#caregiving

20 hours a week at $25/hour, 52 weeks a year, comes to $26,000 — over the 2025 gift-tax exclusion if paid informally, but ordinary taxable compensation under a written personal care agreement.

We priced 5 days a week of adult day care at $85/day ($21,250/year) against the same coverage in paid home-aide hours ($76,500/year) — the option between quitting a job and a full facility move that most working caregivers overlook.

We ran a $15,000 home modification budget against a $5,900/month assisted-living alternative — if it buys 3 more years at home, the breakeven arrives in 3.8 months and net savings hit $125,400.

We ran a real 3-sibling scenario — a doctor, a teacher, and a freelancer — through equal, proportional, and hybrid cost splits. The 'fair' answer changes completely depending on which one you pick.

Two IRS tests decide it, and Social Security income doesn't count against the limit. We ran a real scenario: a daughter covering 70% of her mother's support, paying for adult day care so she can keep working.

The 2025 AALTCI Price Index shows LTC premiums roughly triple from age 55 to 70 for the same benefit. We compared buying young against just investing the premium instead.

Lost wages are the visible part. We ran the SSA's own bend-point formula on a 2-year caregiving leave and found the lost employer match and a permanently lower Social Security check often outweigh the missed paychecks.

We ran the 2024 Genworth/CareScout Cost of Care Survey numbers side by side across all four common care types. The gap between the cheapest and most expensive option is over $56,000 a year.