Caring Transitions franchise unit economics
Caring Transitions franchisees run senior relocation, downsizing, estate sales and online auctions through CTBids inside a territory of 175,000 to 200,000 people. 235 reporting franchisees billed $88,344,055 across 342 franchises during 2025, averaging $375,932 each, with the top quartile averaging $922,414 and the bottom $61,566. Royalty, branding and required local marketing take 12% of receipts before any fixed charges.
- Primary source
- C.T. Franchising Systems, LLC, 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
- 235 of 413 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 fees take 12% of everything collected: a 6% royalty, 2% for branding and 4% the owner must spend on local marketing. On top of that there is $6,120 a year in fixed charges before anyone answers a phone. At the top quarter's $922,414 that load is 12.7% of receipts. At the bottom quarter's $61,566 it is 21.9%. The percentage stays the same; what changes is how much of your revenue it eats.
- Fees take 12% of receipts plus $6,120 a year in fixed charges. 12.7% of revenue at the top quartile average, 21.9% at the bottom.
- Territory yield holds as you stack territories: $249,572 at one, $255,074 each at two, $281,246 each at three or more. Rare in senior services, where the second market usually yields less.
- The first Winners' Circle rebate needs $900,000 of receipts across two years. $450,000 a year, a pace the top quartile runs and the other three quartiles do their planning below.
- 58 franchisees in the top quartile hold 61% of the system's $88,344,055. They average $922,414 against $61,566 at the bottom quartile.
- $58,900 of the $75,860 low-end opening cost is the franchise fee. Everything else to open runs $16,960 to $64,350.
How much does a Caring Transitions franchise make?
The average Caring Transitions unit reported $375,932 of revenue in the 2026 FDD. The brand’s disclosure document 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 12% 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.
Franchise fees
What the fees come to. (Items 5 and 6)
| quartile | Average receipts | Royalty 6% | Branding 2% | Local marketing 4% | Fixed | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 25% | $922,414 | $55,345 | $18,448 | $36,897 | $6,120 | $116,810 | 12.7% |
| 25% to 50% | $350,396 | $21,024 | $7,008 | $14,016 | $6,120 | $48,168 | 13.7% |
| 50% to 75% | $178,615 | $10,717 | $3,572 | $7,145 | $6,120 | $27,554 | 15.4% |
| Bottom 25% | $61,566 | $3,694 | $1,231 | $2,463 | $6,120 | $13,508 | 21.9% |
quartile averages as the brand reported it.
The fixed charges are what make the small end expensive. $6,120 is 9.9% of the bottom quarter's $61,566 on its own, before a single percentage point of royalty. Push the call center and the subscription to their upper groups and the fixed line doubles to $12,000, which at that revenue is 19.5% by itself.
The minimums bite below $100,000 of receipts. The $500 monthly minimum royalty costs more than 6% until sales reach $100,000 a year. The $350 branding minimum costs more than 2% until $210,000. Half the network sits below $265,000, so a meaningful slice of owners are paying minimums.
Four of the twelve points stay in your own market. The local marketing requirement runs $399 a month for your first year and 4% of receipts annually after that, spend you direct yourself. At the network average of $375,932 that is $15,037 a year to place where you choose.
The rebate ladder.
| By the end of | Cumulative receipts | Annual pace | Rebate | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 2 | $900,000 | $450,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Year 3 | $1,600,000 | $533,333 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Year 4 | $2,300,000 | $575,000 | $10,000 | $30,000 |
| Year 5 | $3,100,000 | $620,000 | $28,900 | $58,900 |
Thresholds and rebate amounts as the brand reported it, measured from the first day of the month after you finish training.
Clearing every rung returns the entire $58,900 fee. The final step needs $3,100,000 across five years, or $620,000 a year. The top quartile averages $922,414 and its lowest member billed $472,844. So this ladder is built for the quarter that is already winning.
The first rung is the one worth planning around. $900,000 across two years is $37,500 a month from a standing start. Miss that step and the remaining $48,900 of discounts is lost. Owners in their first eighteen months should be tracking cumulative receipts against that number every month.
Top performers
What separates the top Caring Transitions performers
Caring Transitions splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $922,414 a year. The worst averaged $61,566. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 15.0× 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 $75,860 to $123,250, a 1.6× 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
- Estate sales, the operating driver.This model bills on estate sales. The owner works on how many sales are run in a month and what each one grosses. 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 12.0% 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.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.235 of 413 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 median, no attainment figure. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
Money collected
Receipts across the network.
| quartile | Franchisees | Average | A month | Median | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 25% | 58 | $922,414 | $76,868 | $782,361 | $472,844 | $3,084,213 |
| 25% to 50% | 59 | $350,396 | $29,200 | $346,968 | $266,596 | $470,569 |
| 50% to 75% | 59 | $178,615 | $14,885 | $172,838 | $117,911 | $262,979 |
| Bottom 25% | 59 | $61,566 | $5,131 | $60,174 | $2,448 | $116,727 |
quartile figures as the brand reported it, covering 235 franchisees operating 342 franchises.
The network runs $88,344,055 and the top quartile holds 61% of it. 58 franchisees against 177. The gap between the quarter boundaries is the thing to size yourself against. The step from the third quarter's $178,615 to the second's $350,396 is $14,315 a month of extra work.
The middle of the network sits around $265,000. The second quartile bottoms out at $266,596 and the third tops out at $262,979. So half the system bills under roughly $22,000 a month. That is an one-owner business with contract crews, and the fixed charges above land on it hard.
