The hourly line is the one families compare first, but it is seldom the only line on an agreement. Supplies, first-visit setup, training time, and payment handling can change the total without changing the hours on the schedule. Find each of them before you put two totals side by side, because a total without its lines is a figure you cannot check.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Find the lines that move the bill without changing the hours
Build a table with four columns: the line name, the event that triggers it, who pays, and the page of the agreement where it appears. Leave a row blank if the agreement does not say. A blank row is a question for the agency, and it should be answered in writing before you sign.
What it costs: The Missouri median for non-medical in-home care is $33 an hour, per the CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025 state data tables, released March 2026. New Plan Care's standard rate is $34 an hour with a four-hour minimum, so a visit starts at $136 (newplancare.com/services).
Supplies the aide uses
Gloves, cleaning products, paper goods, and laundry supplies are the usual items. Ask whether the agency bills them, whether the family supplies them, or whether the aide uses what is already in the house. Each answer changes the total. If the family supplies them, write which items and how they get to the home. If the agency bills them, ask for the item list and the unit each item is billed by.
Setup, screening, and training time
Some agencies bill the first visit differently from later visits, and some bill the time the assigned aide spends on training or on the assessment walk through the home. Ask which of these are billed, in which billing period, and whether the family can decline a line before it is incurred. Ask whether any screening or onboarding cost is passed to the family, and whether it is charged once or with each new assignment.
Statements, card fees, and late payment
Ask whether paying by card adds a processing line, whether a late payment carries a charge, and whether the statement lists hours and each extra line separately. A statement that combines everything into one figure makes it hard to see which line rose when the bill changed. Ask for a sample statement before you sign.
Compare on the same lines
Build one sheet with each agency's hourly line, each supply and fee line, and the trigger for each. Add up only the lines that will actually appear for your schedule. Do not treat any total as final until the agency has signed the document that contains those lines. Compare lines first and totals last.
Questions to ask
Which lines appear on a statement with no hours attached? Who sets the unit for each supply, and can the family ask the agency to stop billing a particular supply? Is training time before the first visit billed? Is there an intake or setup charge, and when is it billed? Does paying by card add a line? Which lines change if the household adds a second visit in the same day?
Plan the month
Week one: collect the written terms from each agency. Week two: mark every extra line and its trigger in the table. Week three: put the questions above to each agency in writing and file the answers beside the agreement. Week four: check the first statement against the table and flag any line that does not match what was agreed.
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