You Don't Have to Pay for Care.com as a Caregiver — But You Might Want To

Care.com is an online marketplace that connects families looking for childcare, senior care, special needs care, housesitting, housekeeping, tutoring, and pet sitting with caregivers who offer these services. 

Care.com does not charge a membership fee for its Basic membership plan, but you’ll still have to pay for the background check to gain access to the site as a caregiver. The Basic membership is limited in scope, so most caregivers will benefit from upgrading to Care.com’s Premium membership. 

Can you see yourself as a caregiver on Care.com? Apply now to be a babysitter, senior caregiver, pet sitter, or housekeeper.

There are two Care.com membership tiers available

Two membership plans are available for caregivers on Care.com: Basic and Premium. 

Care.com Basic membership

At the Basic level, potential caregivers can: 

• Create a profile for potential employers to view when they search for potential caregivers
• Search for and apply for jobs
• Receive booking requests from care seekers
• Respond to care seekers who are Basic or Premium members
• Take advantage of all site resources and tools provided by Care.com
• Undergo Care.com’s basic required background check (required annually to stay active on Care.com and costs a fee)

Care.com Premium membership

Care.com’s Premium membership provides the same perks as the Basic plan along with some additional features. Here’s where they differ:

• Higher rankings in search results. When people searching for caregivers look through options, your profile will be shown before those who only have the Basic plan.
• Exchange messages with care seekers with no limits. With the Basic plan, you're only allowed to exchange a couple of messages with each care seeker. The Premium plan removes all messaging limits. Rose Peterson, who has been using Care.com for jobs for over 5 years, notes, “Most families prefer not to take communication off the website until they have met and approved of you for the job so this is really the best way to go."
• Priority access to new job opportunities. Premium members get to see new job opportunities before Basic members, which gives you a leg up in securing new roles. 
• See who has viewed your profile. Premium members can see who has looked at their profile, which can give you an idea of who you might have the best luck reaching out to for jobs. 
• Gain access to the LifeMart Discount Program. LifeMart provides discounts on nationally recognized brand-name products, services, and local retailers. 
• Waived annual screening fee. Basic members need to pay for their required annual background check, but that fee is waived for Premium members. 

Overall, the Premium membership on Care.com provides several extra perks that lead to a much higher likelihood of finding caregiver jobs.

How much does Care.com cost for caregivers?

The Basic membership for caregivers on Care.com doesn’t have any membership fees, but it’s not entirely free. 

Care.com requires yearly background checks for all caregivers on the platform. The cost of this background check varies by location, with some caregivers reporting a cost of $24.99 per year. This screening is mandatory; without it, your profile will not be approved on Care.com.

Care.com’s Premium tier membership costs $8.99 a month for caregivers, with a one-time discount of $4.99 for the first month. When you pay for a Premium Care.com membership, the fee for the required annual background check is waived. 

This means that over the course of your first year on Care.com, you can expect to pay up to $24.99 for a Basic membership (the cost of CareCheck) and $103.88 for a Premium membership — a $78.89 difference. 

Luckily, if you decide to cancel, it appears to be pretty straightforward. Both Premium membership fees and the yearly background check fees are recurring and can be canceled anytime by contacting Care.com’s customer service platform. “They are efficient with canceling your membership and don't try to force you to stay,” says Rose.

Is Care.com worth paying?

There’s no clear answer as to whether you should stick with Care.com’s free Basic membership or pay for Care.com’s Premium membership — it’s a personal decision, and you’ll need to evaluate what you want to get out of the platform. 

Without access to the features provided by a Premium membership, finding a caregiving role using the Basic membership will likely require significantly more effort. 

Unfortunately, even if you don’t mind the extra effort, you’re still at a disadvantage if you only have a Basic membership. For example, caregivers who pay for Premium memberships are notified of the newest available jobs before those with Basic memberships, which means they can snatch them up before Basic members ever even see them. 

In addition, communication opportunities between employers and potential caregivers are limited to only a handful of messages at the Basic membership level, and very few care seekers will be willing to entrust someone they’ve only exchanged a couple of messages with to care for their children or pets. 

On the other hand, if you’re not yet actively looking for caregiving roles, it might make sense to join the Basic membership tier at first to give the platform a try and see what kinds of roles are available. You can always sign up for Premium later. 

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Can you see yourself as a caregiver on Care.com? Apply now to be a babysitter, senior caregiver, pet sitter, or housekeeper.