Always Best Care franchise unit economics
Always Best Care franchisees run non-medical home care businesses across assigned areas that bill clients and other payers by the hour and, where licensed, provide skilled nursing.
Always Best Care in the news
- Always Best Care Appoints Jason Shontz as Chief Financial Officer · Franchising.com ·
The Always Best Care headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked this Always Best Care link on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Always Best Care. Always Best Care is in the Non-medical Home Care franchise guide.
Always Best Care franchise at a glance
The 66 Always Best Care franchisees that filed 2025 accounts averaged owner discretionary profit of 12.2% of gross sales. Always Best Care’s FDD defines owner discretionary profit as net profit after all expenses, including royalties, plus the owner’s salary and other benefits.
Always Best Care franchisees averaged $3,226,345 of sales in 2025, with a median of $2,507,952, according to Item 19 of Always Best Care’s 2026 FDD, issued 13 April 2026. The 66 in that group are 60%* of Always Best Care’s 110 franchisees that generated revenue in 2025. Fees paid to Always Best Care come to about 6.05%* of sales.
- An Always Best Care franchise costs $89,725 to $145,900 to open, including a $49,900 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Always Best Care charges a royalty of 6% of sales and a $175 monthly technology fee.
- 34.8% of reporting Always Best Care locations reached the average.
- Work out Always Best Care's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
- An Always Best Care owner with several territories brings in 2.78 times the sales of a single-territory owner at 0.69 times the margin.
These figures come from Always Best Care's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- A single-territory owner earns 17.1% and a multi-territory owner 11.8%. In dollars that is $226,860 against $435,692 *, so holding several areas returns 1.92 times the money on 2.78 times the revenue.
- Multi-territory margin starts at 6.7% and takes six years to reach 12.5%. That compares with 16.3% rising to 17.2% for single-territory owners across the same span.
- The minimum royalty is exactly 6% of a required sales level at all six stages. $8,333.33 a month against a $500 minimum, rising to $55,000 against $3,300 *.
- All of 2025’s growth came from client count, and revenue per client fell. Systemwide sales rose 8.1% while average monthly clients rose 10.2%, so revenue per client slipped 1.9% to $35,693 *.
- The highest-selling franchisee bills 60 times the lowest-selling franchisee. The highest billed $11,843,669 and the lowest $196,359 *, and 34.8% of franchisees clear their own average, so the mean describes an upper-middle result.
How much does an Always Best Care franchise make?
The average Always Best Care unit reported $3,226,345 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $2,507,952. The brand’s disclosure document puts owner discretionary profit at 12.2% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 6% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Sales and clients
Systemwide sales and clients, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Systemwide gross sales | Growth | Assigned areas | Franchisees earning | Average monthly clients | Revenue a client * | Revenue an area * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $303,822,764 | +8.1% | 291 | 110 | 8,512 | $35,693 | $1,044,064 |
| 2024 | $280,952,555 | +17.9% | 275 | 106 | 7,721 | $36,388 | $1,021,646 |
| 2023 | $238,360,485 | +12.1% | 249 | 101 | 6,978 | $34,159 | $957,271 |
Gross sales, growth, areas, franchisee counts and client counts are as the brand reported it. The two right-hand columns are marked *, dividing annual sales by the average monthly client count and by the assigned area count.
Growth halved while client growth held. Sales rose 8.1% in 2025, against 17.9% the year before. Monthly clients rose 10.2%, against 10.6% *. Each client is worth less than last year.
Revenue per client fell 1.9% in 2025. That is $35,693 against $36,388 *. It is the first fall in the three years shown, and on 8,512 clients that is $5,916,000 of revenue the system would have had at the prior rate.
A franchisee holds 2.65 assigned areas on average. That is 291 areas across 110 earning owners *, up from 2.47 areas each in 2023. The system is adding areas to existing owners as fast as it adds owners.
An area is worth $1,044,064 a year systemwide. That is up 9.1% across the three years *, and the 110 franchisees holding them averaged $2,762,025 each.
Top performers
What separates the top Always Best Care performers
Always Best Care splits its 66 reporting franchisees by how many assigned areas each holds. The 53 multi-territory franchisees averaged $3,692,303 a year. The 13 single-territory franchisees averaged $1,326,666. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $2,507,952. The average was $3,226,345. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.Always Best Care multi-territory franchisees sell 2.8× the single-territory ones. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $89,725 to $145,900, a 1.6× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 6.0% of sales. A minimum fee also applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
- Cash needed in the first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up: the month sales cover costs, and how much cash you fund before then.
Live operating levers
- Billed hours.You pay for every hour worked and bill only the hours a client accepts. Track hours worked against hours billed, and the rate charged against the rate paid.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover the 66 Always Best Care franchisees with 2025 profit and loss statements, of the 110 that generated revenue in 2025 across 291 assigned areas. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
Discounts available
- Always Best Care takes 5% off the fee for qualified U.S. veterans through VetFran.
