What should you charge for a foot care visit?
Most nurses guess, then undercharge for years. Put in your real numbers and this works backward from the income you want to the rate that actually gets you there.
What you want to earn
How much you'll work
What it costs you
How to read this
This is a floor, not a ceiling. It's the rate that pays your costs, covers your taxes, and leaves the income you asked for. Charging below it means subsidizing your own practice.
- Private-pay nursing foot care commonly runs $75 to $150 per visit depending on the market, with higher rates in dense metro areas and for high-acuity clients.
- If your number comes out above that range, the fix is usually density rather than price. Cutting drive time between visits does more than raising rates.
- Facility block scheduling changes the math substantially. Seeing six residents in one building removes most of the drive time from every visit after the first.
- Nothing here accounts for startup costs, equipment replacement, continuing education, or retirement savings. Build those in separately.
The most common mistake isn't picking the wrong number. It's picking a number once, in year one, and never revisiting it while costs climb.
Want a second set of eyes on your number?
A calculator can't see your market, your competition, or what your clients will actually pay. A strategy call can — we go through your rates, your service menu, and what the market near you will bear.
Book a 90-Minute Strategy CallThis calculator is a planning tool, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Tax rates vary by state and situation. Confirm your numbers with a qualified accountant before making business decisions.
How this calculator works
Most pricing advice for mobile foot care nursing starts from what other providers charge. That approach fails, because their costs, drive time, market, and income needs aren't yours. This calculator works the other direction — from the income you need back to the rate that produces it.
It accounts for the six costs that determine a sustainable visit rate: your take-home income target, self-employment taxes, supplies per visit, mileage, fixed monthly overhead like liability insurance and scheduling software, and the no-show rate you'll actually experience. It also factors in drive and setup time, which is the cost most mobile nurses leave out entirely and the reason so many undercharge.
What foot care nurses typically charge
Private-pay nursing foot care commonly runs between $75 and $150 per visit in the United States, with higher rates in dense metropolitan markets and for higher-acuity clients such as those with diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, or anticoagulant use. Facility and assisted-living contracts often sit lower per visit but improve overall earnings through block scheduling, since seeing several residents in one building removes travel time from every visit after the first.
If your calculated rate lands above that range, the constraint is usually visit volume or routing efficiency rather than price. Increasing client density in a smaller service area generally does more for income than raising rates.
Common pricing mistakes
- Pricing against the appointment length instead of the real time per visit, which includes driving, setup, and sanitizing.
- Forgetting self-employment tax after leaving a W2 job where withholding was automatic.
- Setting a rate in year one and never revisiting it while supply, fuel, and insurance costs rise.
- Copying a rate from a nurse in a different market with different costs.
- Assuming a visit volume that isn't sustainable across a full year once vacation, illness, and cancellations are counted.
This calculator is a planning tool, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Tax and mileage rates vary by year and situation. Confirm your numbers with a qualified accountant.