The bottom quartile ceiling is $116,727. It averages $61,566 a year, which is $5,131 a month. The lowest is $2,448. Against a fee load of $13,508 at that average, a quarter of the network is paying the brand more than a fifth of everything it collects.
What extra territories produce.
| Territories | Franchisees | Average receipts | Per territory | Top quartile average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | 160 | $249,572 | $249,572 | $546,789 |
| Two | 53 | $510,149 | $255,074 | $1,134,601 |
| Three or more | 22 | $971,576 | $281,246 | $2,129,526 |
quartile averages for each group as the brand reported it. The group averages, the per-territory column and the territory count behind it are marked *.
Territory yield holds as you stack, which is unusual. $249,572 from one, $255,074 each at two, $281,246 each at three or more. In home care brands the second market typically yields half the first. The crew, the auction platform and the referral contacts all work across postal codes. So a second territory is closer to a second full business than a diluted one.
The top quartile of three-territory owners averages $2,129,526. That is $177,460 a month and it clears the final Winners' Circle rung three times over. It is also the level where you are running a business with staff.
A second territory costs $53,010 inside your first two years. The fee is $58,900 with a 10% discount on additional franchises bought within 24 months of your first. Against a second territory producing $255,074 on the network average, that fee returns inside the first year of operating it.
Territories & network
What it costs to open.
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $58,900 | $58,900 |
| Additional funds, six months | $4,000 | $38,000 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $5,000 |
| Certification training and test | $650 | $3,000 |
| Everything else | $10,310 | $18,350 |
| Total | $75,860 | $123,250 |
As the brand reported it, except the grouped line. We worked this out, adding furniture and equipment, the computer system, travel for training, deposits, opening promotion, a sales employee, web hosting, one month of office rent, association fees and the EstateSales.org subscription.
78% of the low-end opening cost is the franchise fee. $58,900 of $75,860. Equipment barely registers (furniture and computers together run $1,500 to $4,000) so what you are buying is the brand, the auction platform and the certification. That also means a slow start burns cash you kept.
Six months of working capital runs $4,000 to $38,000. Nine times the difference on the line that funds the first year. At the bottom quarter's $5,131 a month of receipts, the lower figure covers very little. Plan against the upper end of that range and the fixed $510 a month underneath it.
The network of locations.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased | End | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 272 | 60 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 314 | 15 |
| 2024 | 314 | 70 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 372 | 15 |
| 2025 | 372 | 65 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 413 | 33 |
As the brand reported it.
The system grew by half in three years, from 272 to 413. 195 franchises opened across the period against 54 departures. Growth of that speed pulls the network averages down as each new group reports its first full year. So a flat year in 2026 may still be an improving position.
Transfers more than doubled in 2025, from 15 to 33. That is the steady exit, an owner selling a going concern, and 33 against 20 departures says the resale market for a Caring Transitions territory is working. Selling the business costs $15,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is higher. A further $10,000 is due if the buyer came from the brand's own database.
1.45 franchises per franchisee is the shape of the network. 413 franchises across 284 owners, with 160 of the 235 reporting owners holding a single territory. Given that per-territory yield holds as you add, the concentration has room to move.
Questions we get asked
What should my franchise be billing?
Across 235 owners, the four quarters by sales averaged $922,414, $350,396, $178,615 and $61,566 in 2025. The middle of the network sitting around $265,000. Owners with a single territory averaged $249,572, those with two $510,149 and those with three or more $971,576. The single highest franchisee billed $3,084,213.
What does the brand cost in total?
12% of sales: a 6% royalty, a 2% national branding fee and 4% of local marketing the owner spends from year two. On top there are fixed charges of at least $6,120 a year covering the technology license, call center, web hosting and EstateSales.org subscription. Royalty has a $500 monthly minimum after the first year. Branding has a $350 minimum. In practice that works out to 12.7% of receipts at the top quartile average and 21.9% at the bottom.
How does the Winners' Circle rebate work?
Four rungs of cumulative total sales, each measured from the first day of the month after you finish training. $900,000 by year two returns $10,000, $1,600,000 by year three another $10,000, $2,300,000 by year four another $10,000. $3,100,000 by year five the remaining $28,900, the whole $58,900 fee. Missing one rung ends the program, and the conditions include attending every national and regional conference and reporting receipts on time. The first rung requires $450,000 a year, which is roughly where the top quartile begins.
Is a second territory worth it?
The figures say yes more clearly than in most senior services brands. Per-territory receipts hold as you stack: $249,572 at one territory, $255,074 each at two, $281,246 each at three or more. A second franchise bought within 24 months costs 10% less, at $53,010. The network average sells that much within a year. The reason it holds is that crews, the auction platform and referral relationships travel across postal codes.
Who does bookkeeping for a Caring Transitions franchise?
total sales here arrive as a mix of relocation fees, estate sale commissions and online auction settlements, each with its own timing. So a close that treats them as one revenue line will hide which service is carrying the month. Royalty and branding both run on the preceding month's receipts with dollar minimums underneath. That means the effective rate on a slow month differs from the headline, track both. Cumulative receipts against the Winners' Circle rungs belong on a standing schedule from month one, since the rebates lapse in sequence. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- No median. Only an average is published, which a few large locations can lift on their own.
- 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 Transitions
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 Transitions locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
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