Territories let you pay caregivers different rates based on where a client lives. You define each territory by ZIP code. Careswitch then uses the ZIP code on a client’s home address to identify their territory and choose the appropriate caregiver rate for shifts with that client.
Territories affect caregiver pay only. They do not change client billing rates.
When should I use territories?
Use territories if a caregiver should earn a different hourly or live-in rate in certain areas. For example, you might pay more for shifts in a hard-to-staff rural area, a city with a higher minimum wage, or a location that requires a longer drive.
If caregiver pay is the same everywhere you serve, you can use your regular caregiver and workspace pay rates without setting up territories.
How Careswitch chooses a shift’s pay rate
Careswitch uses the first available rate in this order:
A custom rate entered for that shift
The caregiver’s rate for the client’s territory
The caregiver’s own base rate
Your workspace default rate
If the client has no territory, or the caregiver has no rate for that territory, Careswitch uses the caregiver’s base rate or the workspace default.
Before you start
Check that clients’ home addresses and ZIP codes are current.
To create or change territories, you need the Territories: Manage permission. Territories: View allows someone to see the territory list without changing it. An administrator can grant these permissions under Settings → Roles.
To set territory rates for caregivers, you need permission to manage caregiver employment and pay.
Related Article: Roles and permissions
1. Create a territory
Go to Settings → Territories
Click Add Territory.
Enter a Territory Name, such as “North County.”
Under ZIP Codes, select the ZIP codes the territory covers. You can search by ZIP code or city. The list shows ZIP codes for existing clients, along with each city and its client count.
To include a ZIP code where you have no clients yet, type all five digits and select Add [ZIP] (no clients on file).
Click Save.
Careswitch tags clients whose home ZIP codes are in the new territory. The territory list shows the number of clients in each territory. Clients whose ZIP codes are not in an active territory have no active territory rate.
Each ZIP code can belong to only one active territory. If another territory already uses a ZIP code, you’ll see its name and won’t be able to select it. To move the ZIP code, remove it from the first territory before adding it to the other.
2. Set a caregiver’s territory rates
Open the caregiver’s profile
Navigate to Employment. Click Manage next to Pay Rates.
Under Territory Rates, find the territory you want to set a rate for.
If the rate is hourly, check the box next to the territory and enter the caregiver’s rate. If you leave it unchecked, the caregiver’s regular rate applies.
For live-in work, check the [Territory] Live-In box and enter the amount and pay method.
To update eligible shifts that are already scheduled, check Update Pay Rates on Existing Shifts. Otherwise, the new rates apply only to shifts created after you save.
Click Save.
Saved rates appear on the caregiver’s Employment page with a Territory Rate badge. You can also enter territory rates during the pay rates step of hiring.
3. Check a client’s territory
Once at least one territory is active, the Territory card on each client’s profile shows their territory. It shows No territory if the client’s ZIP code is not in an active territory.
If you change a client’s address to a ZIP code in a different territory, Careswitch asks you to confirm the change before saving and tells you whether upcoming shifts will use a different rate.
If the territory shown no longer matches the client’s address, the card displays a notice. Someone with Territories: Manage permission can select Set to [Territory], or Clear territory if the ZIP code is not in a territory.
What happens when you schedule shifts?
When you assign a caregiver to a client’s shift, Careswitch fills in the caregiver’s rate for that client’s territory. If the caregiver has no rate for it, you’ll see a warning that their regular rate will be used. You can acknowledge the warning and continue. If you have permission to manage caregiver pay, you can also enter an amount and select Add [Territory] to save a territory rate from the scheduling screen.
A custom rate entered on the shift takes priority and does not trigger that warning.
Territory rates also apply when caregivers accept open shifts. The pay shown to open-shift candidates uses each caregiver’s applicable territory rate.
What happens when a territory or address changes?
Changes that affect territory rates can update upcoming shifts that are scheduled or awaiting an offer response. Careswitch does not overwrite:
Custom rates entered on individual shifts
Rates on past or completed shifts
Shifts in a timesheet that is processing or paid, or in an archived payroll run
If changing a territory’s ZIP codes, archiving or unarchiving a territory, or changing a client’s address would affect pay on upcoming shifts, Careswitch shows a Change pay on upcoming shifts? message. Review the impact and confirm before the change takes effect.
When you change a caregiver’s territory rate, select Update Pay Rates on Existing Shifts if you want eligible scheduled shifts to use the new rate.
Edit, archive, or delete a territory
Go to Settings → Territories and open the ⋮ menu next to the territory.
Edit: Rename the territory or change its ZIP codes. Clients in added ZIP codes join it. Clients in removed ZIP codes leave it or move to another applicable territory.
Archive: Stop using the territory while keeping its history. Its rates stop applying to new work, and eligible upcoming shifts return to the caregiver’s regular rate after you confirm. Past shifts keep their rates. Clients retain a tag showing the territory as archived. The ZIP codes become available for another territory, and caregivers’ saved rates are kept even though the territory no longer appears in their active rate list.
Unarchive: Turn the territory back on. Its saved caregiver rates apply again, and clients in its ZIP codes are tagged again. If another active territory now uses any of those ZIP codes, Careswitch lists the conflicts. You must resolve them before unarchiving.
Delete: Delete a territory only if it has never been used: it has no tagged clients, caregiver rates, or shifts paid at its rate. Otherwise, archive it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I select a client’s territory manually?
No. A client’s territory comes from their home ZIP code. To change it, update the client’s address or change which territory contains that ZIP code.
Can I split a city between territories?
Yes. Add each of the city’s ZIP codes to the appropriate territory.
What if a client’s ZIP code is not in a territory?
Careswitch uses the caregiver’s regular rate, or the workspace default if the caregiver has no regular rate.
Do territory rates affect travel time?
No. Travel time follows your travel time policy and the caregiver’s travel rate.
Why didn’t a caregiver’s scheduled shifts update after I changed their territory rate?
Edit the rate again, select Update Pay Rates on Existing Shifts, and save. Shifts with custom rates and shifts in locked payroll will not change.