- Always Best Care takes 5% off the fee for qualified minority franchisees through MinorityFran.
From Item 5 of the Always Best Care 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
What an owner keeps
Sales and owner discretionary profit, 2025
Owner discretionary profit is net profit with the owner’s own salary and benefits added back. Split by whether a franchisee holds one assigned area or several, the two groups behave differently enough to be read as separate businesses.
| Group | Franchisees | Average gross sales | Median | Profit margin | Median margin | Profit in dollars * | Clearing the average margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-territory, 6 or more years | 10 | $1,564,111 | $1,218,161 | 17.2% | 15.5% | $269,027 | 5 of 10, 50.0% |
| Single-territory, 1 to 5 years | 3 | $535,185 | $672,721 | 16.3% | 17.6% | $87,235 | 2 of 3, 66.7% |
| Single-territory, all | 13 | $1,326,666 | $1,020,454 | 17.1% | 17.6% | $226,860 | 7 of 13, 53.8% |
| Multi-territory, 6 or more years | 44 | $3,887,360 | $2,873,989 | 12.5% | 10.7% | $485,920 | 19 of 44, 43.2% |
| Multi-territory, 1 to 5 years | 9 | $2,738,694 | $2,945,070 | 6.7% | 9.9% | $183,492 | 5 of 9, 55.6% |
| Multi-territory, all | 53 | $3,692,303 | $2,897,198 | 11.8% | 10.6% | $435,692 | 22 of 53, 41.5% |
| All 66 | 66 | $3,226,345 | $2,507,952 | 12.2% | 10.8% | $393,614 | 28 of 66, 42.4% |
Franchisee counts, sales, margins and attainment are as the brand reported it. We worked out the dollar column, applying each group's own margin to its own average sales.
Owners with one area keep 5.3 points more of their sales than owners with several. The margins are 17.1% and 11.8% *. On the multi-territory average that gap is worth $195,692 a year, which is most of what a single-territory owner earns in total.
Adding an area lowers the margin for several years. An owner with several territories keeps 6.7% in years one to five. An owner with one keeps 16.3% *. Reaching 12.5% takes until year six, so a second area is a multi-year investment.
Multi-territory owners earn 1.92 times the dollars of single-territory owners. That is $435,692 against $226,860 *.
Across all 66 Always Best Care franchisees, 42.4% reach the average margin. Among multi-territory owners 41.5% do, and among single-territory owners 53.8%. The median margin is 1.4 points below the average for all 66 and 1.2 points below it for multi-territory owners.
Royalty and minimums
Royalty and performance standard
The royalty is 6% of gross sales. Underneath it sits a required level of monthly sales that rises by stage, and a minimum royalty attached to each stage. Those minimums turn out to be exactly 6% of the required sales figure printed beside them, at every one of the six stages.
| Months | Required monthly gross sales | Minimum monthly royalty | 6% of the required sales * | Required sales a year * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 15 | $8,333.33 | $500 | $500.00 | $100,000 |
| 16 to 27 | $15,000 | $900 | $900.00 | $180,000 |
| 28 to 39 | $25,000 | $1,500 | $1,500.00 | $300,000 |
| 40 to 51 | $35,000 | $2,100 | $2,100.00 | $420,000 |
| 52 to 63 | $45,000 | $2,700 | $2,700.00 | $540,000 |
| 64 to 120 | $55,000 | $3,300 | $3,300.00 | $660,000 |
The months, required sales and minimum royalties are as the brand reported it; the two right-hand columns are marked *.
The mature requirement is 20.5% of what an average franchisee bills. That is $660,000 a year against $3,226,345 *, so the requirement weighs most in the early years, and an average business clears it by $2,566,345.
The first stage requires $100,000 of sales in a year. At the system’s $35,693 a client, that is about three clients *.
Technology costs a multiple owner $35 a month per extra area. The first area costs $175 a month *, so a franchisee holding the system-average 2.65 areas pays roughly $2,793 a year against $5,565.
Opening an area
Cost to open an assigned area
| Line | Low | High | Share of the low column * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,900 | $49,900 | 55.61% |
| Additional funds, three months | $17,000 | $30,000 | 18.95% |
| Office equipment | $5,000 | $8,000 | 5.57% |
| Travel and other while training | $3,000 | $6,000 | 3.34% |
| Rent, three months | $3,000 | $6,000 | 3.34% |
| Insurance, full year premium | $3,000 | $6,500 | 3.34% |
| Professional fees | $2,500 | $5,000 | 2.79% |
| Computer equipment, software and print | $2,000 | $5,000 | 2.23% |
| Advertising | $1,500 | $1,500 | 1.67% |
| Furniture and fixtures | $1,500 | $3,000 | 1.67% |
| Signage | $500 | $2,000 | 0.56% |
| Grand opening inventory | $500 | $1,000 | 0.56% |
| Miscellaneous opening costs | $200 | $1,000 | 0.22% |
| Permits, licenses and manual | $125 | $18,000 | 0.14% |
| Building work | $0 | $3,000 | 0.00% |
| Total | $89,725 | $145,900 | 100% |
| Skilled nursing services, added as the brand reported it | $48,500 | $108,500 | n/a |
The brand reported the amounts. We worked out the share column. The fifteen lines add to $89,725 and $145,900, matching the brand's totals exactly.
