enhanced DBS check before you can work with vulnerable adults, and joining the DBS Update Service can make that check portable between employers rather than needing a fresh one each time. Check current requirements with the DBS directly, as portability rules can be nuanced depending on the role and check type.

Is freelance care work worth it if bookings are inconsistent? It depends on whether you can access a steady flow of shifts across more than one provider — occasional one-off bookings rarely add up to a reliable income. Freelance work tends to be worth it when you have ongoing access to nearby shifts from several agencies rather than relying on a single employer's rota.

If you're a freelance or independent carer interested in picking up shifts across multiple agencies and care homes through Nanum, freelancer onboarding is opening soon. Contact Nanum to register your interest.