Caring Senior Service franchise unit economics
Caring Senior Service owners run an in-home care office. The territory holds about 200,000 people, at least 10% of them aged 65 and over. Many owners hold more than one territory from a single office. 40 offices open the whole of 2025 invoiced $984,255 on average and kept 49.91% of it after caregiver pay. The 25 staffed to the franchisor's minimum requirement averaged $1,283,771 at 51.38%. Royalty is 5% against a billings target that also governs your territory rights.
- Primary source
- Caring Senior Service Franchise Partnership, L.P., 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 40 of 62 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
The franchisor cuts its own numbers by staffing level, and the gap is the whole page. Offices with the required staff in place invoiced $1,283,771 on average and kept 51.38% after caregiver pay. Across all 40 offices the average was $984,255 at 49.91%. Filling those posts is worth $299,516 of invoices and 1.47 points of what is kept. A full-time Homecare Consultant also switches off a local advertising requirement worth up to $30,000 a year.
- Offices staffed to the minimum requirement average $1,283,771 against $984,255 across all offices. A $299,516 premium, plus 1.47 points of gross profit.
- Gross profit holds near 50% at every stage. 51.38% at fully staffed offices, 49.91% across all, 48.04% in the first full year.
- Employing a full-time Homecare Consultant removes the local advertising minimum. Worth up to $30,000 a year, against a consultant's own salary.
- Territory rights turn on billing $20,000 every two weeks from month 25. $520,000 a year, and missing it lets the franchisor revoke exclusivity or terminate.
- Gross profit runs $659,602 at a fully staffed office and $209,337 in the first full year. Three times the dollars on roughly the same margin.
How much does a Caring Senior Service franchise make?
The average Caring Senior Service unit reported $984,255 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $906,104. The filing discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 7% 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.
Net operating income
What was invoiced and what was left, by staffing and stage.
| Group | Offices | Average billings | Median billings | Average gross profit | Median gross profit | Gross profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum required staff | 25 | $1,283,771 | $1,097,766 | 51.38% | 50.57% | $659,602 |
| All offices | 40 | $984,255 | $906,104 | 49.91% | 49.94% | $491,242 |
| Second full year | 2 | $1,350,645 | $1,350,645 | 47.61% | 47.61% | $643,042 |
| First full year | 4 | $435,755 | $544,250 | 48.04% | 50.47% | $209,337 |
The brand reported what was invoiced and what was left after caregiver pay.
Fifteen of the 40 offices are short of the staffing standard, and they cost the average $299,516. 25 offices meet it and average $1,283,771; the whole group averages $984,255. Work the arithmetic the other way and the 15 that fall short are averaging about $485,062, 38% of what a staffed office bills. This is the clearest disclosed link between a hiring decision and a revenue line anywhere in senior care.
The margin changes by less than a tenth. 51.38% fully staffed, 49.91% across all offices, 48.04% in a first full year, 47.61% in a second. Roughly half of every dollar billed goes to the caregiver whatever your size. Adding staff buys you more hours to sell.
A fully staffed office clears $659,602 of gross profit and a first-year office $209,337. Three times the invoices, with the margin 3.3 points apart. Against roughly 20,000 residents aged 65 and over in a territory, the fully staffed office draws $64.19 a year from each of them and the whole network $49.21. So the ceiling is a long way off in both cases.
Offices in their second full year keep the least, at 47.61%. $1,350,645 invoiced, keeping less than the 48.04% of the first-year group. Growing fast means saying yes to cases that need overtime and premium shifts, and that shows up here before the schedule settles down.
