HOME INSTEAD FRANCHISE PAYROLL · INDEPENDENTLY OWNED OFFICES

The Care Pros are still yours. WageTime runs their payroll like it knows that.

WageTime is payroll for Home Instead franchise owners. Honor runs the platform your office schedules on, but in most offices the franchisee still signs the W-2s, and WageTime is built for exactly that: Care Pros across several clients and rates, one correct check.

Built on infrastructure processing $35B+ in payroll & taxes · 2.8M+ employees paid

For independently owned and operated Home Instead® franchise businesses. WageTime is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Home Instead, Inc. or Honor Technology, Inc. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. This page is for franchise owners and their payroll, not a caregiver wage lookup.

SOUND FAMILIAR?

The brand got a platform. The payroll stayed on your desk.

Since 2021 the franchisor has belonged to a technology company. That changed where the schedule lives. It did not change who owes forty Care Pros a correct paycheck on Friday.

WHOSE NAME ON THE W-2

One brand, two possible employers

Since Honor bought Home Instead in 2021, every hiring conversation starts with a clarification: in most territories the Care Pros work for your company, and only offices that opted into the fully managed model moved caregiver employment to Honor. Your payroll, your employment taxes, your liability. The brand name on the door does not file your 941s.

THE FEE STACK

Five percent leaves before payroll does

Analyses of the brand’s 2025 franchise disclosure document put the royalty at 5 percent of gross sales, plus a brand-fund contribution and a monthly technology fee, on average revenue of about $2.6 million per reporting office. Labor is the line that’s actually yours to manage, and the office that can’t see it per client and per week is managing it blind.

THE FOUR-HOUR DAY

Three clients, two rates, a car in between

Companionship in the morning, personal care after lunch, a third client at dinner. Short visits stack into multi-client days, the drive between homes is payable work time, and a week like that computes overtime on the weighted average of every rate touched. A spreadsheet grabs whichever rate is handy; an auditor grabs the other one.

THE CLASSROOM CLOCK

Classroom hours meet the overtime math

The network’s dementia curriculum and certification exams mean real classroom hours for your Care Pros. When training time is paid, it runs at its own rate and folds into the same weekly overtime math as care hours; whether a given session must be paid is your counsel’s call. A stipend hides the hours. A pay code keeps them where the overtime math can see them.

THE RESALE WAVE

Every transfer is a payroll cutover

FDD analyses counted 54 Home Instead ownership transfers in 2024 alone. Every one of them is a roster moving to a new entity: final checks from the old company, fresh onboarding into the new one, a new EIN, and no week where anyone gets paid late. Generic payroll systems treat that as an emergency. It’s just a Tuesday in franchise country.

Every one of these lands on the office, not the brand. Here’s how WageTime runs them.
01 · WHO SIGNS THE W-2

Who employs the Care Pros at a Home Instead franchise?

In most offices, the franchise owner does: Care Pros are W-2 employees of the local franchise company, and job postings say so in as many words. WageTime is built for that owner-as-employer reality, starting at onboarding.

  • Honor’s fully managed option found few takers; by 2024 it refocused on platform tools.
  • Self-onboarding from the Care Pro’s phone, e-signatures included.
  • Electronic I-9 with List A/B/C document capture, front and back.
  • E-Verify case created automatically once I-9 requirements are met.
  • Bulk onboarding for a hiring class; rehire onboarding with retained records.
app.wagetime.com/hr/onboarding

Onboarding · Prairie Lane Care LLC dba Home Instead

Employer of record: your company2 E-Verify cases pending
Care Pros onboard from their phones; the office reviews and signs
5Hires this month
2E-Verify pending
New hireI-9E-Verify
Dana WhitfieldCare ProCompleteCase created
Miriam OkaforCare ProCompleteAuthorized
Leo CastanedaCare ProSection 2 due ThuWaiting on I-9
June PalmerOffice coordinatorCompleteAuthorized
Robert EllisCare ProCompleteCase created
Self-onboarded from their phonesdocuments on the record

Replaces the first-day paper packet, and the guessing about which company name goes on the offer letter.

02 · THE PLATFORM AND THE PAYCHECK

The Honor platform schedules the visit. Who turns it into pay?

