How referral sites charge home care agencies

What the sites say about themselves

• A Place for Mom: “We are paid by home care agencies each time we refer a family to them.”¹
• Caring.com: “Some of these providers pay us a referral fee when a family hires them or moves into a senior living community.” “Other providers pay us if we send them your name and contact information, regardless of whether you hire them or start care.” “Still other providers pay us an annual subscription fee to get enhanced features in our directory or on our websites.”²

What one price on the record looks like

In a 2018 Home Health Care News article, the price per lead at Caring.com was $50.³ That is eight years old and we have not verified a current price. We also found no published per-referral fee for A Place for Mom on an official page.

A senator’s inquiry

In June 2024, Senior Housing News reported that Sen. Bob Casey, chairman of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging, opened a formal probe of A Place for Mom. The letter alleges deceptive business practices and says the company’s marketing contradicts its claim to be an unbiased, no cost referral service for families.⁴ A Place for Mom’s response was not included in that article, and the reporting is mostly about senior living communities, not home care agencies.

Questions to ask any lead source

• Do I pay per lead, per placement, or a subscription? What is the price today?
• Is the lead shared with other agencies?
• Do I pay if the family never becomes a client?
• What is the contract term, and how do I leave?
• Who owns the family’s contact details afterward?

How a flat-fee directory differs

Home Care Rate Card charges agencies one flat fee for the verified seal and embeddable rate card, free for the first six months of the Los Angeles County pilot and then $49 a month. It charges nothing per family, sells no leads, lists every licensed agency A to Z, and nobody can pay to rank higher. Whether that is the better arrangement for your agency depends on your numbers. Compare it against what you pay per client today.