# Paying for Home Care Toronto: Costs and Help | TorontoReverseMortgage.ca

> Paying for home care in Toronto: what Ontario covers, what private PSW hours cost, and how deposits from your home can help. Free estimate, no sales pressure.

URL: https://torontoreversemortgage.ca/paying-for-home-care-toronto/

Reverse mortgages in Toronto

# Paying for Home Care in Toronto: Public Care, Private Hours and Your Home

Paying for home care in Toronto usually means combining free public care from Ontario Health atHome with private hours. Private personal support in the Toronto area costs about $28 to $45 or more an hour, by one agency's 2026 estimate. Monthly deposits from a reverse mortgage can pay for those hours without changing your OAS or GIS.

[Get my free estimate →](/estimate/) [Try the calculator](/tools/reverse-mortgage-calculator-toronto/)

Free · No sales pressure · Getting an estimate doesn't affect your credit

Last updated October 31, 2026

-   ✓For homeowners 55 and older
-   ✓No required monthly mortgage payments
-   ✓The money is tax-free
-   ✓You keep ownership of your home
-   ✓You never owe more than your home is worth
-   ✓Your own lawyer explains it before you sign

[TorontoReverseMortgage.ca](/) covers paying for home care in Toronto for homeowners 55 and older and their families. Families who ask about it usually want to keep a parent or spouse safely at home, with help coming in.

The challenge is not usually the first month’s bill. It is paying for the same care month after month, on a fixed income. Public home care helps, and private hours can fill the rest.

## What happens after your free estimate

The free estimate form comes first. It asks your age, your home’s value and what you still owe, and it shows an estimate on screen. Getting an estimate doesn’t affect your credit.

Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, then compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada and sends your options and his recommendation by email. For home care, you’ll be asked roughly how many hours of care you pay for now, or expect to, because that sets the [monthly deposit](/reverse-mortgage-monthly-income-toronto/).

Often an adult child leads, with the parent copied on every email. Either way, the homeowner makes the decision, and calls by phone or video call can include the whole family.

Nothing is signed at this stage, and you can stop at any of the seven steps. The one meeting normally held in person is with your own lawyer. If travel to the office would be very hard for you, some lenders will agree to a video call.

## What Ontario pays for, and what families pay for

Publicly funded home care is free if you qualify. The Ontario government pays for it, and Ontario Health atHome arranges it ([Government of Ontario](https://www.ontario.ca/document/guide-programs-and-services-seniors/support-services-home-and-community)).

A care coordinator assesses your needs and sets your care plan, including the services and how many hours of personal support you receive. Families who want more hours, or help at set times, can pay a private company for the rest.

### What private care costs in Toronto

Private personal support costs about $28 to $45 or more an hour in the Toronto area, according to a Toronto home-care agency’s May 2026 price guide ([Arcadia Home Care](https://www.arcadiahomecare.ca/resources/navigating-home-care/home-care-cost-ontario/)). The same guide notes that Ontario publishes no official private rate. Most agencies ask for visits of at least three or four hours.

Ten hours a week at $35 an hour, a rate inside that range, comes to about $1,517 a month. Ask two or three agencies for written quotes before you choose.

### A tax credit for people 70 and older

Ontario’s Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit returns 25% of up to $6,000 of eligible medical expenses a year, so up to $1,500. It is for people 70 or older, or with a spouse 70 or older, and it gets smaller once family net income passes $35,000 ([Government of Ontario](https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-seniors-care-home-tax-credit)).

Attendant care is on its list of eligible expenses, with a certification required. The credit is refundable, so it is paid even if you owe no income tax.

## Long-term care waits, and what happens to the mortgage

More than 50,000 people in Ontario were waiting for long-term care in March 2026. Half of the people entering long-term care wait at least 165 days, by Ontario Health figures reported in 2024 ([Ontario Long Term Care Association, citing Ontario government data](https://www.oltca.com/about-long-term-care/the-data/)).

In Toronto, the City’s own ten long-term care homes have room for 2,619 residents. They had more than 7,500 applications on their waitlists on May 1, 2025 ([City of Toronto](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/lc/bgrd/backgroundfile-256123.pdf)). Care at home has to cover the wait.

### If one spouse moves into care

Nothing is triggered while a borrower still lives in the home. When both spouses are on the mortgage and one moves into long-term care, the other stays, and the mortgage continues unchanged. A temporary hospital or rehabilitation stay doesn’t count as moving out.