The franchise office does: we import clock and visit hours with no double entry, each kind of hour landing on its own pay code at its own rate in one weekly run. Exact flow confirmed on the demo.

  • Hours import into WageTime against the right Care Pro, client, and rate.
  • Custom pay codes: care rates, training rate, travel time, mileage.
  • Exceptions flag for review instead of getting paid by accident.
  • GPS-stamped mobile clock available for anything scheduled off-platform.
app.wagetime.com/payroll/pay-codes

Pay Code Mapping · Week of Oct 5

Hours imported · no re-keying4 pay codes active
Each kind of hour lands on its own pay code at its own rate
734.0Hours mapped
4Pay codes active
Pay codeHoursRate
CARE-PC hourlyPersonal care visits412.0$17.50
CARE-CO hourlyCompanionship visits268.5$16.00
TRAIN hourlyClassroom training22.0$15.00
TRAVEL hourlyDrive between clients31.5$15.00
Every hour on its own codeready for Friday’s run

Replaces the Sunday export-and-retype ritual, and the mystery rate on line 14 of the spreadsheet.

03 · THE FOUR-HOUR DAY

How do short shifts change overtime and travel pay?

Short visits multiply everything payroll has to get right: a Care Pro covering three clients a day works several rates in one week, and WageTime computes that week’s overtime on the weighted-average regular rate, with drive time between clients paid on top of mileage.

  • Regular rate: total straight-time earnings divided by total hours, premium on top.
  • Travel hours count toward overtime; mileage rides as a non-taxable code.
  • Night, weekend, and holiday differentials run as their own pay codes.
  • Live-in and overnight codes configured to state rules; California differs sharply.
  • Minimum-wage processing runs at federal, state, and local levels.
app.wagetime.com/payroll/week

Week Review · Alma R. · Oct 5-11

3 clients · 2 care ratesOT on weighted average
Total straight-time earnings ÷ total hours = this week’s regular rate
Alma R. · one week, one check
Care hours42.5 hrs
Drive hours paid3.0 hrs
Weighted-average rate$16.86
Overtime at premium5.5 OT hrs
DayCare hoursDrive
MonKeller + Bishop8.00.75
TueKeller + Nguyen8.00.5
WedBishop + Nguyen8.50.75
ThuKeller + Bishop8.00.5
FriNguyen4.00.25
SatBishop · weekend rate6.00.25
Every rate the week touched, one regular ratepremium on the weighted average

Replaces the single-rate overtime shortcut that quietly builds a back-pay balance.

04 · PAID TO LEARN

How does dementia training time land on the paycheck?

Training time lands as its own pay code inside the same overtime math as care hours. WageTime runs classroom hours as paid training time and keeps the paper trail on the employee record, so who is dementia-trained is a report, not a memory.

  • The network’s memory-care training was recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association in 2020.
  • Training hours paid at a training rate, folded into weighted-average overtime.
  • Course assignments and completion records in the learning module.
  • Certificates and licenses on the record with 30/60/90-day expiration alerts.
  • CPR cards and TB tests tracked on the same screen.
app.wagetime.com/hr/training

Training & Credentials · All Care Pros

Dementia curriculum 91% complete4 credentials expiring soon
Every completion and certificate on the employee record, ready to export
38Care Pros tracked
4Expiring in 60 days
Care ProExpiresStatus
Dana WhitfieldDementia classroom courseRenews Oct 2027Completed
Miriam OkaforCertification examScheduled Nov 3
Alma R.CPR certificationJan 2027Current
Leo CastanedaTB testNov 1430-day alert sent
June PalmerSafety trainingRenews Aug 2027Completed
Every credential with its own expiry clockalerts on autopilot

Replaces the training binder that answers every audit question a day too late.

05 · AFTER THE ROYALTY

What should payroll cost an office that already pays a fee stack?

A flat number you can read without a quote call: WageTime is $50 a month per company plus $10 per person paid that month, unlimited runs included. Next to the fee stack, payroll should be the line that never surprises you.

