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Illinois · Home services agency license · Free checklist

Illinois home care license checklist

Every step to an Illinois home services agency license, from registry access and insurance to the envelope you mail IDPH, the 240-day provisional license, the survey and your yearly renewal, each with the rule it comes from. Answer a few questions to tailor it, tick steps off as you go and email it to yourself.

Tailor my checklistIllinois guide
  • Rule-verified October 1, 2026
  • 43 steps, each cited
  • Free, no account
A home care founder at a kitchen table in Peoria ticks a handwritten list headed Before I mail it, reading Registry access, Insurance certificate, Nine policies and $1,500 check to IDPH, beside a CareRulebook binder and a manila envelope

Quick answer

To provide non-medical home care in Illinois, including companion care, you need a home services agency license from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Before you apply you register for the IDPH web portal and Health Care Worker Registry, get a liability insurance certificate and write the policies IDPH reviews: they go in the envelope with the application (245.90(a)(3)(I)).

You mail form 445104 with IDPH’s $1,500 fee (a state fee, not a CareRulebook price). IDPH reviews it within 30 days, issues a 240-day provisional license, and surveys you in its last 30 days. Then you renew every year, 60 to 90 days before the license expires.

Rule-verified, checked against official sources on October 1, 2026

IDPH’s website did not respond when we checked, so steps that rest on IDPH’s form, FAQ or survey checklist cite Internet Archive copies (form 445104 and the FAQ as archived on March 21, 2026; the survey checklist on August 30, 2025). The statute and rules come from the Illinois General Assembly’s site directly.

Tailor your checklist

Seven quick questions

Your answers stay in this browser. The checklist below updates as you answer.

What will your agency do for clients?
Which of these will your caregivers do?

Tick any that apply. Each needs training and a competency check first.

Will you serve clients with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia?
Who have you lined up?

Tick any that apply.

What have you already done?

Tick any that apply.

Will you have any other locations?

Leave blank for one office.

Will any caregivers or services be contracted rather than employed?

Your checklist

Showing the steps for a new agency giving personal care from one office, with clients who have dementia. Answer the questions above to tailor it.

Before you apply

  1. FAQ, process to obtain a licenseWhich Illinois license do you need? →

  2. Form 445104, page 3

  3. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.30(a)

  4. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.40(a)(11); 245.90(a)(3)(B)Governing body, manager and supervisors →

  5. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.71(g)

  6. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.40(a)(12)

  7. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.90(a)(3)(J)

  8. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.90(a)(2)

  9. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.90(a)(3)(I)Every written policy area →

  10. Form 445104, page 8

Mail the application

  1. Form 445104, page 1The application, item by item →

  2. Form 445104, page 9

  3. Form 445104, page 4

  4. FAQ, process to obtain a license

During the 240-day provisional license

  1. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.100(a)(2)

  2. 225 ILCS 46/33(g)Background checks, step by step →

  3. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 955.165(h)-(i)

  4. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.71(c)

  5. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.40(c)(4)

  6. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 973.130(b); 973.140(b)

  7. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 973.140(c)

  8. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 973.130(d)-(e)

  9. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.220

  10. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.40(c)(6)(B)

  11. Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist (Home Services)

  12. Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist (Home Services)

Once you are licensed, every year

  1. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.90(b)(1)IDPH fees and timeline →

  2. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.90(e)

  3. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.71(f)

  4. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 973.140(f)

  5. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 955.145

  6. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.240(a)-(b)

  7. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245.80(h)

  8. FAQ, geographic service area

Email me this checklist

We send the checklist with your answers and a link back to it. Nothing else unless you tick the box.

See our privacy notice. Reply to any email to stop them.

The CareRulebook manual preview on a laptop

CareRulebook

Tick off “write the policies” from your answers

Answer a few questions about your agency and CareRulebook writes every policy IDPH asks for with the application, and the rest it checks at the survey, with your details filled in and the rule quoted under every policy. Policy 1.5 maps each item on form 445104 to the policy that answers it.

  • 37 policies, 113 rule requirements mapped
  • Live preview of your own manual before you pay
  • Editable Word and PDF, delivered instantly
  • 12 months of updates when the rules change
Preview your manual

$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 Illinois agencies, then $249. Not an IDPH fee.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to get a home care license in Illinois?

A home services agency license from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Before you apply you set up a governing body, name an agency manager and a written alternate, register for the IDPH web portal and Health Care Worker Registry, get a liability insurance certificate ($1 million per occurrence, $3 million aggregate) and write the policies IDPH reviews with the application. Then you mail form 445104 with the $1,500 IDPH fee.

Do I need a license for companion care in Illinois?

Yes. Companionship, housekeeping and personal laundry are home services, and no one may run or advertise a home services agency without an IDPH license. Only an agency that limits its business exclusively to housecleaning is outside the definition.

How long does an Illinois home services license take?

