Pricing
Transparent rates. JMD on the ground. USD for diaspora.
Hourly to full-time live-in, occasional sitter to managed placement. Here are the bands every Jamaican family should expect to pay — and what CareLink charges on top.
What care costs in Jamaica
These are the bands caregivers are paid directly. CareLink’s platform fee (10% on card, 0% on bank transfer / Lynk / cash) is the only thing on top — see further down.
| Care type | JMD rate | USD (diaspora) |
|---|---|---|
Standard hourly (most parishes) Police-Cert verified caregiver, occasional bookings | J$600 – $900 / hr | US$5 – $10 / hr |
Premium hourly (Kingston Metro) Experienced caregivers, established families, longer engagements | J$900 – $1,500 / hr | US$8 – $12 / hr |
After-school care (weekly) School run, homework, supper, bath — Mon–Fri | J$15,000 – $25,000 / wk | US$120 – $180 / wk |
Recurring nanny (live-out, weekly) Full-time, 40–50 hours, one or more children | J$35,000 – $80,000 / wk | US$220 – $550 / wk |
Live-in nanny (monthly) Plus room, board, days off — see live-in guide | J$80,000 – $200,000 / mo | US$550 – $1,400 / mo |
Full-time placement (one-time) Refundable matching fee + success fee — see /placements | J$25,000 + 50% first month | US$160 + 50% first month |
Urgent (same-day) surcharge Under 2 hours' notice. Paid to the caregiver, not CareLink. | +20% on hourly rate | +20% on hourly rate |
Corporate / B2B (annual) See /for-business. Custom pricing for hotels, BPOs, hospitals. | from J$1.5M / 200 staff | custom quote |
Bands reflect typical Jamaican market rates and what verified caregivers on CareLink charge in 2026. Individual caregivers set their own rates — these bands are guidance, not caps. USD conversions use J$156/US$1 for reference only; the actual conversion at checkout uses the live rate.
Free
For every Jamaican parent
forever
- Browse all 14 parishes
- AI matching in plain English
- Unlimited messaging with sitters
- View community vouches & reviews
- Police-Certificate-verified sitters only
- Zero platform fee on bank transfer, Lynk & cash bookings
- 10% on card (WiPay) bookings; 12% on PayPal (covers FX + intl. processor)
Premium
Power-using parents
JMD / month · launches Q3
- Everything in Free
- Priority matching — your bookings shown first to top sitters
- Insurance coverage is coming via a licensed Jamaican insurance partner
- Free urgent (under 2 hour) booking — no surcharge
- Concierge support on WhatsApp
- 0% platform fee on cash / bank / Lynk (already free), reduced 5% on card
Business
For Jamaican employers
JMD / year · 200 employees · pilot rate
- On-demand backup care for your team
- 10 covered care-days per employee per year
- Sub-2-hour fill in Kingston Metro
- Quarterly utilisation reports for HR
- All 14 parishes covered
- Custom plans for orgs over 200 employees / BPOs
What does a booking actually cost?
The 10% platform fee is the only thing CareLink takes. Sitters keep their full hourly rate.
4-hour evening sitting
- Sitter rate
- $800 JMD/hr
- Hours
- 4
- Sitter earns
- $3,200 JMD
- Platform fee (card / PayPal only, 10%)
- $320 JMD
Parent pays $3,520 (card) or $3,200 (bank transfer / Lynk / cash)
Full-day school holiday cover
- Sitter rate
- $700 JMD/hr
- Hours
- 8
- Sitter earns
- $5,600 JMD
- Platform fee (card / PayPal only, 10%)
- $560 JMD
Parent pays $6,160 (card) or $5,600 (bank transfer / Lynk / cash)
Bank transfer, Lynk, and cash bookings carry zero platform fee — what you pay is what the sitter gets. The 10% only applies on card (WiPay) and PayPal bookings, which cover their own processor cost. Urgent bookings (under 2 hours' notice): +20% surcharge on top, paid to the sitter.
How CareLink earns
No tricks. Here's our money.
Most childcare platforms hide their economics. We won't. Here's exactly how CareLink Jamaica makes money — and why we picked the lightest possible model for the day-to-day parent.
1. Card fee 10% / PayPal fee 12%
On WiPay (card) and PayPal bookings only. WiPay's 10% covers ~3.5% processor cost + ops. PayPal's 12% covers ~4.4% intl. processor + FX risk + ops; diaspora flow is our highest-margin booking type.
2. CareLink Premium for parents (Q3)
JMD $1,500 / month. Priority matching, free urgent bookings, half-price platform fee. Insurance coverage is being arranged via a licensed Jamaican insurance partner and will roll out when in place.
3. Sitter Pro tier (Q4)
JMD $1,500 / month for sitters who want top placement, unlimited applications to job postings, and a featured profile badge. Free tier always exists.
4. Background-check fee (one-time)
JMD $500 for AI-assisted Police Certificate review. We use Claude vision to verify the JCF doc, name match, and expiry — sitters who don't already have a Police Cert pay this once.
5. CareLink for Business
Annual contracts with Jamaican employers (banks, BPOs, hotels, hospitals). Pilot rate: JMD $1.5M/year for 200 employees. This is the largest revenue line at scale.
6. Full-time placements
One-time matching fee of J$25,000 (creditable against the first month) plus a 50% first-month success fee on signed agreements for live-in and live-out placements. See /placements.
Why bank transfer / Lynk / cash are free
Most JM parents pay sitters direct — bank transfer or Lynk into an NCB, Scotia, or JN account. Charging on those flows would be friction for almost no value added (we don't carry the processor cost). So we don't. We earn on card / PayPal (where diaspora and one-off bookings concentrate), Premium subscriptions, the B2B Business plan, and verification fees. The marketplace stays fee-free where it matters.
Pricing questions
Do I need a subscription to message sitters?+
No. Messaging is free, unlimited. Forever. You only pay when you book a sitter.
When do I get charged?+
Depends on payment method. Card (WiPay): held until 24 hours after the booking ends. PayPal: charged at booking. Bank transfer or Lynk: you send directly to the sitter, upload proof, sitter confirms — CareLink takes nothing. Cash: you pay your sitter on the day, CareLink takes nothing.
What happens if a sitter cancels?+
Full refund, automatically. We'll also try to find you a replacement if you ask.
Can I tip?+
Yes — through the app or in cash. 100% of tips go to the sitter.
Do you take a cut of the sitter's hourly rate?+
No. Sitters keep 100% of their stated rate. The 10% fee is paid by the parent, on top.
When does Premium launch?+
Q3. Join the waitlist and we'll email you the day it goes live (founding members get the first year at half price).
What does a full-time placement cost?+
Two fees. A refundable J$25,000 (≈ US$160) matching fee paid at the discovery call, plus a success fee equal to 50% of one month's gross salary, paid on the caregiver's first day. The matching fee is credited against the success fee. See /placements.
Can I pay in USD from the diaspora?+
Yes. We bill USD by card or PayPal. See /diaspora for the full diaspora flow.
Trusted care, close to home — without the marketplace tax.
Free to browse, free to message, zero fee on bank transfer / Lynk / cash. We earn through the things that earn the right to earn.