CareLinx Caregiver Review: What It’s Really Like Working for CareLinx

CareLinx is an online marketplace that serves as a convenient alternative to home care agencies. The company was founded in 2011, and they were acquired by Sharecare in 2021. Currently, they claim to have a network of more than 500,000 caregivers working in the United States.

CareLinx is a legit and versatile platform that you can use to find a wide range of job opportunities, from one-off nursing shifts at medical centers to long-term working relationships with individuals who need in-home care.

In one sense, CareLinx serves a lot like a job board or job-seeking service that you can use to find long-term work. However, it also functions in a similar way to other on-demand gig apps by allowing you to find one-off or temporary gigs.

Family caregiving

One of the main functions of the CareLinx platform is to connect caregivers with regular people who need in-home caregivers. These are often nonmedical roles and typically involve a long-term arrangement where you’re working with the same person.

CareLinx healthcare professional staffing

In addition to connecting families with caregivers, CareLinx also offers CareLinx healthcare professional staffing, a service formerly known as Nurse OnDemand. This division of the company connects nursing facilities, retirement homes, hospitals, and patients with licensed medical professionals like nurses and medical assistants.

The focus is less on general caregiving and household maintenance and more on providing medical services. Before you can join CareLinx as a medical professional, you’ll need to undergo a vetting process to assess your credentials, background, and licenses.

Using CareLinx as a caregiver is a fairly straightforward process that’s similar to what you’d find with other specialized job-seeking services. Here’s an overview:

1. Sign up for CareLinx: Create a profile on the platform detailing who you are and what experience you have.
2. Undergo a background check: CareLinx charges caregivers $20 for a background check. You must pass this check, undergo a vetting process, and wait for approval before you can use the platform.
3. Apply for jobs: Browse listings and apply to openings that match your skills and experience.
4. Interview with care seekers: Employers will usually request an interview to assess your eligibility for the position and get to know you better.
5. Get hired: If the care seeker thinks you’re a good fit, they’ll formally hire you through the CareLinx app, and the two of you will work out all the details of your employment, such as your salary, working hours, and duties.
6. Clock in and out for your shifts: You’ll be expected to “clock in” and “clock out” for each shift you work for your new employer. These time stamps will be used to calculate your pay.
7. Get paid: You’ll submit a timesheet at the end of each pay period, and your employer will pay you through the CareLinx app.

Costs and fees

CareLinx doesn’t mention any costs or fees for caregivers on their website. However, online reports suggest that the company charges a $20 fee for background checks.

CareLinx has different requirements depending on the type of work you do. At the bare minimum, you need to meet three basic requirements to sign up for CareLinx as a caregiver:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have the right to work in the US
• Pass a background check

The requirements are more relaxed for home caregivers who plan to work for families than for skilled professionals hoping to pick up nursing shifts at medical facilities.

Required qualifications

As a nonmedical caregiver, you only need to have the qualifications required for caregivers in your state. In many states, you don’t need any licenses or certifications to become a caregiver, but check your state’s department of health website to be sure.

With that said, employers set their own requirements. Remember, CareLinx isn’t an employer—it’s a digital platform connecting you with employers. Jobs posted on CareLinx may have separate requirements in terms of your education level, certifications, and number of years of caregiving experience.

If you’re a skilled nursing professional who wants to use CareLinx’s on-demand function for picking up shifts, you’ll need to provide proof that you have the appropriate certifications. This could be a CNA, LVN/LPN, or RN certification.

Job types

The CareLinx platform is designed for all of the following professionals:

• Nonmedical caregiver
• Home health aide (HHA)
• Health care assistant (HCA)
• Certified nursing assistant (CNA)
• Certified medical assistant (CMA)
• Licensed vocational nurse (LVN)
• Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
• Registered nurse (RN)

Caregivers can find part-time, full-time, short-term, weekend, holiday, or overnight work. Some are also hired to be live-in caregivers.

Locations

CareLinx locations include all 50 states and Washington, D.C., although the demand for CareLinx caregivers is greater in some locations than in others. You can search by state and city to see the number and types of jobs currently available in your area.

Professional development classes

CareLinx offers professional development opportunities through CareAcademy, an online learning platform for caregivers. 1 Some of the courses are free to all registered caregivers, whereas others cost money.

