Life Experience Pay Audit
Your 2026 Household Income Protection
- Your Life is Your Resume: We credit family care as professional work experience.
- Maximize Your Rate: Offset the 56-hour cap by moving into higher pay tiers.
- Radical Ease: A professional validation of your work in under 60 seconds.
- Unfiltered Transparency: Nothing hidden—just fair wages for your tenure.
The Industry Standard is Obsolete
For too long, the home care industry has called your dedication "unskilled labor." We know better. If you have managed complex care for years, you are a specialist. With the 56-hour caregiver cap approved by the JBC on March 12, 2026, you can no longer "work more hours" to make ends meet. You must earn more per hour.
The Math: Protecting Your Household Income
When the state limits your labor, the only lever left to pull is your hourly rate. See how moving from Tier 1 to a Tier 3 Expert rate impacts your family's bottom line under the new 56-hour limit.
Health Maintenance (HMA) Pay Audit (56-Hour Week)
| Pay Tier | Experience | Denver Rate | Weekly Gross* | Annual Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (Base) | 0–1 Years | $22.00 | $1,408.00 | $73,216.00 |
| Tier 2 (+5%) | 2–4 Years | $23.10 | $1,478.40 | $76,876.80 |
| Tier 3 (+10%) | 5+ Years | $24.20 | $1,548.80 | $80,537.60 |
*Weekly totals include 40 hours base pay + 16 hours overtime (OT) at 1.5x.
Personal Care (PC) Pay Audit (56-Hour Week)
| Pay Tier | Experience | Denver Rate | Weekly Gross* | Annual Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (Base) | 0–1 Years | $21.00 | $1,344.00 | $69,888.00 |
| Tier 2 (+5%) | 2–4 Years | $22.05 | $1,411.20 | $73,382.40 |
| Tier 3 (+10%) | 5+ Years | $23.10 | $1,478.40 | $76,876.80 |
*Weekly totals include 40 hours base pay + 16 hours overtime (OT) at 1.5x.
Understanding Regional Rates: The Denver Wage Floor
You may notice that rates within the City and County of Denver are higher than in other parts of Colorado. This is due to Denver’s local minimum wage ordinance, which sets a higher "wage floor" ($19.29/hr in 2026) for work performed within city limits.
At Caregivers First Choice, we practice Unfiltered Transparency. We follow all Denver Regional Pricing guidelines to ensure that if you are providing care in Denver, you receive the full benefit of these local labor standards.
Providing care outside of Denver? Your base rates are still among the highest in the state. For example, a Tier 3 HMA Expert in a Non-Denver setting earns $23.10/hr, totaling $76,876.80 annually under the 56-hour cap.
How the Audit Works
- Document Tenure: Tell us how many years you’ve been the primary caregiver. We count every year of "Life Experience."
- Verify Expertise: Detail the specialized care you provide (HMA, PC, or HMK).
- Claim Your Tier: We verify your pay tier to ensure you earn the maximum rate allowed by the Colorado Medicaid budget.
, here's what you could be earning.
Based on current 2026 Colorado Medicaid rates. A Caregivers First Choice advisor can walk you through exactly how to get here.
