Am I free to leave after my 8 hrs. of work is complete as a live-in caregiver?

You agreed to slave labor . You’re not getting paid for your work, I feel very bad for you that you allowed this.

OP only found out that lady wanted her to work 12 hours after she moved in. Looks like somebody is taking advantage of you and it will be more.
I know this couple, caregiver was supposed to work 8 hours but since she was there they decided to go for walks, dinners, felt it was OK she was there anyway. Not according to labour law, when caregiver reported they had to pay for extras including overtime. Somebody cannot decide arbitrarily to set hours as they see fit.

What does your employment contract say? Please tell me you didn't take the position without something in writing.
You agreed to a 12 hour day. Unless you have your hours in writing, your employer could expect those hours to be put in at different times of their choosing. They may not want you to simply be on the scene for 12 hours straight.
Room and board can be factored in as part of the paid wages for a live-in caregiver.
As it stands, your employer has you over a barrel. You could refuse to put him to bed and she could refuse to pay you. Start looking for a new place to live, and in the future never take a live-in position. If you do, make sure you get an employment contract clearly stating the hours. I own and operate a homecare agency and we do not provide live-in services. I provide 24 hour service, but not live-in because it causes way too many problems.
If you want this kid of work, take up a 24 hour caregiving position that has several caregivers.

OP says the 12 hrs were expected after she moved in. And the cost of her room was part of her salary. If OP had known her rights, she could have said room and board cannot be charged as part of wages.

How did you agree to that?
You were making around $440 which is roughly $1700 for 4 weeks working 25 hours weekly which is 100 hours so making about $17 per hour.
Now 12 hours daily for the same amount $440/60 hrs means a little more than $7 per hour. 1700 per month minus 900 rent. I am just doing quick calculations in my head so correct me if I am wrong, even so this lady really is taking advantage of you! It is pretty much free labour!

You moved in and agreed to 12 hours. You need to get a written contract with hours specified.

The contract you make with your employer is the contract you make. Get it in writing what your obligation is and what your pay is. Then it is up to you to agree to it, or to disagree and to go on and get a job elsewhere after giving notice. My worry for you is that you have put yourself in a bad position by moving into this situation, so I would at once begin to seek short term housing, whether it is renting a room someplace or anything else. It gets too muddy to be dependent on these people for housing, at the same time trying to negotiate a work contract.
I sure wish you the very best and hope things work out for you. Get some housing, then sit and re negotiate your contract. Be ready to have enough savings to last until you get another job. Luckily you are doing care and work that is sorely needed now across our country. My best of luck out to you.

There are Labor laws to protect Live-ins. You need to contact your labor board. You also need to tell your boss that living in is not working and you want to go back to the original deal. If you are going to do this kind of work for a living, you need a contract. IRS does not consider you self-employed so your employer needs to take out SS, match it, and other payroll taxes.

We have talked about live-ins before and this is basically ur rights:

As a live-in your room is free and it must be a room.

You work 40 hrs a week and are paid overtime, time and half. (ck with the labor board on this, each State maybe different)

Your paid minimum wage.

You get time off and employer needs to hire someone for the hours you are off or do the caring themselves.

Think you need a sit down with this woman with the labor laws in front of you. I so hope you have someone you can move in with. You should never leave yourself in a spot you can't get up and leave. You were making $22 an hour dat least before this.

Oh gosh, your boss should appreciate all that you do for her, not take advantage of you.

Find a new job and give her your notice.

No one would want to continue working for her. It’s a shame that she doesn’t realize how to treat people who are doing a very tough job.

The question you should be asking is, "Should I stay and allow this woman to take advantage of me?"

This gig is not benefitting you *at all* -- even if she's paying you cash.

From everything I've read on this forum, when caregivers are "live in" and have no written contract, they often are expected to be on-call 24/7. This is not realistic or sustainable. I'm assuming there's not written contract between you and the woman who hired you.

People in the corporate world who work 12-hr days usually only work 4-days a week. This is to comply with labor laws and to not burn people out.

You need to make at least $15 per hr, with extra for "over time", and have a written contract. This also means not getting paid in cash. Getting paid in cash means that your "employer" is not doing payroll tax withholding -- i.e. contributing to your Social Security fund -- something that you'll really need when it's your time to retire. You will shoot yourself in the foot if you continue with this work arrangement. This woman is getting all the benefits here. Once the patient passes you'll be out of a job with no work history for a resume, no SS contributed and a 30-day eviction notice. Maybe consider moving out and working for an agency full-time: you'll make more than what you are now, and have benefits. The industry is very hard up for caregivers. I wouldn't continue with this gig... I've been an employer for 38 yrs and I think this woman is going to screw you over. The ball is in your court to take control before this happens.

Why did you agree to move in? What was your thinking at the time?

Where were you living before you moved in, and what were your other jobs while you were taking care of the man for 4-5 hours/day?

I think the 13th Amendment (or similar law in your country) has your back on this one.

Bitz - you are being taken advantage of BIG TIME. If you go to work at an office, do you have to pay rent for the office space or the desk? Of course not, so why are you being charged for being at the home where you are required to be in order to work? She is not supposed to charge rent. Also, $440/w for 60 hours = $7.33/hr. Since you're paying rent, which mean you're netting about $860 a month for working 240 hours which comes out to $3.58/hr. You're being used as a slave.

Look for another job.
Rent a cheap room and move out.
Quit this slave job.
Report her to your state labor board/agency

On this forum, I have seen a number of 'live-in' caregivers like yourself who got practically nothing for working 24/7/365, and when the Alzheimer/dementia patient died, the adult children tossed the caregiver out on the street.

Do not go down this road, you will be left homeless, penniless, and jobless.

No, and she needs to hire relief caregivers. It’s clear that one person can’t do it all. As for charging rent, that’s ridiculous. She hired you as a live-in. Living in is part of the deal. Food should be included too, as long as you and the patient eat the same meals.