ComForCare franchise unit economics
ComForCare franchisees run home care agencies over territories of 25,000 to 35,000 people aged 65 and over. The 220 territories open the whole of 2025 averaged $1,295,843 of sales. Half sold less than $849,804. The average owner billed 51,513 hours and 32,093 at the median, across 112 and 76 clients. That makes an hour worth about $40, and the territory requirement (1,500 billable hours a fortnight) the number that governs everything.
- Primary source
- ComForCare Franchise 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
- 220 of 270 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.
A ComForCare territory keeps its rights by billing 1,500 hours a fortnight from month 61 onward. The median owner bills 1,234. The gap is 266 hours a fortnight. The middle owner gives each client 16.24 hours a fortnight. So that is about sixteen more clients, or one and three-quarter more hours a week from each of the 76 already on the books.
- The standing requirement is 1,500 billable hours a fortnight and the median owner bills 1,234.266 hours short *, against an average owner at 1,981 and a range from 24 to 13,013.
- Seven of the eight cohort have a median below the hours their own stage requires.From 230 hours short at 13 to 24 months to 731 short at 37 to 48 *; only the 85-to-108-month group clears it, at 1,583.
- An hour bills $40.10 across the system and $39.75 at the median owner.$2,065,531 over 51,513 hours and $1,275,541 over 32,093 *, two populations, 35 cents apart.
- The minimum royalty is exactly $1.00 for every hour the quota requires, at all six stages.$250 a fortnight against 250 hours, $1,500 against 1,500, and 5% of what an hour actually bills is $1.99 *, so the minimum catches a territory only below half its quota.
- A territory at the 37-to-48-month median pays 15.69% of sales to the brand where the rate is 9.58%.$43,576 against $26,614 on $277,687 *, $16,962 a year of minimums.
How much does a ComForCare franchise make?
The average ComForCare unit reported $1,295,843 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $849,804. 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 7.5% 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.
The hours target
1,500 hours a fortnight, for the rest of the term.
The agreement sets the territory requirement in billable hours. 250 a fortnight by month 12, doubling to 500 by month 24. Then 750, 1,000, 1,250 and 1,500 from month 61 onward, held for the remaining term. What owners actually billed in 2025 (51,513 hours a year at the average and 32,093 at the median) works out at 1,981 and 1,234 a fortnight.
| By the end of month | Billable hours a fortnight | minimum royalty a fortnight | minimum per required hour * | Hours a year * | Sales that implies at $39.75 * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 250 | $250 | $1.00 | 6,500 | $258,375 |
| 24 | 500 | $500 | $1.00 | 13,000 | $516,750 |
| 36 | 750 | $750 | $1.00 | 19,500 | $775,125 |
| 48 | 1,000 | $1,000 | $1.00 | 26,000 | $1,033,500 |
| 60 | 1,250 | $1,250 | $1.00 | 32,500 | $1,291,875 |
| 61 onward | 1,500 | $1,500 | $1.00 | 39,000 | $1,550,250 |
The hours ladder and the minimum royalties are as the brand reported it; the last three columns are marked *.
Reaching 1,500 hours takes 92 clients at the median owner’s intensity. 16.24 hours a fortnight each *, across 76 clients. Sixteen more clients would close the gap, or 1.75 more hours a week from each existing one.
The ladder doubles in year two and then adds 250 hours a stage. The hours target rises 250, 500, 750, 1,000, 1,250, 1,500. At $39.75 an hour, each stage after the second asks for $258,375 more sales a year *.
Seven of eight groups sit under their own stage.