Top performers
What separates the top Caring Senior Service performers
Caring Senior Service splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $2,450,157 a year. The worst averaged $29,025. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $906,104. The average was $984,255. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 84.4× gap between bands is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building, quoted at 200,000 people. Two owners with the same brand and different ground are running different businesses, and density decides how much driving sits between jobs.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $99,997 to $153,994, a 1.5× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
Live operating levers
- Billed hours, the operating driver.This model bills on billed hours. The owner pays for every hour worked and bills only the hours a client accepts, so the job is to keep those two close and to protect the gap between the rate charged and the rate paid. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 7.0% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
- The first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up, so the ramp can be underwritten from the document rather than assumed. Read two things out of it: the month sales cross the point where costs are covered, and how much cash you fund before that month arrives. Everything before break-even is paid for by you.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.40 of 62 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
- What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations, no attainment figure. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
Targets & fees
The target your territory depends on.
| Months | Target per two weeks | Annual equivalent | Minimum royalty a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 to 9 | $5,000 | $130,000 | $6,500 |
| 10 to 12 | $7,500 | $195,000 | $9,750 |
| 13 to 15 | $10,000 | $260,000 | $13,000 |
| 16 to 18 | $12,500 | $325,000 | $16,250 |
| 19 to 21 | $15,000 | $390,000 | $19,500 |
| 22 to 24 | $17,500 | $455,000 | $22,750 |
| 25 and beyond | $20,000 | $520,000 | $26,000 |
Targets as the brand reported it, measured for each two-week billing period within the stated months.
The mature target is $520,000 a year and the network average is $984,255. So the middle of the system clears it comfortably. But the lowest office disclosed billed $29,025. That is 6% of the target. Offices in their first full year average $435,755. The sales standard reaches $455,000 by month 24. The target escalates faster than a slow office grows.
The target is checked every two weeks. $20,000 a fortnight, and a quiet period counts as a miss on its own terms. For a business with seasonal client turnover and hospital-discharge timing driving new cases, that is a tighter test than an annual number at the same level would be.
Missing it risks the territory. The minimum royalty at month 25 is $26,000 a year. That is $23,213 less than 5% of the network average, so the money at stake is small. What the clause actually protects is the franchisor's right to put someone else in your market.
What the fees come to. (Items 5 and 6)
| Group | Billings | Royalty | Marketing | Technology | With a consultant | Share | Without | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum required staff | $1,283,771 | $64,189 | $25,675 | $12,540 | $102,404 | 7.98% | $132,404 | 10.31% |
| All offices | $984,255 | $49,213 | $19,685 | $12,540 | $81,438 | 8.27% | $111,438 | 11.32% |
| Second full year | $1,350,645 | $67,532 | $27,013 | $12,540 | $107,085 | 7.93% | $137,085 | 10.15% |
| First full year | $435,755 | $21,788 | $8,715 | $12,540 | $43,043 | 9.88% | $73,043 | 16.76% |
Ours, applying the 5% royalty on gross billings, the 2% marketing fee and the $1,045 monthly technology fee.
Hiring a Homecare Consultant removes up to $30,000 a year of required advertising spend. The requirement applies only while the seat is empty. The consultant costs a salary. Offices that employ one drop the advertising minimum and average $1,283,771 of invoices against $984,255. On those figures the hire pays for itself twice.
The technology fee is $12,540 a year and lands flat. At the first-full-year average of $435,755 it is 2.9% of billings by itself; at a fully staffed office it is 1.0%. It includes the bookkeeping software, the phone system, the fax lines and the Microsoft licenses, which an owner would pay for anyway.
Against gross profit the load runs 15.5% to 20.6%. $102,404 of $659,602 at a fully staffed office; $43,043 of $209,337 in a first full year. 7% of what is invoiced is the rate here. Brands that include a call center or a marketing department charge 9% to 13 the royalty.
What it costs to open, and the network
What it costs to open.
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise fee | $49,000 | $49,000 |
| Business permits and licenses | $0 | $14,150 |
| Initial marketing and grand opening | $6,500 | $7,500 |
| Training travel | $4,250 | $7,150 |
| Office, equipment, signage, rent and opening costs | $7,750 | $22,050 |
| Additional funds, three months | $32,497 | $54,144 |
| Total | $99,997 | $153,994 |
As the brand reported it, except the grouped line. That is marked *, adding building work, equipment and furniture, signage, two months of rent, miscellaneous opening costs, initial inventory, a vehicle and branded attire.
