FirstLight Home Care Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a FirstLight Home Care franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
FirstLight Home Care discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross revenue data for 194 territories (12+ months operation): average $1,545,697, median $1,195,409, range $152,398–$11,254,775. 38% met/exceeded average. Limited to CMS-reporting territories only.
What a FirstLight Home Care franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $52,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 6% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $151,425 – $256,380 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
5% royalty months 1–3; 5% or minimum-performance-standard whichever higher thereafter. 1% NAF (up to 2%). $195/mo platform, $7–$8.50/client CMS, $1,500–2% local marketing minimum.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
FirstLight Home Care system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 284 |
| Ceased operations | 6 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 9 |
| Closure rate | 2.1% of outlets |
6 ceased operations in 2025; zero terminations; 9 transfers suggest selective brand-protection.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is FirstLight Home Care worth it? — how it compares to 50 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 6% of sales | lower than most (median 7%) |
| Startup cost | from $151,425 | pricier than 92% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 2.1% of outlets | worse than 71% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every senior & home care franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a FirstLight Home Care
The franchisor's framing: Gross revenue data for 194 territories (12+ months operation): average $1,545,697, median … We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
FirstLight Home Care franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a FirstLight Home Care franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $151,425–$256,380, including a $52,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do FirstLight Home Care franchise owners make?
- Gross revenue data for 194 territories (12+ months operation): average $1,545,697, median $1,195,409, range $152,398–$11,254,775. 38% met/exceeded average. Limited to CMS-reporting territories only. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the FirstLight Home Care franchise fees?
- FirstLight Home Care's FDD discloses a $52,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 6% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 5% royalty months 1–3; 5% or minimum-performance-standard whichever higher thereafter. 1% NAF (up to 2%). $195/mo platform, $7–$8.50/client CMS, $1,500–2% local marketing minimum.
- What is the FirstLight Home Care franchise profit margin?
- FirstLight Home Care does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross revenue data for 194 territories (12+ months operation): average $1,545,697, median $1,195,409, range $152,398–$11,254,775. 38% met/exceeded average. Limited to CMS-reporting territories only. Recurring fees alone take about 6% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the FirstLight Home Care franchise failure rate?
- 6 ceased operations in 2025; zero terminations; 9 transfers suggest selective brand-protection.
- How many FirstLight Home Care locations are there?
- FirstLight Home Care's FDD reports 284 total outlets, with 6 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 9 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does FirstLight Home Care have complaints or lawsuits?
- FirstLight Home Care discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a FirstLight Home Care franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. FirstLight Home Care scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 6% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare FirstLight Home Care to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with FirstLight Home Care or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.