Gross sales for 220 territories, in eight groups by time in business. Each group's middle sales figure, divided by $39.75, gives the hours it actually bills against the hours it must bill.
| Time in business | Territories | Average gross sales | Median gross sales | Median as hours a fortnight * | Hours required | Distance * | Reaching the average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 to 24 months | 21 | $618,104 | $278,916 | 270 | 500 | −230 | 3 / 14% |
| 25 to 36 months | 17 | $360,086 | $318,729 | 308 | 750 | −442 | 6 / 35% |
| 37 to 48 months | 14 | $420,513 | $277,687 | 269 | 1,000 | −731 | 5 / 36% |
| 49 to 60 months | 15 | $650,227 | $553,413 | 536 | 1,250 | −714 | 7 / 47% |
| 61 to 72 months | 12 | $896,575 | $851,188 | 824 | 1,500 | −676 | 5 / 42% |
| 73 to 84 months | 6 | $1,232,147 | $1,161,595 | 1,124 | 1,500 | −376 | 2 / 33% |
| 85 to 108 months | 9 | $1,758,570 | $1,636,318 | 1,583 | 1,500 | +83 | 4 / 44% |
| 109 months and over | 126 | $1,717,176 | $1,225,978 | 1,186 | 1,500 | −314 | 44 / 35% |
| All 220 | 220 | $1,295,843 | $849,804 | 822 | n/a | n/a | 70 / 32% |
Territory counts, sales and the attainment column are as the brand reported it. The hours columns are marked *, dividing each median by $39.75 an hour and by the 26 billing periods in a year.
The deepest hole is the fourth year. A 37-to-48-month territory at its group median bills 269 hours a fortnight against 1,000 required *, 27% of the standard, and 731 hours to find.
Only 32% of territories reach the average for their own group. 70 of 220, and the all-territory median of $849,804 is 65.6% of the $1,295,843 average *.
The highest-selling territory billed $20,382,999 and the lowest-selling $13,813. That top figure is 1,475 times the bottom and 24 times the all-territory median *.
Owners hold more than territories.
| Time in business | Territories | Average by territory | Owners | Average by owner | Difference * | Median by owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 to 24 months | 21 | $618,104 | 12 | $209,509 | −$408,595 | $136,077 |
| 25 to 36 months | 17 | $360,086 | 10 | $589,001 | +$228,915 | $548,914 |
| 37 to 48 months | 14 | $420,513 | 7 | $485,404 | +$64,891 | $283,197 |
| 49 to 60 months | 15 | $650,227 | 5 | $975,912 | +$325,685 | $784,216 |
| 61 to 72 months | 12 | $896,575 | 7 | $1,149,050 | +$252,475 | $781,873 |
| 73 to 84 months | 6 | $1,232,147 | 3 | $1,137,899 | −$94,248 | $1,156,397 |
| 85 to 108 months | 9 | $1,758,570 | 7 | $2,360,370 | +$601,800 | $2,126,617 |
| 109 months and over | 126 | $1,717,176 | 103 | $2,654,666 | +$937,490 | $1,809,831 |
| All | 220 | $1,295,843 | 154 | $2,065,531 | +$769,688 | $1,275,541 |
Both tables are as the brand reported it and the difference column is marked *.
A mature owner reports $937,490 more than a mature territory. $2,654,666 against $1,717,176 *, which is what 55 owners holding 76 extra territories does to an average.
What an hour bills
Forty dollars an hour, eight hours a week a client.
Gross sales, hours billed and client counts run on the same owner basis, and the three together define the business. An hour bills $40.10 at the average and $39.75 at the median, 35 cents apart across two different populations. That marks the rate as a system constant.
| Measure | Average owner | Median owner | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross sales | $2,065,531 | $1,275,541 | $23,885,236 | $33,170 |
| Hours billed | 51,513 | 32,093 | 338,328 | 619 |
| Clients served | 112 | 76 | 805 | 20 |
| An hour bills * | $40.10 | $39.75 | n/a | n/a |
| A client is worth * | $18,442 | $16,783 | n/a | n/a |
| Hours a client a year * | 460 | 422 | n/a | n/a |
| Hours a client a week * | 8.8 | 8.1 | n/a | n/a |
| Hours a fortnight * | 1,981 | 1,234 | 13,013 | 24 |
Sales, hours and client counts are as the brand reported it; every ratio is marked *.
The average owner runs 36 more clients than the median and bills 19,420 more hours. 112 against 76 and 51,513 against 32,093 *, so the extra 36 clients arrive at 540 hours each, ahead of the 422 the median owner gives.
