Florida homemaker and companion registration: starting non-medical home care
In Florida, a non-medical home care business that only offers companionship and household help registers with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) as a homemaker and companion services provider. It is a registration, not a license. It costs $50.75 for two years and needs no initial inspection, but it does not allow hands-on personal care such as bathing.
Contents14 sections
Key takeaways
- Anyone who provides homemaker or companion services in Florida must register with AHCA, including a sole worker with no staff.14
- The registration does not allow hands-on personal care such as bathing, feeding or changing a client. That work needs a home health agency or nurse registry license.24
- As published on 2026-10-12, the fee is $50.75 for a two-year registration, plus the cost of Level 2 fingerprint screening.45
- A registration covers counties in a single one of AHCA's 11 geographic service areas, and your street address has to be in one of the counties you list.35
- Florida law requires dementia training for every worker who provides companion or homemaker services: a free one-hour course within 30 days of hire and two more hours within 7 months.9
Quick facts
| Agency | AHCA, Long Term Care Services Unit |
|---|---|
| Credential | Registration (exempt from licensure) |
| Fee | $50.75 per 2 years (as published on 2026-10-12) |
| Initial inspection | Not required by statute |
| Decision deadline | 60 days after a complete application |
| Screening | Level 2 fingerprints via the AHCA Clearinghouse |
| Personal care allowed | No |
Fees and form versions as published by AHCA on 2026-10-12. Statute text is from the 2026 Florida Statutes.
What the registration covers, and where it stops
Florida does not license non-medical home care as a separate industry. Instead, section 400.509 exempts from home health agency licensure anyone who provides companion or homemaker services “and does not provide a home health service,” and requires those providers to register with AHCA 1. The registration lists exactly two kinds of work, and both are defined in statute:
- Companion or sitter: someone who spends time with or cares for an elderly, handicapped or convalescent person, goes with them on trips and outings, and may prepare and serve meals 2.
- Homemaker: someone who does household chores, including housekeeping, meal planning and preparation, shopping help and routine household tasks, for the same group of clients 2.
Both definitions end with the same sentence: the worker “may not provide hands-on personal care to a client” 2. Florida defines personal care as help with activities of daily living “such as dressing, bathing, eating, or personal hygiene,” plus help with transfers, walking and medications 2. AHCA’s FAQ answers the question directly. Asked whether a registrant can provide “bathing, feeding, and changing a client,” the agency says no 4.
If your model depends on help with bathing, toileting, transfers or medication reminders that involve touching the client, you are describing home health aide services, which Florida counts as a home health service 2. See the Florida home health agency license guide for that route.
The other two routes: home health agency or nurse registry
Florida has three ways to send non-medical caregivers into homes:
| Credential | What workers may do | Worker status | Statutory fee cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homemaker and companion registration | Companionship, meals, housekeeping, errands; no hands-on care | Employees or contractors | $50 per biennium in statute; $50.75 as published 14 |
| Nurse registry license | Refers nurses, CNAs, home health aides, companions and homemakers | Independent contractors paid by fee | Up to $2,000 per biennium 213 |
| Home health agency license | Home health services, including aide services and personal care | Employees or contractors 2 | See the home health guide |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
A licensed home health agency or nurse registry does not need a separate homemaker and companion registration. AHCA says both “can send out homemaker and companions under their licenses,” and Rule 59A-8.025 exempts them from registration 34. If you later obtain one of those licenses, you do not need to keep the registration as well 4.
Since July 1, 2018, every license or registration issued under this part has to list the services the holder is authorized to provide. Providing or advertising a service that is not on the face of the credential counts as unlicensed activity 10.
Who must register, and the narrow exemptions
The registration duty applies to “any person.” AHCA reads that literally: “Even single individuals who do not employ staff are required to register” 14. You can register as a sole proprietor under your own legal name and Social Security number. A corporation or LLC is not required 4.