CareAcademy offers a variety of courses designed to enhance your caregiving skills. Once you complete a course, you’ll receive a certificate, which will appear on your CareLinx profile for employers to see.

Getting started on CareLinx is pretty simple. Go to the caregiver signup page on CareLinx.com and then click “Sign Up.” Specify whether you want to work as a home caregiver or skilled nursing professional, and then set your preferred employment and living arrangements.

The system will prompt you to enter your phone number for verification. Next, you’ll be asked to enter your contact info and create a password for your account.

You’ll complete the rest of the application inside the CareLinx account portal, where you’ll be prompted to provide the following details and items:

• Areas of expertise
• Services offered
• Travel distance
• Hourly rate
• Education
• Work experience
• Profile photo
• Introduction

You’ll also need to submit your Social Security number and driver’s license number to complete CareLinx’s background check.

Where to download the CareLinx app

App Store Google Play

CareLinx background check

CareLinx requires caregivers to pass a background check to get hired. The background check involves the following searches:

• Social Security number trace
• Criminal court search
• National criminal database search
• Sex offender registry check

It will take 3–7 days to get the results of your background check. Notably, the results are only valid for 1 year, after which time you’ll need to undergo another background check.

There’s no set CareLinx pay rate. Instead, you get to set your own rates. While CareLinx claims that you’ll earn 20%–30% more than you would working for a traditional care agency, they note that caregivers’ average rates on the platform are typically in the range of $10–$25 per hour. 2

This range differs slightly from the salaries reported online by caregivers. According to Indeed, CareLinx caregivers make about $21 per hour, with typical salaries in the range of $11–$33 per hour. 3

If you are a licensed medical professional, you’ll earn more. For example, nurse practitioners make an average of $83 per hour, and registered nurses make $58 per hour.

How much you make from CareLinx depends on a variety of factors:

• Location
• Travel distance
• Experience with specialized care (e.g., Alzheimer’s, COPD, or cancer recovery care)
• Certifications
• Education level
• Services offered

Your employment type can also affect how much you charge. For instance, you might be able to negotiate for higher rates for live-in vs. live-out gigs. The same goes for full-time vs. part-time work. If you have the availability to work on weekends, overnight, or during the holidays, you can charge more for those gigs as well.

CareLinx also claims that caregivers can make more money than their hourly rate through various incentives and bonuses, but they don’t specify what these bonuses are or how to get them.

How you’ll get paid

CareLinx is a service rather than your employer. Although CareLinx won’t be paying you directly, they will manage the payroll process. In other words, your employer will pay your wages to CareLinx, and CareLinx will transfer the money to you.

As a caregiver, you’ll be responsible for creating and submitting a timesheet for the pay period. You and your employer will determine ahead of time what your pay is and how frequently you’ll get paid.

Payment schedule

According to the CareLinx terms of service, it takes 2–8 business days to process caregiver payments.

At the end of a pay period (e.g., each week or month), you’ll submit your timesheet to your employer, and they’ll have 2 days to approve it. After that, you’ll receive the money within 2–5 business days.

Taxes

If you’re working home-based caregiving gigs through CareLinx, you’ll be considered an employee rather than an independent contractor. 4 This means your employer will withhold your taxes and pay their portion of your FICA taxes.

Bear in mind that CareLinx isn’t your employer. Instead, your employer will be the person or company that hired you through the platform. CareLinx simply requires all families to register as employers before they can hire in-home caregivers.

With that said, online reviews from CareLinx workers suggest that you may be considered an independent contractor if you’re filling in shifts at healthcare facilities. In this case, you would need to pay your own taxes. To avoid surprises, be sure to clarify your employment status before taking on new jobs.

Before you sign up to work as a caregiver through CareLinx, get the gist of what the job is really like according to CareLinx caregiver reviews.

You have full control over your work

According to caregiver reviews, one of the main benefits of being a caregiver on CareLinx is the flexibility. You have full control over when you work, who you work for, and how much you’re paid.

For many caregivers who have had bad experiences of feeling trapped by agencies in the past, this freedom is a huge plus. On the other hand, it means more responsibility. Some caregivers feel frustrated by how little CareLinx does to help them find jobs.

