Independent franchise review
Assisting Hands Home Care Franchise Review (2026): Costs, Fees, Revenue Potential
Assisting Hands Home Care is a home care franchise in the Health & Wellness category. The disclosure indicates franchisees operate an Assisting Hands business within an exclusive territory and that the business must be managed by the franchisee or an approved principal owner, with a general manager structure referenced in the training and operating provisions.
Quick verdict: 👉 Mixed — relatively modest startup cost for a service franchise, but recurring fees, active oversight requirements, and limited usable revenue disclosure are important constraints.
Snapshot
At a glance- Category: Health & Wellness
- Initial Investment: $36,500 to $161,500
- Franchise Fee: The disclosure does not clearly establish a single standard upfront franchise fee; multiple fee figures appear, including $0 and higher alternate amounts
- Royalty: Greater of a percentage royalty or minimum royalty; 5% below $48,000 gross revenue, 4.5% from $48,000 to $95,999, and 4% above $96,000, with weekly minimums
- Marketing / Ad Fee: 0.5% of gross revenue or $150 per month minimum to the national advertising fund; the disclosure says this may increase up to 3%
- Key additional recurring fees: Convention fee currently $2,400 per year billed monthly; local advertising shortfall payments; possible technology-related recurring costs are indicated by the disclosure-derived figures, but the FDD excerpts provided do not clearly establish the underlying contractual basis
- Number of locations: 207 total outlets at year-end 2024, including 202 franchised and 5 company-owned
- Best Fit: Owner-operator or manager-led with active owner oversight
What does it cost to start?
The estimated initial investment ranges from $36,500 to $161,500 for a single territory. That is a relatively low entry range compared with many location-heavy concepts, which is consistent with a service business rather than a large retail buildout.
A meaningful part of the startup range appears to come from working capital and opening-period funds. The disclosure lists additional funds of $20,350 to $50,100, which suggests early operating liquidity is a significant cost driver. The business also appears to involve office-based operations and ongoing staffing and service delivery rather than a heavy storefront buildout.
One point needs caution: the upfront franchise fee is not clearly established in the provided disclosure details because multiple fee figures appear. That makes the exact composition of the startup range harder to interpret with precision.
Fee structure
- Royalty fee: Greater of percentage royalty or minimum royalty
- 5% of gross revenue if below $48,000
- 4.5% of gross revenue if between $48,000 and $95,999
- 4% of gross revenue if above $96,000
- Minimum royalty: $50/week in year 1, $100/week in year 2, and $200/week thereafter per office
- National advertising fund: Greater of 0.5% of gross revenue or $150/month minimum; may increase up to 3%
- Convention fee: Currently $2,400 annually, billed at $200/month
- Local advertising payment: Any shortfall between actual local ad spend and required local advertising requirement
- Unauthorized advertising fee: $500 per occurrence
- Insurance administration charge: Reimbursement of cost plus 20% administrative fee if the franchisor places insurance
- Additional training: Approximately $150 per attendee per day, plus expenses
- Payment service fees: Up to 4% of total charge for credit card payments
- Interest on late amounts: Lesser of 18% per year or the highest rate permitted by law
- Late report fee: $100 per violation plus $100 per week
- Audit expenses: Estimated $1,000 to $12,000 if triggered
- Management fee: Currently $500 per day, plus costs and expenses, if the franchisor manages the business after breach
- Transfer fee: 50% of the then-current initial franchise fee, plus training costs, with a $1,000 non-refundable deposit
- Renewal fee: 10% of the then-current initial franchise fee
Overall, the recurring burden appears moderate but layered. The royalty rate itself is not unusually simple because it combines percentage tiers with weekly minimums, and the advertising, convention, compliance, and potential penalty fees add to the total cost structure.
Can you make money with Assisting Hands Home Care?
The disclosure includes Item 19, but the usable financial performance information provided here is narrative only. No average, median, range, quartiles, or unit-level revenue figures are available in the disclosed details provided.