The fee is 55.6% of the entry price. $49,900 of $89,725 *. Three months of additional funds are another $17,000 to $30,000.
Adding skilled nursing costs 54.1% of the base entry again. $48,500 against $89,725 *, and its own three months of funds is $40,000 to $80,000, more than double the $17,000 to $30,000 the non-medical side needs.
Entry is 2.8% of what an average franchisee bills in a year. $89,725 against $3,226,345, which is 2.78% *.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does an Always Best Care franchise make?
Always Best Care franchisees averaged $3,226,345 of sales in 2025, with a median of $2,507,952, according to Item 19 of Always Best Care’s 2026 FDD, issued 13 April 2026. The 66 in that group are 60%* of Always Best Care’s 110 franchisees that generated revenue in 2025. Fees paid to Always Best Care come to about 6.05%* of sales.
What does an Always Best Care franchisee bill?
The 66 franchisees filing accounts for 2025 averaged $3,226,345 with a median of $2,507,952, ranging from $196,359 to $11,843,669. Single-territory owners averaged $1,326,666 and multi-territory owners $3,692,303. Systemwide the brand billed $303,822,764 across 291 assigned areas.
What does an owner keep at Always Best Care?
Always Best Care owners kept 12.2% of gross sales as owner discretionary profit across all 66, with a median of 10.8%. Always Best Care single-territory owners kept 17.1% and multi-territory owners kept 11.8%. The measure is net profit plus whatever the owner takes in salary and benefits, so it describes what the business produces before the owner is paid.
Is a second territory worth it at Always Best Care?
Sales rise. The margin falls. A multi-territory owner averages $435,692 of owner discretionary profit against a single-territory owner’s $226,860, so 1.92 times the money on 2.78 times the revenue. Owners with several territories keep 11.8% against 17.1% for single-territory owners. In the first five years they keep 6.7%, reaching 12.5% past year six.
What fees does Always Best Care charge?
Always Best Care charges a 6% royalty on sales, or a minimum that rises in stages to $3,300 a month, whichever is higher. Technology costs $175 a month, falling to $35 for each extra area an owner holds. Nursing has its own royalty: 6% where the family pays, 4% otherwise. The minimum royalty at every stage is exactly 6% of the sales level the agreement requires at that stage.
How much does an Always Best Care franchise cost to open?
An Always Best Care franchise costs $89,725 to $145,900 for one assigned area, of which $49,900 is the franchise fee and $17,000 to $30,000 is three months of additional funds. Adding skilled nursing services costs a further $48,500 to $108,500, most of it working capital and state licensure.
What is a client worth at Always Best Care?
On the system’s own figures, a client brings in $35,693 a year, dividing 2025 gross sales by the average monthly client count. That figure rose from $34,159 in 2023 to $36,388 in 2024 and then fell 1.9% in 2025. That is where the slowdown in systemwide growth came from.
- The filing breaks out no cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
Questions worth putting to Always Best Care
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- Which factors does Always Best Care see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Always Best Care locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Is your second territory earning its margin yet?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around owner discretionary profit against the 17.1% single-area and 11.8% multi-area benchmarks, revenue per client against $35,693. Where you sit on the royalty ladder.
Talk to Averanthe franchise library, all 447 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Always Best Care reads against the rest of the non-medical home care group:
All 27 brands
- 1Heart Caregiver Services
- 2nd Family
- A Better Solution In Home Care
- ActiKare
- Assisting Hands Home Care
- BrightStar Care
- CareBuilders At Home
- Caring Senior Service
- ComForCare
- Comfort Keepers
- Executive Home Care
- FirstLight Home Care
- Griswold
- Hallmark Homecare
- Home Helpers Home Care
- Home Instead
- Home Matters Caregiving
- Homewatch CareGivers
- Interim HealthCare
- Nurse Next Door
- One You Love Homecare
- Qualicare
- Right at Home
- Senior Helpers
- Seniors Helping Seniors
- SYNERGY HomeCare
- Visiting Angels
The non-medical home care guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- At what point do spreadsheets stop coping?It explains what changes at around ten units and why lenders care.
- I run several locations. Which ones actually make money?It shows each location's contribution to profit and the reporting it takes to see it.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from ABCSP, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Always Best Care® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: ABCSP, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 13 April 2026.