A client is worth $16,783 to $18,442 a year. 8.1 to 8.8 hours a week *, which is about two visits of four hours. Losing one client costs about a caregiver's fortnight of work.
The busiest owner bills 13,013 hours a fortnight and the quietest 24. 542 times *, across a system where every territory holds 25,000 to 35,000 people over 65.
Forty-four cents of every dollar is private pay.
| Payer, the insurer or family paying the bill, | Share of system revenue | On the median owner’s $1,275,541 * | Hours it buys at $39.75 * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private pay | 44% | $561,238 | 14,121 |
| Medicaid and state-funded programs | 23% | $293,374 | 7,381 |
| Veterans’ programs | 13% | $165,820 | 4,172 |
| Insurance | 10% | $127,554 | 3,209 |
| Miscellaneous | 10% | $127,554 | 3,209 |
| All | 100% | $1,275,541 | 32,093 |
The percentages are as the brand reported it for the whole franchised system. The dollar and hour columns are marked *, applying those shares to the filed median owner and dividing by $39.75.
Forty-six cents of every dollar comes from a payer that sets the rate itself. 23% Medicaid and state programs, 13% veterans’ programs and 10% insurance, $586,748 of the median owner’s year *.
Top performers
What separates the top ComForCare performers
ComForCare splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $1,758,570 a year. The worst averaged $360,086. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $849,804. The average was $1,295,843. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 4.9× 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 35,000 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 $102,475 to $163,925, 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
- 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 7.5% 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.220 of 270 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. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
The minimum charges
Seven percent, with minimums underneath it.
Three charges run on gross sales: a 5% royalty, a 1% general service fee and a 1% national advertising fee, all billed fortnightly. Each has a minimum that rises with years in business. The three minimums together reach 7% of sales at one figure per stage, $130,000 of annual sales at months 7 to 12, and $780,000 from month 61.
| Gross sales | Stage | 7% on the rate | Minimums for that stage | Charged | Software, technology and email | Together | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,295,843, the average territory | 61 onward | $90,709 | $54,600 | $90,709 | $7,176 | $97,885 | 7.55% |
| $1,225,978, the 109-month median | 61 onward | $85,818 | $54,600 | $85,818 | $7,176 | $92,994 | 7.59% |
| $849,804, the all-territory median | 61 onward | $59,486 | $54,600 | $59,486 | $7,176 | $66,662 | 7.84% |
| $318,729, the 25-to-36-month median | 25 to 36 | $22,311 | $27,300 | $27,300 | $7,176 | $34,476 | 10.82% |
| $277,687, the 37-to-48-month median | 37 to 48 | $19,438 | $36,400 | $36,400 | $7,176 | $43,576 | 15.69% |
Rates, minimums and the sales figures are as the brand reported it. We worked out every dollar figure and share, applying the published rates to the published sales and taking the higher of the rate and the minimum.
Those minimums cost the middle fourth-year territory $16,962 a year. $43,576 against the $26,614 the rate alone would give *, 6.11 points of gross sales, which is 427 hours of billing at $39.75.
The minimum royalty works out at $1.00 for every hour the target requires, at all six stages. 5% of an hour's billing is $1.99 *. The minimum costs more than the rate only below 50.3% of the required hours. The middle territories at 25 to 36 and 37 to 48 months sit there.
The fixed charges cost $7,176 whatever the territory bills. 0.55% of the average territory's year and 2.58% of the middle 37-to-48-month territory's *, which is 181 hours of billing.
Opening and the system
$102,475 to open, and half of it is the franchise fee. (Items 5 and 6)
| Line | Low | High | Share of the low column * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $59,000 | $59,000 | 57.6% |
| Additional funds, three to six months | $23,500 | $45,500 | 22.9% |
| Local marketing, three months | $6,000 | $6,000 | 5.9% |
| Computer systems, three months | $3,000 | $5,000 | 2.9% |
| Office equipment | $2,300 | $6,800 | 2.2% |
| Real estate and related, three months | $2,250 | $3,400 | 2.2% |
| Recruiting, three months | $2,250 | $2,250 | 2.2% |
| Insurance, three months | $1,875 | $3,650 | 1.8% |
| Miscellaneous opening costs | $1,200 | $5,600 | 1.2% |
| Office supplies | $1,000 | $2,350 | 1.0% |
| Signs | $100 | $575 | 0.1% |
| Travel for training | $0 | $7,800 | 0.0% |
| Licensing fees | $0 | $6,000 | 0.0% |
| Accreditation fees | $0 | $10,000 | 0.0% |
| Total | $102,475 | $163,925 | 100% |
Amounts are as the brand reported it and the share column is marked *; both columns add to their stated totals exactly.