The exemptions are narrow:
- APD contractors. A person under contract with the Agency for Persons with Disabilities who provides companion services only to people with a developmental disability is exempt 1. AHCA’s FAQ describes this as companion services “ONLY to persons enrolled on the Medicaid Waiver for persons with disabilities” 4. Once you serve one private-pay senior, the exemption no longer applies.
- Government agencies. State, county and municipal agencies still register, but they pay no registration fee 3.
- Licensed home health agencies and nurse registries, as described above 3.
The Department of Elder Affairs’ service standards for its homemaker service say that independent vendors who bill only for services they personally provide “do not have to be licensed or registered,” and that an agency using more than one employee must register under section 400.509 14. AHCA’s own FAQ and the statute say every individual must register 14. The two sources conflict for a sole worker paid only through Elder Affairs programs, and AHCA enforces the registration law. If you work alone, register: the fee is small and it removes the risk.
Section 400.464 also contains a separate exemption from home health agency licensure for “an individual who acts alone, in his or her individual capacity,” and is not tied to an agency or registry 10. That exemption concerns home health licensure. It does not relieve anyone of the homemaker and companion registration in section 400.509.
Before you apply: name, office and service area
Business name. AHCA will not accept a provider name that suggests services beyond the registration. The banned words are: home health, certified nursing assistant, home health aide, personal care, patient care, health care, assisted living, nurses, nursing, medical and health professional 4. If your LLC’s legal name already contains one of these words, you have to register a fictitious name with the Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) and apply under that name 4.
Office. You may run the business from your home. The home must be in Florida and in the area you plan to serve. AHCA warns that complaint inspections are unannounced and happen on weekdays, and that your business name, street address and phone number will appear on Florida Health Finder 4. The application asks for regular operating hours. Surveyors inspect during those hours, and not being open when you said you would be “may result in a fine” 5.
Geographic service area. Rule 59A-8.025 limits an initial registration to counties within the single health service planning district that contains your address of record 3. Form 3110-1003 lists these as Areas 1 through 11. Area 7, for example, covers Brevard, Orange, Osceola and Seminole; Area 10 is Broward alone; Area 11 is Miami-Dade and Monroe 5. You check one area, then the counties within it, and your street address must be in one of those counties 5. An office in a different area needs a separate application 5. Providers that were registered on July 1, 2015 may keep serving the counties already on their registration if they document a plan for supervising staff in counties outside their primary area 3.
Background screening through the AHCA Clearinghouse
Section 400.512 requires Level 2 screening under chapter 435 for companion and homemaker employees and contractors 19. Section 408.809 adds the business’s own people, all screened through AHCA: the licensee (if an individual), the administrator, the financial officer and every controlling interest 7. On the application, controlling interests are anyone with a 5% or greater ownership stake, plus officers and directors, including those of any management company you contract with 5.
Level 2 means electronic fingerprints and a photo taken by an approved Livescan vendor. The results go into the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, and AHCA issues an eligibility determination before the person starts work 18. New applicants receive a letter from AHCA with the file number to use when booking Livescan appointments 4.
On top of the chapter 435 offenses, Florida disqualifies people for listed health care and fraud crimes, including Medicaid provider fraud, patient brokering, forgery, and battery on a vulnerable adult 7. Everyone screened must be rescreened every five years 7. The business or the worker pays for screening, and the business may reimburse the worker 7. A new hire can attend training and orientation before results arrive, but “may not have direct contact with vulnerable persons until the screening process is completed” 8.
Florida also requires a reference check. You must collect each worker’s employment or contract history and verify it 1. The rule treats two documented attempts to verify, or an attempt to find current contact details when a number is disconnected, as the “diligent effort” that satisfies the law 3. Former employers who give honest opinions in good faith are protected from liability 1.
Filing Form 3110-1003
The application is the Health Care Licensing Application, Homemaker and Companion Services Provider, AHCA Form 3110-1003. The version posted on 2026-10-12 is dated July 2024 5. The form says AHCA’s online licensing system accepts renewal and change-during-registration-period applications; the paper form goes to the address below 5. The form asks for:
Provider and licensee details
The provider name (as filed with Sunbiz if it is a fictitious name), the street address, the EIN, and the entity type 5.
