Thousands of people who need support at home face an increased risk of poor care because of low fees paid by the NHS and councils, care companies say.
Only one UK public authority in 20 pays enough to fund the minimum wage and other staff costs, research suggests.
This means some companies struggle to find enough staff to support people with complex needs, while others face going under.
Council bosses say they "can't perform miracles" on overstretched budgets.
The government says the sector is getting more than £8bn of extra funding over two years.
Social care, which supports people with tasks such as washing, dressing and medication in their own home, is mostly provided by private or not-for-profit companies and funded by public bodies such as local authorities or NHS trusts.
The financial pressure the councils and trusts are under means they are paying companies less than the work actually costs, according to the Homecare Association (HA), which represents UK home care providers.
The funding gap is likely to get worse, as directors of council social care shows that a third of local authorities in England expect to make additional cuts to services in the next few months.
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