Family caregivers spend an average of $11,508 a year from their own pockets supporting an adult relative or friend, according to AARP research released October 28. That works out to $959 a month before accounting for any earnings they give up to provide care.
The total includes ordinary household bills as well as medical expenses. That helps explain why a medical tax deduction or job-protected leave can address only part of a family's financial strain.
What the $11,508 includes
AARP's study summary describes research involving 2,538 adult caregivers recruited through Ipsos KnowledgePanel. Participants completed an initial survey and a one-week expense diary during June and July 2026. The results were weighted to Census Bureau benchmarks.
Household and housing expenses accounted for 42% of reported spending, averaging $4,797 annually. Medical expenses represented 29%, or $3,313. Together, those categories made up 71% of the total. Food, rent and mortgage payments can therefore be part of caregiving costs even when no one writes a check to a nursing home.
The AARP announcement also shows how much circumstances differ. People caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia reported $15,846 in annual expenses, compared with $10,221 for those supporting someone without dementia. That is a $5,625 difference.
For caregivers in households earning under $40,000, spending consumed an average of 76% of household income. Neither that percentage nor the national dollar average predicts an individual family's bill.
Why the 59% rise needs context
The 2026 average is $4,266 above the $7,242 reported in 2021, an increase of about 59%. Calling that a 59% increase in prices would misread the comparison.
AARP's explanation puts the earlier amount at approximately $9,100 after adjusting for inflation. The latest average remains roughly $2,400 higher, but that gap cannot all be assigned to a single cause.
The 2021 survey took place during the pandemic, when access to services and spending patterns differed. The latest questionnaire also added expense questions and expanded descriptions, potentially changing what people recalled and reported. The findings measure reported spending across those different conditions, rather than the price of an unchanged basket of care.
CBS News interviewed Wendy Mayo of Connecticut, who estimated spending $15,000 a year caring for her mother.
Medical deductions have a threshold
The IRS says eligible medical expenses you pay for a parent can be included in an itemized deduction if the parent was your dependent when the services were provided or when you paid. Certain exceptions can allow medical expenses for someone who would otherwise qualify as a dependent. Insurance-reimbursed expenses do not qualify for this deduction.
Only eligible medical expenses above 7.5% of adjusted gross income count. For example, with $60,000 in adjusted gross income, the threshold is $4,500. If total qualifying, unreimbursed medical expenses are $6,000, the amount above that threshold is $1,500.
That is a potential deduction, not a $1,500 reimbursement. Deductions reduce taxable income; the tax savings depend on the return. Itemizing also needs to be weighed against the standard deduction. AARP's full caregiving total, which includes household spending, should not be treated as an automatic medical write-off.
Time off can protect a job without replacing pay
Federal Family and Medical Leave Act protections can provide eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period to care for a parent or spouse with a serious health condition.
Eligibility generally requires a covered employer, at least 12 months of employment, 1,250 hours of service in the preceding 12 months and a workplace with at least 50 employees within 75 miles. The law also protects continued group health coverage under the same conditions as before leave. Caring for a friend, a relationship included in the AARP survey, does not by itself establish FMLA eligibility.
FMLA leave is unpaid. Employer-provided paid leave may run at the same time, subject to the employer's policy. Workers can use leave in separate blocks or reduce their schedule when medically necessary, so qualifying care does not always require taking 12 consecutive weeks away from work. The Labor Department's caregiver resources also link to state paid-leave programs, whose benefit and eligibility rules differ.
The department’s January 2026 video on responsibilities during FMLA leave offers additional guidance for the period away from work.