Three months of additional funds runs $32,497 to $54,144, a third of the whole investment. Against a $1,045 monthly technology fee plus up to $2,500 a month of required advertising while the consultant seat sits empty. A caregiver wages running half of billings, the build-up needs real cash. A first full year averaging $435,755 is $36,313 a month of billings, and the office has to be staffed before those hours exist.
A converting agency pays half the franchise fee and gets a scaled royalty. $24,500 against $49,000, plus a conversion addendum that starts the royalty below 5% and scales up based on the prior business's sales. For an operator already billing hours, converting is the cheapest way into this brand.
Permits and licenses swing $14,150 on the state you choose. Zero at the low end, $14,150 at the high. It is the single widest line in the table and it moves before you bill an hour. So check your state's home care licensure cost before you compare this investment to any other.
The network of locations. (Item 20)
| Year | Start | End | Net change | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 51 | 52 | +1 | 5 |
| 2024 | 52 | 55 | +3 | 5 |
| 2025 | 55 | 62 | +7 | 5 |
As the brand reported it, counting territories.
62 territories run from a smaller number of offices, and that is the model. The 52 reporting territories sat in 40 offices, 1.3 each. Several franchisees run two or three territories from one location. That is what makes the staffing standard affordable. One scheduler, one consultant and one office covering more market.
The network grew 22% in three years, from 51 to 62. Slow and steady, with company-owned outlets flat at five throughout and transfers dropping from 7 to 2. This is a small system where the 40 reporting offices are most of it, so the disclosed averages describe your actual peer group.
Questions we get asked
What should my office be billing?
Across 40 offices open the whole of 2025 the average was $984,255 of gross billings with a median of $906,104, ranging from $29,025 to $2,450,157. Offices carrying the minimum required staff averaged $1,283,771 with a median of $1,097,766. A first full year averaged $435,755 and a second $1,350,645. Remember several offices cover more than one territory, 52 territories sat in these 40 offices.
What gross profit should I be running?
49.91% on average across all offices with a median of 49.94%. Offices at minimum required staff run 51.38% and 50.57%; a first full year runs 48.04%; a second 47.61%. The margin is the same at every size. a reading below 48% points at overtime, premium shifts or your own hourly rate.
What does the brand cost in total?
A 5% royalty on gross billings against a minimum equal to 5% of your billings target, a 2% marketing fee. A $1,045 monthly technology fee that bundles QuickBooks Online, tech support, phones, e-fax and Microsoft licenses. That comes to about 8% of billings at a typical office. On top, $5,000 of local advertising in your first six months. Thereafter a requirement of the greater of $2,500 a month or 1% of the previous quarter's billings that applies only while you lack a full-time Homecare Consultant.
What happens if I miss the billings target?
The franchisor may modify your territory, revoke its exclusivity, or terminate the franchise agreement, at its sole discretion. The target is measured for each two-week billing period. $5,000 in months 7 to 9, rising through $10,000 at months 13 to 15 and reaching $20,000 from month 25, which annualizes to $520,000. You also pay the minimum royalty, 5% of the applicable target, in any period you fall short.
Who does bookkeeping for a Caring Senior Service franchise?
Royalty and the marketing fee are both calculated on two-week billing periods. The territory performance test runs on the same fortnightly cycle. So a close built around calendar months will hide the periods that actually count. Watch the share left after caregiver pay, near 50%, weekly, with overtime on its own line. An hour paid at time and a half moves it several points. Franchisees running several territories from one office report combined billings. So the per-territory view has to be built internally if you want to know which market is carrying the office. The technology fee already includes the QuickBooks Online subscription. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- No profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- No cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
- No attainment figure. The filing does not say how many locations reached the average it publishes.
Questions worth putting to Caring Senior Service
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- 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 Caring Senior Service locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
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