The mortgage becomes due when the last borrower moves out for good. Families commonly have up to a year to sell or repay, and some lenders reduce or waive the early-repayment charge when the move is into long-term care. The [long-term care guide](/guide/reverse-mortgage-long-term-care-toronto/) explains the details.

An empty house brings one more Toronto rule: the Vacant Home Tax, 3% of the home’s assessed value. It has an exemption when the person who lived there has been in a hospital, long-term care or supportive care for at least six months of the year, for up to two years in a row ([City of Toronto](https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/property-taxes-utilities/vacant-home-tax/)). The [guide to the Vacant Home Tax and long-term care](/guide/toronto-vacant-home-tax-long-term-care/) explains it.

### Example: $1,500 a month from a $1,111,200 Toronto semi

Take an illustrative couple in a mortgage-free semi-detached house in Toronto: he is 83 and she is 80. The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) benchmark price for a semi-detached house in the City of Toronto was $1,111,200 in September 2026 ([TRREB Market Watch, September 2026](https://trreb.ca/wp-content/files/market-stats/market-watch/mw2609.pdf)). With the younger spouse at 80, they could qualify for up to about 60% of the home’s value, about $667,000.

He needs help with bathing and dressing. Ontario Health atHome covers part of it, and they add 10 hours a week of private care at $35 an hour, about $1,517 a month. They take a first amount of $25,000, used for extra care in harder weeks, then $1,500 a month, which covers nearly all of the private care.

After 5 years they have received $115,000: the $25,000 plus $1,500 a month for 60 months. At 6.49% a year, the highest advertised five-year fixed rate on October 31, 2026, the balance would be about $141,000. If the house were still worth $1,111,200, about $970,000 of its value would still be theirs.

## What it costs and how it is paid back

With monthly deposits, each deposit starts adding interest on the day it arrives. The lenders’ advertised five-year fixed rates were 6.23% to 6.49% when checked on October 31, 2026.

Expect about $2,000 to $3,500 in one-time costs: an appraisal (usually about $350), the lender’s set-up fee ($995 to $1,795, usually added to the mortgage) and your own lawyer for independent legal advice. Your lawyer’s fee is about $800 to $1,200 in Ontario, not the $300 to $500 that lender paperwork often shows. The [Toronto cost guide](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-toronto/) explains each cost.

There are no required monthly mortgage payments. Interest is added to the balance and compounds twice a year, so the balance grows. Home price growth often makes up some or all of it, and Canadian borrowers keep about half of their home’s value on average.

The mortgage is repaid when the home is sold, when the last borrower moves out for good, or when the last borrower dies. Under the no negative equity guarantee, you or your estate never owe more than the home’s fair market value on the day the mortgage comes due, as long as property taxes, insurance and upkeep were kept up.

Repaying early brings a charge in the first years that shrinks over time, but there is no charge at any lender when the mortgage is repaid after the last borrower’s death. The [Toronto reverse mortgage calculator](/tools/reverse-mortgage-calculator-toronto/) shows how a balance could change over time.

Changes to the house can help too, and [paying for aging in place renovations](/aging-in-place-renovations-toronto/) explains how.

## What's included when you ask for help

-   ✓A free estimate that doesn't affect your credit
-   ✓Every reverse mortgage lender in Canada compared for your family
-   ✓The best deal for your home and your care plan, by email
-   ✓Monthly deposits planned around the care you pay for
-   ✓An adult child can lead, with the parent copied on every email
-   ✓A plain answer on what happens if one of you moves into care
-   ✓A free referral to an independent lawyer for your legal advice
-   ✓Told plainly when public help would cover what you need

## Related guides

-   [What happens to a reverse mortgage if you move into long-term care in Toronto?](/guide/reverse-mortgage-long-term-care-toronto/)
-   [Does Toronto's Vacant Home Tax apply when a parent moves into long-term care?](/guide/toronto-vacant-home-tax-long-term-care/)
-   [How much does a reverse mortgage cost in Toronto?](/guide/reverse-mortgage-cost-toronto/)

## Sources

Figures checked October 31, 2026.

