Senior Helpers Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Senior Helpers franchise requires a total initial investment of $177K – $232K, including a $55K – $75K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.8M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 7.9% charge-off rate across 147 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $177K – $232K
- 37th pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- $1.8M
- 35th pct Healthcare
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 401
- 72nd pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- 7.9%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare 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
- Total investment $177K – $232K including a $55K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.8M/year (median $1.5M).
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 75/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 7.9% across 147 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- System growing at 18.3% CAGR over 3 years with 401 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- SH Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- SHF Acquisition Company, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Senior Support Holdings, L.P.
- Predecessor
- SH Franchising, LLC (Florida) / SH-Florida
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Managers
- Peter Ross
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 901 Dulaney Valley Road, Suite 700, Towson, Maryland 21204
- Auditor
- Crowe LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $40.4M
- vs $33.3M prior year
Overview
About
Senior Helpers franchises the operation of non-medical in-home care agencies for elderly individuals, providing companionship, personal care, light housekeeping, meal preparation, transportation, medication reminders, Alzheimer's and dementia care, and caregiver staffing.
- CEO
- Peter Ross
- Headquarters
- Maryland
- FDD year
- 2026
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 50% below the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $55K | $55K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $36K | $40K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $85K | $137K |
| Total initial investment | $177K | $232K |
Source: Senior Helpers 2026 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
- $177K – $232K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $36K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $55K – $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5% of Gross Sales after Year 1 (2.5% for first 6 months f…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $465 |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 38% above the healthcare norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · 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
$313K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
129%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
9 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.8M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.5M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical_gross_revenue_by_tenure_cohort
- Sample size
- 346 units
- vs category median 16 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $201K→$6.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
Compared against 180 Healthcare brands
Revenue is 9.0x 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 $1.8M/year in gross sales. Median is $1.5M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 9.0x.
Operator retention
System expanding at 18.3% CAGR over 3 years across 401 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Healthcare averages
How Senior Helpers Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 401
- Opened
- 49
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 10
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.5%
- Company-owned
- 7
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +18.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +18.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 49
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 10
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 12
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 147
- Loan volume
- $60.1M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 7.9%
- 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)
- 92.1%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 40
- Defaults
- 5
- Typical loan rate
- 8.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 6216
- Jobs supported
- 6,283
- 10.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 16%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Vintage analysis
Senior Helpers charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Senior Helpers franchisees
Showing 3 of 40 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.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 7.9% — 50% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
Four disclosed matters: (1) Nienart v. SH Franchising/franchisee (NJ, 2016) - caregiver negligence claims, settled for $150,000; (2) Beck v. Foreman Care Corp./SH Franchising (IN, 2018) - negligent caregiving/property damage/theft claims, settled for $150,000; (3) WA Attorney General "no-poach" provisions investigation (2019) - resolved via Assurance of Discontinuance requiring removal of non-solicitation clauses nationwide; (4) Johns v. ACK Home Care/SH Franchising (OH, 2024) - FLSA/wage claims, settled by franchisee for $42,000 with no franchisor contribution.
Largest disclosed settlement: $150,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Crowe LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 4 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 30 mi |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 28 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 11 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 4 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Four disclosed matters: (1) Nienart v. SH Franchising/franchisee (NJ, 2016) - caregiver negligence claims, settled for $150,000; (2) Beck v. Foreman Care Corp./SH Franchising (IN, 2018) - negligent caregiving/property damage/theft claims, settled for $150,000; (3) WA Attorney General "no-poach" provisions investigation (2019) - resolved via Assurance of Discontinuance requiring removal of non-solicitation clauses nationwide; (4) Johns v. ACK Home Care/SH Franchising (OH, 2024) - FLSA/wage claims, settled by franchisee for $42,000 with no franchisor contribution.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 98 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor headquarters/designated facility (Towson, Maryland) for in-person days; remainder delivered remotely
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- shared
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- WellSky (Home Care Software)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: WellSky (Home Care Software)
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Senior Helpers franchise?
The total investment to open a Senior Helpers franchise ranges from $177K – $232K, with an initial franchise fee of $55K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Senior Helpers franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Senior Helpers FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.8M. The median is $1.5M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Senior Helpers's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Senior Helpers has a charge-off rate of 7.9% across 147 loans, meaning 7.9% 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 Senior Helpers franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Senior Helpers has 401 total units in the United States, including 394 franchised units and 7 company-owned units. 49 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Senior Helpers a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Senior Helpers as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 75 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
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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.