Home Helpers Home Care Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Home Helpers Home Care is an in-home care franchise providing non-medical personal care and companionship to seniors and recovering patients. Franchisees run an agency recruiting and scheduling caregivers and managing client care and billing in a protected territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Home Helpers Home Care franchise requires a total initial investment of $113K – $162K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.7M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 39 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $113K – $162K
- 62nd pct Senior Care
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- 27th pct Senior Care
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 41st pct Senior Care
- Units
- 316
- 91st pct Senior Care
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Senior Care · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Senior Care avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $113K – $162K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.7M/year (median $1.1M).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 90/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 39 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- FLAGAuditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- H.H. Franchising Systems, Inc.
- Parent company
- Home Helpers Holding Company
- Ultimate parent
- RiverGlade Capital, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer, President, Director
- Emma R. Dickison
- Incorporated in
- OH
- HQ
- 10101 Alliance Road, Suite 300, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242
- Auditor
- Cohen & Co
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $16.4M
- vs $15.5M prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2024
- Status as of 2024; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Affiliated brands
- whose pr
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Emma R. Dickison
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 1997
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 39
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 47% below the typical senior care franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $43K | $65K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $20K | $47K |
| Total initial investment | $113K | $162K |
Source: Home Helpers Home Care 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $113K – $162K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $43K – $65K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $750 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $3K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 18% above the senior care norm.
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$293K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
153%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
8 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Home Helpers Home Care unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
153%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Home Helpers Home Care units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
31.6%
3.95× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
2.55×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$7.1M
on $17.2M purchase
Total debt
$10.2M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.7M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.1M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross revenue
- Sample size
- 146 outlets
- vs category median 22 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $25K→$25.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2023
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2024
- Disclosed in the 2024 filing, covering 2023
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 79 Senior Care brands
Revenue is 12.5x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.7M/year in gross sales. Median is $1.1M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 12.5x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Senior Care average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (+2.6% 3-year CAGR) with 316 units.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Senior Care averages
How Home Helpers Home Care Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 316
- Opened
- 31
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 5
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 3
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +2.6%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +2.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 31
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 5
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 20
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 10
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 20
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 2.6%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 0.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 39 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
39
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 39
- Loan volume
- $13.8M
- Median loan
- $215K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 20
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 8.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 7.5%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 1,499
- 10.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 15%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 47% went to startups / new businesses, 53% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in home health care services, franchised businesses charge off at 7.5% vs 11.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 35% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Home Helpers Home Care charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Home Helpers Home Care franchisees
Showing 3 of 20 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Home Helpers Home Care's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 10-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 39 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
The auditor flagged going-concern doubt (Item 21) — the single biggest risk here.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
⚠ Grade capped at C: the auditor disclosed a going-concern note (FDD Item 21). The verdict score reflects the underlying financials before that cap.
Home Helpers presents meaningful caution due to undisclosed profitability metrics, active litigation, slow growth, and lack of transparent Item 19 data in a competitive home care market.
Litigation (Item 3)
1 royalty collection suit (HHFS as plaintiff against franchisee Helpful Hearts LLC/Clarina McLearn, 2023); 1 pending tortious interference suit (MultiServices Yorktown LLC vs. HHFS and others, 2021, HHFS as defendant)
Largest disclosed settlement: $210,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Cohen & Co⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 90 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHActive litigation: royalty collection suit indicates franchisor enforcement issues; tortious interference case suggests franchisor disputes with franchisees or partners
- 02MINORSlow system growth of only 3.9% YoY with 316 units suggests market saturation or franchisee struggles in home care sector
- 03MINORRoyalty structure (6% down to 4%) on thin-margin home care operations may be unsustainable for franchisees with <30% net margins
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($113K-$162K) relative to disclosed revenue lacks corresponding profitability transparency
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Hamilton County, Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | OH |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 royalty collection suit (HHFS as plaintiff against franchisee Helpful Hearts LLC/Clarina McLearn, 2023); 1 pending tortious interference suit (MultiServices Yorktown LLC vs. HHFS and others, 2021, HHFS as defendant)
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 35 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Blue Ash, Ohio (classroom); Online/home (preliminary training)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- WellSky
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: WellSky
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Home Helpers Home Care franchise?
The total investment to open a Home Helpers Home Care franchise ranges from $113K – $162K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Home Helpers Home Care franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Home Helpers Home Care FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.7M. The median is $1.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Home Helpers Home Care FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Home Helpers Home Care FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Home Helpers Home Care's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Home Helpers Home Care has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 39 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Home Helpers Home Care franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Home Helpers Home Care has 316 total units in the United States, including 316 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 31 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Home Helpers Home Care a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Home Helpers Home Care as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 90 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Home Helpers Home Care, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.