In many situations family caregivers are depended upon to the extent that they must scale back their hours at their jobs in order to meet the demands of caregiving.  But this can be an impossible prospect for most people who need to work full time in order to keep their jobs.  Some families have arranged for their loved one to pay them directly in order to care for them and compensate for the loss in wages.  With a formal caregiving contract, drawn up by an elder law attorney, family caregivers can receive legitimate compensation for the work they do. A care contract will also stipulate the employee-employer relationship such as health insurance benefits, annual raises, job responsibilities, vacation time, and tax deductions. 

Another way of looking at family caregiving is as an act of love and support towards a loved one.  Many family caregivers do not expect to be compensated because they want to help or feel it's part of their responsibility to provide the care.  Is it wrong to expect monetary compensation? Some say no because caregiving can be a grueling process that may last for many years.  Some also say that it should be looked at as a job.  In today's household where both spouses works, it's not feasible to reduce hours at work and to take a lower salary.