Application type
Initial, renewal, change of ownership, or change during the registration period, with a proposed effective date 5.
Controlling interests
Every 5% owner, officer and board member of the licensee and of any management company 5.
Administrator and financial officer
One person may fill both roles, and each must have Clearinghouse screening 5.
Disclosures
Any Level 2 convictions, any exclusion, suspension or termination from Medicare or Medicaid, and any felony conviction under Florida’s Medicaid, fraud or controlled-substance chapters, or for Medicaid, Medicare or insurance fraud, within the previous 15 years 5.
Service area and hours
One geographic area with its counties, plus your weekly operating hours 5.
Attachments
The Health Care Licensing Application Addendum (AHCA Form 3110-1024) for initial, renewal and change-of-ownership filings 5.
Attestation
A sworn statement covering screening compliance, that offsite client data is stored only in the continental United States, its territories or Canada, and that no controlling interest has ties to a “foreign country of concern” 5.
Paper applications go to AHCA, Long Term Care Services Unit, 2727 Mahan Drive, Mail Stop 33, Tallahassee, FL 32308. The unit’s phone number is (850) 412-4303 45. Florida law does not require insurance for this registration, though AHCA suggests liability coverage for your own protection 4.
Fees and AHCA’s review clock
As published on 2026-10-12, the fees are 45:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial, renewal or change-of-ownership registration (2 years) | $50.75 |
| Change during registration period: name, address, counties, or transfer of under 51% ownership | $25.00 |
| Change of personnel, management company or hours | No fee |
| Late renewal fee | $25.38 |
| Duplicate registration certificate | $25 |
| State, county or municipal applicant | Registration fee waived |
The statute sets the fee at $50 per biennium. AHCA publishes $50.75 14. AHCA’s FAQ describes adding counties within your area, and moving within your approved counties, as no-charge changes, while Form 3110-1003 lists county and address changes under the $25.00 fee-required changes 45. Because the two AHCA documents disagree, ask AHCA before you file a county or address change whether the $25.00 fee applies. Fees are nonrefundable 45. Screening fees are separate and are paid per person 47.
AHCA’s timeline follows chapter 408. Within 30 days of receiving your application, AHCA sends a letter listing any errors or missing items. You have 21 days to respond, or the application is withdrawn and the fee is lost. AHCA must approve or deny within 60 days of receiving a complete application 46. Florida law exempts homemaker and companion providers from the initial licensure inspection that most AHCA providers must pass 6.
Dementia training every worker needs
Florida’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Forms of Dementia Education and Training Act (ch. 2023-278) names “a companion or homemaker service provider” as a covered provider. The act defines “personal care” for training purposes to include “homemaker or companion services” 9. As a result, the training applies to your caregivers even though they cannot do hands-on care:
- At hire: basic written information about interacting with people who have Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias 9.
- Within 30 days: a one-hour training program from the Department of Elder Affairs, offered online at no cost, for every employee who provides personal care or has regular contact with clients 9.
- Within 7 months: two more hours for each employee of a companion or homemaker provider who provides personal care. The training must cover behavior management, promoting independence in daily activities, and working with families and caregivers 9.
You must keep a record of each worker’s completion. Completed training carries over when a worker moves to another covered provider 9. Workers hired before July 1, 2023 had to finish by July 1, 2026, so that grandfather period has now ended 9.
Running the business once registered
Client records. Rule 59A-8.025 requires a confidential file for each client with the following: legal name, address, phone, age, and any disability that is the basis for service; contacts for emergency, next of kin or guardian, and physician; any service agreement; the services, with duration and frequency of visits; dietary restrictions if you prepare meals or take the client to meals; food allergies; activity limitations; and any written termination notice 3. You must also accept a client only when there is “a reasonable expectation” that you can deliver the service safely, and you must staff every visit 3.
