A home care schedule is a list of visits: this caregiver, this client, this window, every Tuesday and Thursday. The hard part is not the pattern, it is what happens to the pattern on Monday night when someone calls out, a client cancels, or a new caregiver starts. ClockOut keeps the visit schedule, the call-out coverage, the confirmations and the caregiver clock-in in one app, so the scheduler is not rebuilding the week from a group chat.
How an agency with 15 to 40 caregivers runs the week
At this size the owner or a single scheduler still builds every week by hand, most caregivers see three to six clients, and the schedule changes several times before Friday. Here is the flow in ClockOut.
Visits are shifts
A visit is a shift: a caregiver, a date, a start and end time, and a note that names the client and the address. Split shifts are fine, so a morning visit and an evening visit for the same caregiver on the same day are two shifts, each with its own confirmation and its own punches. Overnight and 24-hour shifts wrap past midnight and count their full length.
Recurring visits, edited by exception
Most clients keep the same days and times for months. Recurring schedules publish that pattern once, then you edit only the weeks that differ: a client in the hospital for a week, a caregiver on vacation, a new client starting mid-week. Recurring schedules are on Starter and Pro.
Call-outs go to an open shift
When a caregiver calls out, post the visit as an open shift. Every caregiver sees it in the app, the first one to claim it gets it, and the schedule updates for everyone at once. No phone tree. A caregiver can also send a swap to a coworker; the coworker accepts and the trade goes to an admin for approval, which re-checks that neither person is on approved time off and that nobody ends up double booked.
Confirmations and availability
Caregivers confirm or decline each assigned visit from their phone, and a decline carries a reason. An hourly job sends a reminder for any unconfirmed visit starting within the next 24 hours, so the scheduler knows by the evening before whether tomorrow is covered. Caregivers also record the hours they can work each week; if a visit is assigned outside those hours the scheduler sees the conflict and can schedule anyway on purpose. Approved time off is stricter: ClockOut refuses to put a visit on someone for those dates. All of this is on Starter and Pro.
The caregiver clock-in system at the client’s door
The caregiver opens ClockOut at the client’s door and taps clock in. Every plan, including Free, stamps the punch with GPS coordinates and a resolved address, and location is captured only at clock-in and clock-out, never between visits. On Starter and Pro you can add a client’s address as a work location with a geofence, so a punch outside the radius is flagged, and auto clock-out can close the visit after a grace period if the caregiver leaves and does not return. Inside a home with no signal, the punch is saved on the phone and syncs later with its original tap time. The details are on the home care time tracking page and the GPS time clock page.
One limit to plan around: a company can hold up to 20 work locations, and more than one location needs Pro. An agency with more clients than that keeps geofences on the addresses where proof matters most and relies on the GPS address stamp, which is recorded on every punch regardless, for the rest.
Approve, then pay
Late starts, missed visits, early leaves and missed breaks collect in the exception inbox. Clear it, approve timesheets, and export hours. Pro adds payroll runs with formatted files for ADP, Gusto and QuickBooks, plus a mileage report that estimates the straight-line distance between consecutive visits on the same day for each caregiver, with a CSV export. It is an estimate from punch coordinates, not a route or an odometer reading.
What it costs at agency size
Paid plans are a flat monthly fee for up to 5 active people, then a per-person rate. Every active account counts, including the owner and the scheduler. Annual billing takes 20% off, and paid plans start with a 14-day free trial.
| Starter | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 caregivers | $34 a month | $69 a month |
| 20 caregivers | $64 a month | $129 a month |
| 30 caregivers | $94 a month | $189 a month |
| What the plan adds | Recurring schedules, open shifts, swaps, confirmations, availability, PTO, one geofenced location, kiosk, exception inbox | Everything in Starter plus up to 20 client locations with geofences, scoped managers, mileage between visits, compliance pack, payroll-formatted exports |
Starter fits an agency that mostly needs the schedule, the confirmations and a GPS-stamped clock-in. Pro is the one to pick when you want a geofence on each client address, a manager per branch, or payroll files formatted for ADP, Gusto or QuickBooks. Current details and checkout are on the pricing page.
