The legal minimum wage for a home health aide or personal care aide in New York City is $19.65 an hour in 2026, and it rises to $20.00 on January 1, 2027, according to the New York State Department of Labor. Federal data for the New York metro area, from May 2025, put the median pay for home health and personal care aides at about $19.08 an hour, with the top tenth earning about $22.39.
What is the hourly pay for home care in NYC in 2026?
The state sets a separate, higher minimum for home care aides than for other workers. For 2026 the general minimum wage in New York City is $17.00, while the Department of Labor’s home care aide fact sheet (P105) lists $19.65 for aides working in New York City, Long Island and Westchester. The rest of the state is $18.65.
| Effective date | NYC, Long Island, Westchester | Rest of New York State |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2022 | $17.00 | $15.20 |
| January 1, 2024 | $18.55 | $17.55 |
| January 1, 2025 | $19.10 | $18.10 |
| January 1, 2026 | $19.65 | $18.65 |
| January 1, 2027 | $20.00 | $19.00 |
The 2027 figures come from the Department of Labor’s home care aide minimum wage page. The department’s minimum wage page explains that the regular state minimum wage will stay at $17.00 in New York City on January 1, 2027, because an inflation off-ramp applied, while the home care minimum is adjusted for inflation but capped at $3.00 above the standard minimum.
You may still see $21.09 quoted online as the 2026 home care wage. It is not the state minimum in the Department of Labor schedule above, so use the DOL figures.
What do HHAs and PCAs actually earn in NYC?
The legal minimum is a floor, not a typical wage. The U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET service publishes Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, which combines home health aides and personal care aides in one group. For the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, the May 2025 figures are:
| Share of workers earning less than | Hourly wage (May 2025) |
|---|---|
| 10 percent | $17.77 |
| 25 percent | $18.60 |
| 50 percent (median) | $19.08 |
| 75 percent | $21.05 |
| 90 percent | $22.39 |
Two cautions. The metro area includes parts of New Jersey, so it is not a pure New York City number. And the survey predates the January 2026 increase, so today’s typical pay is likely a little higher. For comparison, the same source puts the national median at $17.21 an hour.
Above the legal floor, what an individual agency pays is its own decision. No government source we found publishes typical agency rates by role, so job postings are the best guide. Our HHA jobs in NYC guide covers what to ask before you accept an offer.
Who counts as a home care aide, and who is covered?
Under Public Health Law section 3614-f, as quoted by the Department of Labor, a “home care aide” includes a home health aide, personal care aide, home attendant and a personal assistant working in the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. The common thread is that their primary job is in-home help with daily living or health-related tasks.
Two exclusions matter. People working on a casual basis are not covered. And, except in CDPAP, a relative of the employer or of the person receiving care is not covered when the work is funded by a government program. A family member paid as a CDPAP personal assistant is covered; a relative working in other publicly funded care generally is not. Our CDPAP eligibility guide explains who can be hired.
What extra pay can a home care aide be owed?
The Department of Labor’s fact sheet lists pay that can come on top of the hourly minimum:
- Overtime. One and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 a week, or over 44 for residential employees.
- Call-in pay. If an aide reports to work as scheduled and the employer sends them home early, they may be owed extra hours of pay at the minimum wage rate.
- Spread of hours. If the workday stretches over ten hours, the aide may be owed one extra hour of pay at the minimum wage rate.
- Uniform maintenance. If aides clean their own uniforms, they may be owed an extra weekly payment.
Employers may reduce pay below minimum wage only to claim a limited allowance for meals and lodging, and only if they do not charge for those services.
What is wage parity, and does it apply?
Wage parity is a separate rule for Medicaid-funded home care in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester. The Department of Health’s wage parity page says aides on Medicaid-funded jobs in those areas must receive a base wage, set at the state minimum wage for the region, plus a supplemental benefit portion.