  • Weekly runs, off-cycle runs, and final checks at no extra cost.
  • Every federal, state, and local tax filed automatically; year-end W-2s included.
  • Each territory’s company under its own EIN; reporting per company or combined.
  • No long-term contracts; cancel anytime.
app.wagetime.com/billing/invoice

October Invoice · Prairie Lane Care LLC

Weekly pay day · $0 extraAll filings current
One flat line per company, one per person paid, every run included
46 Care Pros + 4 office staff paid
Base · 1 company$50.00
People paid$500.00
Weekly runs · 5 in October$0.00
1 same-day final check$0.00
October total$550.00
A payroll bill you can read without a sales callunlimited runs · taxes filed

Replaces the payroll bill that needed a sales call to read, and the surcharge on every extra Friday.

PRICING

Simple payroll pricing. No surprises.

Full-service payroll is $10 a month per person paid that month, plus $50 a month per company, with unlimited runs. No long-term contracts, no per-run charges.

  • Full-service payroll, unlimited runs
  • Federal, state & local tax filing
  • Year-end W-2s & 1099s
  • Direct deposit, checks & pay cards
  • Contractor payments & filings
  • Off-cycle runs & bonuses, no extra fee
  • Employee paystubs & W-2 access
  • QuickBooks integration
$10/mo per person paid
+ $50/mo per company

Off-cycle runs and bonuses cost nothing extra. No long-term contracts; cancel anytime.

Example: 50 people paid × $10 + $50 company = $550 for the month

HR & hiring, onboarding, PTO, time tracking, benefits, and workers’ comp are optional add-ons, priced separately when you’re ready.

See a demo
THE INFRASTRUCTURE BEHIND WAGETIME
$35B+
in payroll & taxes paid
2.8M+
employees paid
4.3M+
W-2s & 1099s filed
100%
of tax filings automated

Home Instead franchise payroll, asked directly

Who employs the Care Pros: Honor or the franchise owner?

In most territories, the franchise owner’s company employs its Care Pros as W-2 employees, and franchise job postings state that the employer is the local franchise business, not Home Instead, Inc. Honor’s 2022 fully managed option shifted Care Pro employment to Honor only for offices that opted in, and industry reporting found few takers. Check which model your office runs; payroll follows the answer.

Does the Honor Care Platform run payroll?

Not payroll for franchise-employed Care Pros, as of mid-2026. Honor’s platform materials advertise scheduling, caregiver matching, training support, and client billing; payroll and employment taxes are not on the list. WageTime covers that side: we import clock and visit hours so there’s no double entry, and we’ll confirm the exact flow for your setup on the demo.

Do we have to pay Care Pros for dementia training time?

Employer-required training is generally treated as paid work time; whether a specific session is compensable is a question for your employment counsel. WageTime handles the mechanics either way: training hours run on their own pay code at a training rate, fold into the weighted-average overtime math, and completion records live in the learning module.

Do Home Instead offices pay caregivers weekly?

Many offices advertise weekly pay in their own job postings, and in a market this tight, pay-day cadence is a recruiting lever. WageTime makes it configuration instead of cost: weekly, biweekly, or semi-monthly on the same price, unlimited runs, and off-cycle checks included. Caregivers see paystubs, W-2s, and PTO balances in the app without calling the office.

We’re buying or selling a Home Instead office. What happens to payroll in the transfer?

FDD analyses counted 54 ownership transfers in this system in 2024, so the cutover playbook matters. The selling entity issues final checks and year-end forms for its EIN; the buying entity onboards the roster fresh, and WageTime’s bulk onboarding with e-signatures makes that a batch, not a stack. Switching is full-service and paid; we’ll scope your cutover week on the demo.

What does WageTime cost for a Home Instead franchise?

$50 per month per company, plus $10 per person paid that month. Unlimited payroll runs, weekly pay day at no extra cost, off-cycle and final checks included, and every federal, state, and local tax filed automatically with year-end W-2s and 1099s. Multi-territory owners run each company under its own EIN with one login. No long-term contracts; cancel anytime.

Bring one Care Pro’s week and your fee stack.

One Care Pro across three clients, your training calendar, and the territories you run. Twenty minutes with a payroll specialist on a live demo company: you’ll see the weighted-average overtime, the training and travel pay codes, the onboarding flow, and the invoice math next to your royalty line.

Book a 20-minute demo