What ClockOut is not
“Home care scheduling software” often means an all-in-one agency platform, so to be plain about it: ClockOut schedules caregivers and tracks their time, and that is all it does. It is not an EVV system and it is not an EVV aggregator. It does not submit visits to state Medicaid aggregators, and it does not claim EVV compliance. It does not do Medicaid or insurance billing, client intake, care plans, visit notes or clinical documentation. If you bill Medicaid and your state requires certified EVV, you need a certified system for those visits; ClockOut can still run the schedule, the clock-in and the payroll flow beside it. For private-pay and non-Medicaid agencies, the location-stamped visit record is the record keeping.
Set up the first week
- 01
Create the agency and invite caregivers
Sign up free, then add caregivers by name and phone number or share an invite link. Caregivers without a work email sign in with a code sent by text.
- 02
Add client addresses as work locations
Add each client’s address as a location with its own clock-in radius. One location is on Starter; up to 20 are on Pro.
- 03
Collect availability and time off
Ask caregivers to record the hours they can work and to file any time off they already know about.
- 04
Build the visits and mark them recurring
Add each visit as a shift with the client in the notes, mark the pattern recurring, and ask caregivers to confirm.
- 05
Clear exceptions and export
Each pay period, clear the exception inbox, approve timesheets, and export hours as CSV or, on Pro, in payroll-formatted files.
Related pages
- Home care time tracking: the GPS clock-in at the client’s address, offline punches and auto clock-out in detail.
- Employee scheduling app: recurring templates, open shifts, swaps, and confirmations.
- GPS time clock: what is stamped on a punch and what is not.
- Healthcare scheduling software for clinics and medical offices.
- The ClockOut app for iPhone and Android, and the pricing page.
Home care scheduling software FAQ
What is the best home care scheduling software for a small agency?
For an agency with 15 to 40 caregivers, the best fit is usually the tool that keeps the visit schedule and the caregiver clock-in in one product, so the visit you scheduled and the visit you pay for come from the same record. ClockOut does that: recurring visit shifts, open shifts for call-outs, shift confirmations, availability, PTO, and a GPS clock-in at the client's address. 20 caregivers is $64 a month on Starter or $129 on Pro, with a 14-day free trial. If you bill Medicaid and your state requires certified EVV, you also need a certified EVV system; ClockOut is not one.
Is ClockOut an EVV system?
No. ClockOut is not an EVV (Electronic Visit Verification) system and it is not an EVV aggregator. It does not submit visits to state Medicaid aggregators, and it does not do Medicaid or insurance billing, clinical documentation or care plans. It records who clocked in, the GPS location and address, and the start and end times of each visit. That fits private-pay and non-Medicaid agencies, or agencies that keep their EVV tool for submissions and want a simpler schedule, clock-in and payroll flow beside it.
How does a caregiver clock-in system work with the schedule?
The caregiver opens ClockOut at the client's door and taps clock in. Every plan stamps the punch with GPS coordinates and a resolved address. On Starter and Pro you can add the client's address as a work location with a geofence, so a punch outside the radius is flagged, and auto clock-out can close the visit if the caregiver leaves and does not come back. The punch sits next to the scheduled shift, so a late start, a missed visit or an early leave lands in the exception inbox for the scheduler to clear before payroll.
How do I cover a caregiver call-out?
Post the visit as an open shift. Every caregiver sees it in the app, the first one to claim it gets it, and the schedule updates for everyone at once. Open shifts and shift swaps are on Starter and Pro. Caregivers can also send a swap to a coworker, and the trade goes to an admin for approval that re-checks time off and double booking.
How much does home care scheduling software cost for 20 caregivers?
On ClockOut, 20 caregivers is $64 a month on Starter or $129 a month on Pro. Starter is $19 a month for up to 5 people, then $3 per extra person. Pro is $39 for up to 5, then $6 each, and adds multiple client locations with their own geofences, scoped managers, mileage between visits, the compliance pack and payroll-formatted exports. Annual billing takes 20% off, and paid plans start with a 14-day free trial. Free covers up to 2 caregivers with no card.