Partners on the Path

Calculating the Cost of Caregiving

Research shows that employees who care for loved ones during “off-work” hours reduce the productivity and increase the health-care benefits costs of their employers.

It is likely, however, that many of these workers are also some of your most experienced, reliable and respected employees; people you want to support and retain.

Partners on the Path developed this simple tool to help you begin thinking about why you should and how you can support this group of valued employees.

A sound investment in supportive services will yield improved performance and productivity; greater well-being and loyalty in the caregivers you care about, and the organization you lead.

The Cost to Your Organization

To calculate your organization’s cost of caregiving, follow these steps:

  1. Identify how many people you employ.
  2. Enter this number in the white box on Line 1 under # of Employees.
  3. Identify the average your organization spends each year on health care costs per employee. (If you are unsure about this figure, you can estimate. A 2015 employer survey of Best Practices in Health Care says companies spend an average of $12,000 per employee per year.)
  4. Enter this information in the white box on Line 2 under Costs/Employee.
  5. Click the blue box below, marked “Click to Update Totals.” You will receive an instant calculation of your organization’s Total Cost of Caregiving.
  6. This data will be completely confidential. No data will be gathered from your responses.
Cost Calculations # of Employees # of Employee Caregivers Costs/Employee Costs of Caregiving
Cost of Lost Productivity
Additional Health Care Costs/Employed Caregiver
Total Cost of Caregiving

Show Endnotes

20th Annual Willis Towers Watson/ National Business Group on Health Best Practices in Health Care Employer Survey. 2015. https://www.towerswatson.com/en/Insights/IC-Types/Survey-Research-Results/2015/11/full-report-2015-towers-watson-nbgh-best-practices-in-health-care-employer-survey (Accessed August 23, 2016)

MetLife Caregiving Cost Study: Productivity Losses to US Business. MetLife Mature Market Institute. July 2006. http://www.caregiving.org/data/Caregiver%20Cost%20Study.pdf (Accessed August 23, 2016)

MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employer Health Care Costs: New Insights and Innovations for Reducing Health Care Costs for Employers. MetLife Mature Market Institute. February 2010. https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2010/mmi-working-caregivers-employers-health-care-costs.pdf (Accessed August 23, 2016)

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