What the FDD does state is important: the financial performance representations do not reflect costs of sales, operating expenses, or other costs and expenses that must be deducted from gross revenue or gross sales to obtain net income or profit. In other words, even if revenue figures exist elsewhere in the full Item 19, revenue is not profit.
Additional limitations:
- No sample size is disclosed in the provided Item 19 details
- No unit count, exclusions, or revenue table is available here
- The disclosure provided does not clearly establish whether the figures were audited
So, based on the available Item 19 information, the FDD does not provide enough usable numbers here to estimate likely revenue outcomes, and it does not establish profitability.
Business model
This is primarily a service business in home care. The ownership model appears manager-led with active owner oversight, because the franchise must be managed by the franchisee or an approved principal owner, and the disclosure references a general manager role.
Revenue appears to be service-based and recurring in nature, since royalties are tied to gross revenue and the business operates as an ongoing care service rather than a one-time transaction model. Operationally, this looks more intensive than a passive franchise: the disclosure signals significant technology use, office-based management, staffing demands, and equipment or vehicle involvement.
The territory is described as exclusive, which can matter in a local service business where client assignment and service boundaries affect operations.
Pros and considerations
Advantages
- Lower startup range than many buildout-heavy concepts: $36,500 to $161,500 is relatively modest for a franchise requiring an exclusive territory.
- Established outlet base: The system ended 2024 with 207 total outlets, including 202 franchised units.
- Recent unit growth: Franchised outlets increased from 151 in 2022 to 202 in 2024.
- Exclusive territory structure: The disclosure indicates territorial protection is exclusive.
Considerations
- No usable revenue figures in the provided Item 19 details: The disclosure here does not provide average or median unit revenue numbers to benchmark performance.
- Fee stack is layered: Royalty, ad fund, convention fee, local advertising obligations, and several compliance-related fees can add up.
- Owner involvement is not passive: The business must be managed by the franchisee or an approved principal owner.
- Startup fee details are not fully clear: Multiple initial franchise fee figures appear in the disclosure details, so the standard upfront fee is not clearly established here.
- Operational intensity appears high: This is not presented as a simple low-touch model.
Who this franchise may fit
This franchise may fit someone looking for a service-based business with a lower initial investment range, who is comfortable with active management, recurring operational oversight, and a structured fee system.
It likely does not fit someone seeking a passive investment, a simple fee model, or a concept where the FDD clearly provides unit-level revenue benchmarks in the information available here.
FDD-based risk notes
- The disclosure indicates the franchisor may terminate without cause, which is a material contractual risk.
- The franchise agreement term is 10 years, creating a long commitment period.
- There are territory infringement penalties, including fixed charges and escalating percentages of gross revenue for violations.
- Failure to meet reporting obligations can trigger late report fees and potentially audit expenses.
- If the franchisee defaults, the franchisor may impose a management fee and manage the business for up to 90 consecutive days per default.
Final assessment
Assisting Hands Home Care presents a service-franchise model with a comparatively accessible startup range, exclusive territory protection, and a system that has added units in recent years. The main tradeoff is that the business appears operationally demanding and fee-layered, while the available Item 19 details here do not provide enough numerical revenue data to judge unit-level earnings potential.
FAQ
How much does it cost to start an Assisting Hands Home Care franchise?
The estimated initial investment is **$36,500 to $161,500**.
What is the royalty fee?
The royalty is the greater of a percentage of gross revenue or a weekly minimum, with percentage tiers of **5%, 4.5%, and 4%** depending on revenue level.
Does the FDD disclose revenue numbers?
Item 19 is present, but the available details here do **not** include usable average, median, or range revenue figures.
Can you tell if the franchise is profitable?
No. The disclosure does not establish profitability here, and revenue is not the same as profit.
Is this a passive ownership model?
No. The franchise must be managed by the franchisee or an approved principal owner.
How many locations are there?
The system had **207 total outlets** at the end of 2024, including **202 franchised** and **5 company-owned**. ---
Related links
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