Do you need a license to run a home care agency in Indiana?

Yes. Indiana requires a state license to run a non-medical home care agency: the Personal Services Agency license, issued by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH). A personal services agency (non-medical attendant care, companion, and homemaker services) must be licensed by IDOH before it operates. It is a non-medical license: the agency may not provide medical care, advertise as a home health agency, or use 'health' or 'nursing' in its name. Each parent agency needs its own license and must have a physical location in Indiana.

What are the key facts?

How do you get licensed in Indiana?

1. Register the business with the Indiana Secretary of State and get an IRS EIN letter
2. Get a national or expanded criminal history check on owners and managers
3. Write the policies and procedures required by IC 16-27-4
4. Mail State Form 53391, documents, and the $250 fee to IDOH
5. Wait for IDOH review; all documents must be approved before a license is issued

What should you confirm with the state?

A name-based expanded check is accepted instead of a fingerprint-based national check. Workers must also have a TB test. Agencies serving Medicaid waiver clients enroll separately with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.

What should you budget for?

The license fee is a small part of startup cost. Insurance, payroll for your first caregivers before clients pay, and office staff usually cost far more. Use the bill rate calculator to check your pricing covers it, and the intake form and care plan templates for the paperwork inspectors ask to see.