User reviews:

“You dictate your own pay and hours […] If I don’t want a shift, I don’t take it.” (Indeed, December 2023)

“The best part of working for this company is the flexibility.” (Indeed, December 2023)

“You feel like you are your own boss!” (Indeed, September 2023)

“You are responsible for looking for clients. They have ‘staffing coordinators’ but they suck at it, they ask for preferences but never adhere to them, if you want work nearby they send you available jobs hours away sometimes in remote areas. They are hard to get in touch with and only respond through a robot chat. They are of zero help to you.” (Indeed, May 2023)

“If you stick with them, find solutions to your own problems, and contact the facilities yourself, you will find yourself working steadily. Don’t expect job security, though!” (Google Play, April 2023)

“You do everything yourself. Can set your own rates and negotiate with the family. Pick who you want to work for and where.” (Indeed, September 2022)

It’s better than working through an agency

On the whole, CareLinx caregivers seem to prefer the platform to working through an agency. The main benefits are higher earning potential, greater freedom and flexibility, and a better system for allowing caregivers and care seekers to get to know each other before committing to an ongoing relationship.

User reviews:

“Being honest it pays more than working for a agency.” (Google Play, November 2023)

“Families have an opportunity to select the caregiver, interview he/she and understand their specific experience plus access the caregivers personality through this conversation. This works similarly for the caregiver to better understand the specific needs required for the loved one. A new client working with an agency would never have an opportunity to interview a caregiver.” (Apple Store, June 2018)

On-demand nursing gigs can be problematic

Users who have high-level certifications can use CareLinx to find temporary gigs at medical or nursing facilities. While these positions do come with higher pay and other benefits, they also have their drawbacks.

In particular, users say that these facilities sometimes pay late or cancel gigs at the last minute. These are complaints that mostly seem to come up for staff nursing gigs, not home caregiving positions.

User reviews:

“A lot of times they canceled on me last minute not even an hour and I get there and they do not Compensate me for my time.” (Indeed, September 2023)

“Ive never once gotten paid in less than a week.Most often 30 days plus.” (Indeed, September 2023)

“My biggest issue is the fact they they hold your pay. The have the right to change , manipulation your timesheet and it’s basically at their discretion when you’ll be paid.” (Indeed, November 2022)

“The downside is their customer/billing not communicating well with staff. […] You are working independently as your own contractor. They just help you lined up with facilities and collect payments. Other than that, you’re on your own. You also do your own taxes/deductions.” (Indeed, October 2021)

Work can be inconsistent

CareLinx is a convenient solution for caregivers who are looking to make some extra cash in their downtime, but user reviews indicate that it’s not a good option if you’re looking for full-time or consistent work. Like the case with many gig apps, job availability on CareLinx is liable to change periodically.

User reviews:

“You never know when or if your going to get a client.” (Indeed, September 2023)

“All the jobs are like one or two hours only.” (Google Play, August 2023)

“Your lucky to get 30 hrs a wk.” (Google Play, February 2023)

“The downfall for me was having a decent schedule. I could not get over 12 hrs a week.” (Indeed, October 2022)

“Just don’t quit your day job. I quit my full time job to be available exclusively for Carelinx. What a disappointment. You can’t choose open shifts. They have to be ‘approved’. But no one ever follows up with the shift approval.” (Google Play, August 2022)

CareLinx is a legitimate app, and it’s definitely worth trying out if you’re an experienced caregiver who’s looking for more flexibility. Compared to home care agency employment, you’ll have more control over when you work, where you work, and how much you make.

Even if you don’t have experience with caregiving, CareLinx offers learning opportunities that can help you start a caregiving side hustle from scratch and gain valuable work experience.

Another huge benefit is that you won’t need to pay commission fees or sacrifice a cut of your earnings like you would with many other care-related gig apps. Instead, CareLinx makes money by charging care seekers a service fee.

Seeing as the cost is so low, CareLinx is worth trying out for anyone who’s interested in a caregiving side hustle. You have little to lose and plenty to gain.

Pros and cons

Here’s what else can be said about the good and bad of working for CareLinx.

Alternatives to CareLinx

If you’re not sold on CareLinx but you still want to be a senior caregiver, you could try another caregiving app or online platform. Care.com is one popular example. Alternatively, you can work through a caregiving agency.

On the other hand, if you want a different job that involves providing care or support for others, you could consider one of the following alternative side hustles:

• Babysitting 
• Nannying
• Personal shopping

These days, there are plenty of ways you can take control of your work and achieve your full earning potential. Job apps like CareLinx are just one route you can take gain independence with a new side hustle.