Shift work for care workers
Care work rarely fits a neat 9-to-5. Domiciliary carers do a run of short visits with travel in between, residential and nursing-home staff work long days and nights, and many carers pick up extra shifts through a second agency or bank. Rotas change at short notice and often arrive by WhatsApp or text.
How your pay works
- Travel time between visits during your working day counts as working time for minimum wage purposes. Your average pay across the pay period, including that travel time, can't fall below the legal minimum.
- Sleep-ins: since the Supreme Court's 2021 Mencap ruling, time asleep on a sleep-in doesn't count towards the minimum wage. Time you're awake and working does, so log anything you're woken for.
- Waking nights are working time throughout and must be paid at least the minimum wage for every hour.
- Mileage: if you use your own car between visits, check what your employer pays per mile. If it's less than HMRC's 45p a mile, you may be able to claim tax relief on the difference.
- Training and induction you're required to do counts as working time.
What to keep a record of
- Each visit or shift: client or home, start, finish, break
- Travel time and miles between visits
- Sleep-ins, and any time you were woken to work
- Which agency or bank each shift was with, and its rate
- Whether each shift has been paid
Get started
Not sure what the legal minimum is for your age? See the current minimum wage rates. Shiftaan works out your hours and expected pay for every shift, even ones that cross midnight. Open the app.
Common questions
Should I be paid for travel time between care visits?
Time spent travelling between visits during your working day counts as working time for minimum wage purposes. Your total pay for the pay period, divided by all your working hours including that travel, must be at least the minimum wage.
Are sleep-in shifts paid at minimum wage?
Not for the time you're asleep. Sleep-ins are usually paid a flat allowance. Any time you're awake and working during the night counts as working time, so keep a note of it.
Can I work for two care agencies?
Usually yes, unless your contract says otherwise. Watch your weekly hours across both jobs (the 48-hour average limit applies to all your work together unless you've opted out) and the 11 hours' rest between shifts.