Compliance
Do You Have to Pay Caregivers for Travel Time Between Clients?
Yes. Under the FLSA, drive time between clients during the workday is hours worked. What counts, what doesn't, how to pay it, and how mileage fits in.
What does caregiver travel between clients cost you?
Enter a typical day of client-to-client trips. The calculator shows paid drive time, mileage reimbursement and the yearly cost per caregiver.
Last reviewed October 17, 2026
Which trips count as paid travel?
| Trip | Paid work time? |
|---|---|
| Home to first client | Usually no |
| Client to client during the day | Yes |
| Errand for the client, such as the pharmacy | Yes |
| Last client to home | Usually no |
How do I cut travel cost without cutting pay?
Schedule by geography. When a caregiver's clients sit in one part of town, each trip between them is shorter, the day fits more care hours, and you pay less drive time for the same number of visits. Rerun this calculator with shorter trips to see what a tighter route is worth over a year.
How Caregiver Scheduling handles this
Each caregiver's day shows as a numbered route on the map, and you can reorder stops and watch the route redraw. Open visits appear next to caregivers already working nearby, so fewer trips cross town. See route optimization.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Travel from one client to the next during the workday is hours worked under 29 CFR 785.38. It must be paid and counts toward overtime.
Usually not. Normal travel from home to the first job and from the last job home is not hours worked under 29 CFR 785.35, though some states and union contracts treat it differently.
Federal law does not require mileage reimbursement, but unreimbursed vehicle costs cannot push pay below minimum wage. Some states, such as California, require employers to reimburse necessary work expenses.
The IRS business standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents a mile for January through June 2026 and 76 cents from July 1, 2026.
Related guides
Operations
Caregiver Mileage Reimbursement: Rates and Policies
Federal law requires reimbursement only when car costs push pay below minimum wage; California and Illinois require it outright. The 2026 IRS rate is 72.5 cents, 76 cents from July 1.
Scheduling
Caregiver Route Planning: Cutting Drive Time Between Visits
Drive time between clients is paid time under the FLSA. How to zone clients, order each caregiver's day, fill call-outs nearby, and measure what routing saves.
Scheduling
Split Shifts in Home Care: Do You Have to Pay for the Gap?
Usually not, if the caregiver is fully off duty and the gap is long enough to use. Short gaps are paid, travel is paid, and California and New York add an extra hour at minimum wage.
These free tools are made by the team behind Caregiver Scheduling, caregiver scheduling software for home care agencies.
Simple pricing
From $199 /month
Up to 10 caregivers on Starter, 50 on Growth.
More than 50 caregivers? We'll put together a custom Scale plan for your agency.