Client notices. On or before the first day of service, you must give each client the statewide toll-free numbers for AHCA complaints, the abuse hotline and the Medicaid fraud hotline, using the wording set out in statute 11.
Advertising. Every ad, website and brochure must show your AHCA registration number 14. Leaving it off carries a fine of at least $100 for a first offense and $500 for later offenses. You also may not imply that you hold a home health agency or nurse registry license 10.
Changes. Report changes within 21 days 11. You can add counties within your existing area during the registration period. If you add them at renewal, you cannot serve the new county until the renewed registration takes effect 4. Moving outside your area means a new initial application 4. A change of ownership, including any change of EIN, requires the buyer to file a new application at least 60 days in advance, along with a letter signed by the seller 4. Give AHCA at least 30 days’ notice before closing 11.
Renewal and what happens if it lapses
Registrations last no more than two years 3. File your renewal 60 to 120 days before expiration. AHCA returns an application that arrives more than 120 days early, and it mails a courtesy notice at least 90 days before expiration 6. If your renewal and fee arrive before the expiration date, you may keep operating while AHCA reviews them 4.
Missing the expiration date costs you the registration. AHCA says that if a renewal arrives after expiration, “there is no longer a registration to renew.” You must stop operating, move your clients to another registered provider, and file as a new applicant 4. At renewal you need new fingerprints only for staff not screened within the last five years or new since the last application 4.
Getting paid through Elder Affairs and Medicaid long-term care
There are two public funding streams for these services:
- Department of Elder Affairs programs. Elder Affairs funds companionship through the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative, Community Care for the Elderly, the Local Services Program and Older Americans Act Title III-B. It funds homemaker services through those programs plus Home Care for the Elderly and Title III-E 14. The service standards exclude hands-on personal care from companionship, bill in one-hour units, prohibit billing two clients for the same period, and require records reported through the state’s eCIRTS system 14.
- Statewide Medicaid Managed Care, Long-Term Care. Adult companion care and homemaker services are required LTC benefits under the plan contract as updated October 1, 2025 15. Florida Medicaid’s enrollment policy includes a “limited enrolled” category for providers that only take part in a managed care plan’s network. It also lists provider type 67, Home & Community-Based Services, with specialty 119 for SMMC waiver services 17. Ask each LTC plan you approach whether it requires a Florida Medicaid ID through limited enrollment before it will credential your agency.
Under the LTC program’s Participant Direction Option, enrollees can hire their own companion or homemaker workers directly. Those workers need no license or certification, only training in universal precautions and HIPAA privacy standards plus CPR and first aid certification 16.
Penalties for working outside the registration
Sending a companion to bathe a client is not a paperwork issue in Florida. Running an unlicensed provider is defined as “harm that materially affects the health, safety, and welfare of clients” and as abuse and neglect. After AHCA notifies you, continuing to operate can bring fines of $1,000 per day 12. Owning or operating an unlicensed home health agency and failing to stop and apply for a license after AHCA notifies you is a second-degree misdemeanor, with each day counted as a separate offense, and unlicensed activity is also a violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act 10. After a successful prosecution, AHCA can also recover its investigation costs 1. If clients ask for personal care, either refer them to a licensed provider or apply for a home health agency license before you offer it.
Sources
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- 2 The Florida Legislature, Section 400.462, Florida Statutes: definitions Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
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- 18 Agency for Health Care Administration, Background Screening Unit Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
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Florida and neighboring states
Compare all 51| State | License | Who needs it | State fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (this guide) | Homemaker and Companion Services registration | Companion and homemaker services only; no hands-on care | $50.75 per 2 years |
| Georgia | Private Home Care Provider license | Companion, personal care or nursing in homes; solo workers exempt | $300 processing + $250 per service line a year, $750 maximum |
Shortened from each state's guide and our 51-state table, as of each guide's last review. Fees are the state's own; local permits and background checks cost extra.