1.  [TRREB, Market Watch, September 2026 (MLS HPI benchmark prices, City of Toronto, p. 26)](https://trreb.ca/wp-content/files/market-stats/market-watch/mw2609.pdf)
2.  [Government of Ontario, A Guide to Programs and Services for Seniors: support services at home and in the community (updated August 21, 2026)](https://www.ontario.ca/document/guide-programs-and-services-seniors/support-services-home-and-community)
3.  [Arcadia Home Care, Home care costs in Ontario (a Toronto home-care agency's estimate, May 22, 2026)](https://www.arcadiahomecare.ca/resources/navigating-home-care/home-care-cost-ontario/)
4.  [Government of Ontario, Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit](https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-seniors-care-home-tax-credit)
5.  [Ontario Long Term Care Association, The Data (Ministry of Long-Term Care, March 2026; Ontario Health wait times)](https://www.oltca.com/about-long-term-care/the-data/)
6.  [City of Toronto, Long-Term Care Annual Performance Report (June 5, 2025)](https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/lc/bgrd/backgroundfile-256123.pdf)
7.  [City of Toronto, Vacant Home Tax](https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/property-taxes-utilities/vacant-home-tax/)

## How it works, from first question to money in your account

Seven steps. You can stop at any of them, and nothing is signed until the last two.

1.  01
    
    Free estimate
    
    The free estimate form asks about you, your Toronto home and anything owing on it. It takes about 90 seconds and doesn't affect your credit.
    
2.  02
    
    Every lender compared
    
    Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada for your Toronto home. In his first email you see the most your home could provide and the lenders that suit it, and he asks how much you want.
    
3.  03
    
    Application
    
    Once you've chosen an option, fill out a quick form and send a few documents. Your credit is checked once, and your application goes only to the lender you choose.
    
4.  04
    
    Approval
    
    The lender usually sends its mortgage commitment letter within a day or two.
    
5.  05
    
    Appraisal
    
    A professional appraiser visits the home to confirm what it is worth.
    
6.  06
    
    Independent legal advice
    
    Your own lawyer, who works for you and not the lender, goes through the mortgage with you before anything is signed.
    
7.  07
    
    Closing
    
    The lender sends the money to the lawyer or title company doing the closing. They pay off your current mortgage, any other debts on the home and the costs, then deposit the remaining money into your bank account.
    

## Frequently asked questions

**Is home care free in Ontario?**

Yes. If you qualify, the Ontario government pays for home care arranged by Ontario Health atHome. A care coordinator assesses your needs and sets your care plan, including the services and the hours. Families who want more help than the plan provides can pay a private company for the extra hours.

**How much does a private PSW cost in Toronto?**

About $28 to $45 or more an hour for a personal support worker (PSW) in the Toronto area, according to a Toronto home-care agency's May 2026 price guide. Ontario publishes no official private rate, and most agencies ask for visits of at least three or four hours. Ten hours a week at $35 an hour comes to about $1,517 a month.

**What happens to a reverse mortgage if one spouse moves into long-term care?**

Nothing changes while the other borrower still lives in the home. The mortgage becomes due only when the last borrower moves out for good. Families then commonly have up to a year to sell or repay, and some lenders reduce or waive the early-repayment charge when the move is into long-term care. The [long-term care guide](/guide/reverse-mortgage-long-term-care-toronto/) covers the details.

**Does reverse mortgage money affect OAS, GIS or the cost of a long-term care bed?**

No. The money is a loan, not income, so it doesn't count for Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement or the income-tested rate for a subsidized long-term care bed. Interest earned on money left in a savings account does count as income.

**Does it cost anything to have a broker compare the lenders for you?**

No. You pay the broker nothing. The lender pays the broker after your mortgage funds.

A broker also reaches things you can't get by phoning lenders yourself. One of the four lenders works only through brokers, and another offers its highest amounts only through brokers. A broker can sometimes get a rate below the published one, or a lower set-up fee. Richard Hopkins, Mortgage Broker, compares every reverse mortgage lender in Canada, and arranges lines of credit and regular mortgages too, so he recommends the option that offers the best overall value for you.

## Other ways a reverse mortgage is used in Toronto

[

Renovations to stay at home

A walk-in shower, grab bars or a stair lift, paid for from your home's value so you can stay where you are.

Read more →

](/aging-in-place-renovations-toronto/)[

Monthly income from your home

Money from your home's value, paid into your bank account every month, without tax and without changing your OAS or GIS.

Read more →

](/reverse-mortgage-monthly-income-toronto/)[

Clearing debts

A reverse mortgage can clear cards, lines of credit and property tax arrears, with no required monthly mortgage payments afterward.

Read more →

](/reverse-mortgage-debt-consolidation-toronto/)

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