The opening cost is 7.9% of what the average territory bills in a year. $102,475 against $1,295,843 *. This is a wages business, and the working capital line reflects that.
The system reached 270 territories.
| Year | At start | Opened | Terminated | Failed to renew | Reacquired | Ceased for other reasons | At end | Transfers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 218 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 228 | 12 |
| 2024 | 228 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 248 | 14 |
| 2025 | 248 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 270 | 14 |
Every figure is as the brand reported it. A footnote on each of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 rows covers a territory whose status moved during the year. Is why start plus openings less departures lands within one of the year-end count.
Openings rose 32% while departures fell. 29 in 2025 against 22 in each of the two previous years, with 6 territories leaving against 10 and 11 *.
Terminations have run at exactly one a year for three years. The departures that matter are the five to six a year filed as ceasing for other reasons. That is where a territory that stops meeting its hours usually lands.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
What does a ComForCare territory bill?
The 220 territories open a full year averaged $1,295,843 of gross sales in 2025 with a median of $849,804. By years in business, the middle territory sells $278,916 at 13 to 24 months, $318,729 at 25 to 36, $277,687 at 37 to 48, $553,413 at 49 to 60, $851,188 at 61 to 72 and $1,161,595 at 73 to 84, $1,636,318 at 85 to 108 and $1,225,978 past 109 months.
How many hours and clients does that represent?
The average owner billed 51,513 hours to 112 clients and the median owner 32,093 hours to 76. That makes an hour worth $40.10 at the average and $39.75 at the median, a client worth $16,783 to $18,442 a year. A client’s load 8.1 to 8.8 hours a week.
What is the minimum performance requirement?
Billable hours: 250 a fortnight by month 12, 500 by 24, 750 by 36, 1,000 by 48, 1,250 by 60 and 1,500 from month 61 for the rest of the term. At $39.75 an hour the standing 1,500 works out at $1,550,250 of annual gross sales, and the median owner bills 1,234 hours a fortnight.
What does the brand take?
A 5% royalty, a 1% service fee and a 1% national advertising fee, all charged on sales every fortnight. Each has a minimum that rises by stage to $1,500, $300 and $300 a fortnight. Fixed charges add $480 a month for client management software, $100 for technology and $18 for an email license, with telehealth up to $500 more. At the average territory that is $97,885, or 7.55% of sales.
Where does the revenue come from?
Across the system, 44% is private pay, 23% Medicaid and state-funded programs, 13% veterans’ programs, 10% insurance and 10% miscellaneous. Insurance here means long-term care, motor and workers’ compensation policies, and the mix in any one area depends on what the local government funds.
What does it cost to open?
$102,475 to $163,925 for a territory of 25,000 to 35,000 people aged 65 and over. Of that, $59,000 is the franchise fee and $23,500 to $45,500 is working capital. Licensing and accreditation run from zero to $16,000 together depending on the state. A reduced-fee route sets the franchise fee at $29,500 against a 6% to 7% royalty.
- 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.
Questions worth putting to ComForCare
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 ComForCare locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic 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. Checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →How many hours are you billing a fortnight?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around billable hours against the stage you are on, gross profit per hour by who pays, and the caseload behind both.
Request the reviewthe franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
ComForCare reads against the rest of the non-medical home care group: Assisting Hands Home Care · CareBuilders At Home · Caring Senior Service · Comfort Keepers · Executive Home Care · FirstLight Home Care. 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?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
- What should I be looking at every week?The handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?What each one owns, and the point at which the next one pays for itself.