Companion caregiver jobs: duties, training and pay

A companion caregiver spends time with an older adult or a person with a disability, keeps them company and helps with light tasks around the home. The work is nonmedical. There is no single federal training rule for it, so what you need depends on your state and your employer.

"Companion caregiver" is a job title, not an occupation in federal data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts the work under personal care aides, which it says are sometimes called caregivers or personal attendants. This page describes the companion end of that job. For the full range of caregiver roles, see caregiver jobs and personal care aide.

What companion caregivers do

BLS says personal care aides are generally limited to providing nonmedical services, including companionship, cleaning, cooking and driving. Across home health and personal care aides, BLS lists tasks such as helping with personal tasks like bathing and dressing, housekeeping, scheduling and transportation, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and keeping clients socially engaged.

Federal wage rules give a narrower definition. Under 29 CFR 552.6, companionship services means fellowship and protection for an elderly person or a person with an illness, injury or disability who needs assistance in caring for themselves. The rule says:

• Fellowship includes activities such as conversation, reading, games and accompanying the person on outings.
• Protection means being present in the home or accompanying the person outside it to look after their safety and well-being.
• Care tasks, such as help with daily living activities and household management, count as companionship only when they come with fellowship and protection, and together they can be no more than 20 percent of the hours worked in a workweek for that person.
• The rule excludes medically related services and services that are normally done by trained personnel, such as registered nurses and licensed practical nurses.

That rule exists to decide who is exempt from minimum wage and overtime, not to set a job description. It is useful here because it shows where "companion" work ends and personal care or nursing work begins.

Pay rules for companion work

Under 29 CFR 552.109, a third-party employer, such as a home care agency, may not claim the companionship exemption from minimum wage and overtime, even if the worker is also jointly employed by the family. The person or household using the services may still be able to claim it if the job meets every requirement in the companionship definition. If you are hired by a family directly, ask an employment lawyer or your state labor department how your pay is treated. Carevo does not give legal advice.

Where companion caregivers work

BLS says aides work in clients' homes, group homes, care communities and day services programs. Most aides work full time, though part-time work is common. Companion care is mostly done in the client's own home. Browse companion care and home care agencies in your state to see who operates near you.

Training and certification

BLS says home health and personal care aides typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, and some positions do not require a formal credential. Training can happen on the job or through a program, and it usually covers personal hygiene, vital signs, infection control and basic nutrition. Some employers ask for first aid and CPR certification.

BLS also says agencies that receive federal funds, such as Medicare, must follow rules about aides' employment, and some states require a license or certification. Private agencies that do not receive federal funds may have state-specific requirements.

States add their own rules. Carevo does not summarize state requirements here. Ask your state board of health or department on aging what applies, and ask each employer what training it requires. If you want to work for a Medicare-certified agency as an aide, see the federal training rule on the home health aide page.

Companion caregiver pay

BLS does not publish a wage figure for companion caregivers by themselves. It publishes home health aides and personal care aides together as SOC 31-1120. For that group, BLS reports a national median wage of $17.21 an hour, or $35,800 a year, for the May 2025 reference period.

Those are wages paid to workers, not prices charged by agencies. They are national figures, so pay in your state, employer and setting can be higher or lower.

What Medicare does and does not pay for

Companion care is usually paid for privately, through long-term care insurance or through a state program. Medicare.gov says Medicare does not cover 24-hour-a-day care at home, or homemaker services such as shopping and cleaning that are unrelated to your care plan. That matters for you as a worker, because it explains why most companion jobs sit with private-pay families and home care agencies rather than with Medicare-certified home health agencies.

How to find companion caregiver jobs

Start with home care agencies and companion care providers in your state. Contact the ones near you and ask whether they are hiring, what training they provide, whether they are the employer and whether you would be an employee or a contractor. If you care for a relative and wonder whether you can be paid for it, see paid family caregiver programs.

Carevo is a connection platform. It is not an employer and it does not place workers.

Caregiver registration is coming to Carevo

Carevo is a connection platform. It is not an employer, it does not place workers and it does not guarantee work. Registration for caregivers is not open yet. If you want to hear when it is, email [email protected].