IDPH reviews a new application within 30 days and it must be complete and approved within 90 days. A provisional license follows within 90 days of a compliant application and lasts 240 days, with the licensure survey in its last 30 days. Added together, roughly 7 to 11 months from a compliant application to a full license; that is our arithmetic from those limits, not an IDPH estimate.

When can I start serving clients?

Not before IDPH issues a license: no one may open, run or advertise a home services agency without one. A new agency’s first license is the 240-day provisional license. The rules and IDPH’s FAQ do not say in so many words what a provisional license lets you do. Our reading is that it is the license a new agency starts operating under: within its first six months IDPH tells you which operational requirements must be in place for the licensure survey, IDPH’s surveyor checklist asks for a list of current clients and their service plans, and you must be able to show client activity before your second renewal. Confirm with IDPH on 217-782-7412 before you take your first client.

Is this checklist free?

Yes. It is free to use and to email to yourself. It is guidance, not legal advice, so check each step against the rule it links to.

Keep reading

Illinois

How to start a home care agency in Illinois

The full guide behind this checklist.

Illinois

The Illinois license application

Form 445104 item by item: what goes in the envelope to IDPH.

Product

Build your Illinois policy manual

Every policy IDPH asks for with the application, preview free.

Virginia

Virginia license checklist

The same tool for a Virginia home care organization license.

North Carolina

North Carolina license checklist

The same tool for a DHSR home care license, also reviewed before licensing.

Texas

Texas license checklist

The same tool for a Texas HCSSA license.

Sources

  1. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 245, Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency Code (current through 50 Ill. Reg. 2147, effective January 30, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health (Illinois Administrative Code, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  2. Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency Licensing Act (210 ILCS 55) · Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  3. Health Care Worker Background Check Act (225 ILCS 46) · Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  4. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 955, Health Care Worker Background Check Code · Illinois Department of Public Health (Illinois Administrative Code, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  5. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 973, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Services Code · Illinois Department of Public Health (Illinois Administrative Code, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  6. Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Services Act (410 ILCS 406) · Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  7. 89 Ill. Adm. Code 240, Community Care Program · Illinois Department on Aging (Illinois Administrative Code, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  8. Public Act 104-0666 (HB 4612), referral of licensed home services providers, and its bill status page · Illinois General Assembly (ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  9. Adult Protective Services Act (320 ILCS 20) · Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  10. Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5) · Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  11. Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Special Care Disclosure Act (210 ILCS 4) · Illinois General Assembly (Illinois Compiled Statutes, ilga.gov) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  12. Home Services Agencies (archived copy of March 21, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  13. Home Services Agencies Frequently Asked Questions (archived copy of March 21, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  14. Home Services/Home Nursing Placement (archived copy of June 15, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  15. Home Services/Home Nursing Placement Frequently Asked Questions (archived copy of June 27, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  16. Home Health Agencies (archived copy of May 21, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  17. Home Nursing Agencies (archived copy of April 12, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  18. Home Services Application, Form 445104 (Initial, Renewal and Change of Ownership; archived copy of March 21, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  19. Home Services Placement Initial, Renewal and Change of Ownership Application (archived copy of March 21, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  20. Surveillance Nurse Visit Checklist (Home Services) (archived copy of August 30, 2025) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  21. Agency Manager Qualification Review Form, Attachment E (archived copy of August 30, 2025) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  22. New Hire/Rehire Background Check checklist (archived copy of October 19, 2025) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  23. Branch/Drop-Site Questionnaire (archived copy of May 10, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  24. Guidance for Common Deficiency Findings (archived copy of March 21, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  25. Change of Ownership Guidance (archived copy of March 21, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  26. IDPH Home Services Agency Directory (data.illinois.gov dataset 9miz-pbzm; archived copy of August 25, 2026, rows last updated April 28, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health (Illinois open data portal) · retrieved October 1, 2026
  27. File a Health Care Complaint (archived copy of September 30, 2026) · Illinois Department of Public Health · retrieved October 1, 2026
  28. Adult Protective Services (archived copy of August 31, 2026) · Illinois Department on Aging · retrieved October 1, 2026
  29. Report Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation or Self-Neglect (archived copy of August 13, 2026) · Illinois Department on Aging · retrieved October 1, 2026
  30. Where to Report Maltreatment of Adults in Illinois (archived copy of May 12, 2026) · Illinois Department on Aging · retrieved October 1, 2026
  31. Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (archived copy of March 14, 2026) · Illinois Department of Children and Family Services · retrieved October 1, 2026
  32. The Flinn Report, Volume 49, Issue 15 (April 11, 2025) · Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules · retrieved October 1, 2026
  33. The Flinn Report, Volume 49, Issue 23 (June 6, 2025) · Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules · retrieved October 1, 2026
  34. The Flinn Report, Volume 49, Issue 37 (September 12, 2025) · Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules · retrieved October 1, 2026
  35. The Flinn Report, Volume 49, Issue 51 (December 19, 2025) · Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules · retrieved October 1, 2026
  36. The Flinn Report, Volume 50, Issue 7 (February 13, 2026) · Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules · retrieved October 1, 2026
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