Pennsylvania · Checked October 22, 2026
Your license is the Home Care Agency License (separate license type: Home Care Registry), issued by Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Home Health.
| Item | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| License / registration | Home Care Agency License (separate license type: Home Care Registry) |
| Issued by | Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Home Health — official page |
| Application / initial fee | $100 — Application fee of $100 per separately licensed location, under 28 Pa. Code Chapter 611 — each physical location must be licensed separately; the Department does not recognize branch offices in home care. The state does not return the fee, and it is not prorated. |
| Renewal | $100 |
| Surety bond | No state bond minimum found in the published rules |
| Liability insurance | State sets no minimum |
| Timeline | The Department of Health's own Home Care page states: 'the current review timeframe for initial home care agency/registry applications is 2-3 months or longer.' Rule change: DOH has moved to a new online application process — mailed or emailed submissions are no longer accepted effective March 31, 2026. |
| Administrator | The agency must designate an administrator; when the administrator on record changes, DOH requires a letter, a completed password agreement, the new administrator's resume and a criminal background check obtained within the prior year. Chapter 611 sets no degree requirement for the home care administrator. Direct care workers must meet Chapter 611 competency requirements (e.g., approved training program, competency exam, or qualifying credential) and be re-evaluated at least annually, and criminal-history rules apply (including the FBI/Department of Aging determination for workers who have not lived in PA for the prior 2 years). |
| State extras | Criminal-history background checks for owners/administrators and direct care workers (state police / FBI where the 2-year residency rule applies) and Child Abuse History clearances where applicable — fees are charged by the checking agencies and are not in Chapter 611, so no amount is printed here. |
| Service | Under this license |
|---|---|
| Companionship & supervision | Covered |
| Homemaker help | Covered |
| Hands-on personal care | Covered |
| Live-in / 24-hour care | Not covered by this license |
| Transportation | Not covered by this license |
| Skilled nursing or therapy | Home health license required |
Chapter 611 home care services are expressly non-skilled: personal care, assistance with instrumental activities of daily living, companionship, respite and specialized care as defined in 28 Pa. Code §611.5. Skilled nursing/therapy requires the separate Home Health Agency license. The Agency model employs its workers; the Registry model refers independent contractors and must give consumers the required notice of direct care worker status (including the consumer's tax/insurance responsibilities).
Separate license: Home Health Agency license from the same Division of Home Health — a different application with a $250 fee per license (per DOH's home health application), plus separate Medicare certification/enrollment for billing. Pennsylvania has no certificate-of-need for home care or home health.
Enroll with the Department of Human Services in PROMISe and contract with Community HealthChoices managed care organizations (Office of Long-Term Living waiver services, incl. personal assistance services). The DOH license comes first; Medicaid enrollment is a separate DHS step.
Pennsylvania DHS EVV for personal care services uses Sandata / the DHS EVV aggregator (open model — agency systems must send visit data to the aggregator).
The state fee above is one line of the real total. Run the true-cost calculator with Pennsylvania selected — it adds the bond premium, insurance class, screening and the payroll runway your first hires create.
This page is information, not legal advice. Confirm before you file: the agency — not this page — decides your application.
The free checkers give you the verdict and the number. The Kit gives you the working papers: your state's application packet walked through in filing order, the policies-and-procedures binder spec (what your binder must contain — never a boilerplate binder), the administrator self-audit, the insurance & bond spec sheet, the Medicaid gate map, the franchise-vs-independent 10-year worksheets, and the payroll-runway planner.
$49 one-time payment
Included in the $49 HomeCareLicenseCheck Kit
