Monthly care budget worksheet
Paying for care can feel overwhelming. This free, printable worksheet helps you compare monthly costs, ask clear questions on tours, and keep notes in one place as you look for a small, licensed adult family home.
A simple tool for a hard decision
When you are helping an older or disabled adult move into a small residential home, the money side can feel confusing fast. Different homes may include different things in their monthly price. Some costs may be private-pay room and board. Some personal-care costs may work differently depending on the state.
Our free Monthly care budget worksheet is a printable PDF you can bring on tours, use at home, or share with family members. It gives you one place to write down what each home says, what is included, and what questions still need answers.
HearthRow is not a care home, medical provider, or government agency. We do not give medical, nursing, legal, or financial advice. This worksheet is general educational information only. Please confirm details directly with each home, your doctor, and your state's licensing agency.
What is inside the worksheet
The PDF is designed to help you compare homes side by side in plain language. It is not a contract or quote. It is a note-taking tool for your search.
It includes space to track:
- The home's name, address, phone number, and tour date
- Whether the home says it is currently state licensed or certified
- The monthly base rate the home gives you
- What the home says is included in that rate, such as meals, laundry, help with daily routines, or activities
- Extra monthly or one-time fees the home mentions
- Medication management or other support the home says it can provide, if allowed by state rules
- Deposit, move-in costs, and billing questions
- Transportation, supplies, and personal spending costs you may want to budget for
- Notes about the room, shared spaces, language spoken, and overall feel of the home
There is also a section for follow-up questions so you can remember what to confirm after the tour.
How this helps you compare and budget
Many families hear one price first, then later learn that some services or supplies are separate. This worksheet helps you slow down and ask the same questions at each home. That can make it easier to compare homes fairly.
It can also help you build a more realistic monthly budget. For example, you can write down the home's typical estimate for room and board, then add other regular costs like toiletries, clothing, transportation, and a little personal spending money. If there are one-time move-in costs, you can list those separately so they do not surprise you.
Costs vary widely by state, by home, and by the level of help a person needs. Room-and-board is usually paid privately. Medicaid waivers often help with the personal-care part, depending on the state and program. That information is separate from being matched with a home. Always confirm current rules with your state's Medicaid office, the home itself, and the licensing agency.
Use it on tours
The worksheet is especially useful during tours because it reminds you what to ask when emotions are high. You can print more than one copy and bring one to each visit.
As you tour, use it to note simple, practical details:
- Does the home feel clean, calm, and respectful?
- What language does staff speak?
- How many residents live there?
- Is the room private or shared?
- What happens if care needs change?
- What is included in the monthly price, and what costs extra?
- Is the home currently licensed or certified by the state?
Always confirm the home's current state license or certification yourself and tour before deciding. Rules, licensing, levels of care, and costs vary widely by state.
Download the PDF and get more help
You can download the Monthly care budget worksheet as a free printable PDF and use it right away. Keep it with your tour notes, bills, and questions so everyone in the family is looking at the same information.
If you want help finding small, licensed homes near you, we can help you find options. HearthRow is a free matching and information service. Some homes pay HearthRow a flat fee when we connect them with a family. It never changes what you pay, and you are never under any obligation.
If you are still learning how adult family homes work, visit our guides for plain-language information to help you prepare for calls and tours.
Download this free PDF to compare monthly costs, ask better tour questions, and keep your adult family home budget notes in one place.