For all periods on or after January 1, 2024, the benefit portion is $2.54 an hour in the New York City region and $1.67 in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester. It can be paid in cash or provided through benefits such as health coverage, education, pension contributions or paid time off. Cash from state or federal minimum wage increases cannot count toward it.
The Department of Health does not publish one combined hourly figure, and the home care aide minimum above applies separately. If you work on Medicaid-funded cases, ask your agency to show in writing how it meets both rules.
Do HHAs and PCAs get paid differently?
The legal floor is the same, because the Department of Labor’s definition covers both roles. What differs is training and scope of work.
| Personal care aide (PCA) | Home health aide (HHA) | |
|---|---|---|
| State minimum wage (NYC, 2026) | $19.65 | $19.65 |
| Minimum approved training | 40 hours (basic training) | 75 hours (core training) |
| Typical work | Help with daily living: bathing, dressing, meals | Daily living plus certain health-related tasks under nursing supervision |
The training hours come from the Department of Health’s approved training program list. See our guides to the HHA certificate and to free HHA training in New York City.
What does aide pay mean for families paying privately?
The hourly rate an agency bills is not what the aide takes home. The state’s training program FAQ says home health agencies must provide nursing supervision and 12 hours of in-service training a year, which are costs on top of the aide’s wages. Ask any agency for a clear explanation of its rate. Our cost of home care in New York guide covers what families typically weigh, and our private home care page explains how private-pay arrangements work.
How can an aide check they are being paid correctly?
- Find your rate. Compare your hourly pay with the table above for the date you worked.
- Check your hours. Compare each pay stub with your own written record of the hours you worked.
- Look for overtime. Hours over 40 in a week should be paid at one and a half times your regular rate.
- Ask about extras. Ask whether call-in pay, spread of hours or uniform maintenance apply.
- Ask about wage parity if you work on Medicaid-funded cases in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk or Westchester.
- Raise it in writing. If something is wrong, the Department of Labor says you can complain at 1-888-52-LABOR, and your employer cannot retaliate against you for it.
ProLife Home Care is a licensed home care agency in Brooklyn and Queens, NY State Department of Health licence #2572L001. If you are an aide with questions about working with us, or a family trying to understand what care costs, call (718) 232-2777 or use our contact page.
Wage rules change often. Everything above was checked on 9 October 2026 against the New York State Department of Labor, the Department of Health and O*NET (Bureau of Labor Statistics data). This is general information, not legal or tax advice. For a dispute about your own pay, contact the Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum hourly wage for a home health aide in NYC in 2026?
$19.65 an hour for home care aides working in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, effective January 1, 2026, according to the New York State Department of Labor. It rises to $20.00 on January 1, 2027.
Is $21.09 the home care aide minimum wage in 2026?
No. The Department of Labor’s schedule lists $19.65 for New York City in 2026. The $21.09 figure still circulates online but does not match the state’s minimum wage schedule for home care aides.
Do PCAs and HHAs get the same minimum wage?
Yes. The state definition of a home care aide covers both, so the same minimum applies. HHAs complete at least 75 hours of training and PCAs at least 40, and an employer may pay more than the minimum for either role.
Does the home care minimum wage apply to CDPAP caregivers?
The Department of Labor’s definition of a home care aide includes a personal assistant working in CDPAP, and it specifically keeps family members who work as CDPAP personal assistants covered. Confirm payroll details with PPL, the statewide fiscal intermediary.
How much do home health aides actually earn in New York City?
Federal data for the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, from May 2025, show a median of $19.08 an hour for home health and personal care aides, with the lowest tenth near $17.77 and the highest tenth near $22.39. The figures include some New Jersey workers and predate the January 2026 increase.
Do home care aides get overtime in New York?
Yes. The Department of Labor says aides must be paid one and a half times their regular rate for weekly hours over 40, or over 44 for residential employees.
What is wage parity for home care workers?
A rule for Medicaid-funded home care in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester. Aides must receive a base wage plus a supplemental benefit portion of $2.54 an hour in the New York City region, paid in cash or benefits.
