Where are you starting?
Indiana · Personal services agency license · IDOH Gateway
Since May 1, 2026 you apply for an Indiana personal services agency license online, in the IDOH Gateway. Here is what to have ready, each Gateway step, the nine policies and seven forms in IDOH’s order, IDOH’s $250 fee, and how renewal, changes and a sale work, with what the law requires kept apart from what IDOH asks for.
Quick answer
You apply for an Indiana personal services agency (PSA) license in the IDOH Gateway, reached through Access Indiana. IDOH’s page said the mail and email process applied until May 1, 2026 (IDOH program page, May 2026 copy). You register the agency, enter ownership, manager and location details, upload documents, attest and pay $250, which is IDOH’s fee, not a CareRulebook price.
The law sets the duties: IC 16-27-4 says IDOH issues a license on a completed application that shows prima facie compliance, with the fee, and that the application may not require information beyond the chapter (IC 16-27-4-6(d)-(e)). IDOH’s form asks for more: Secretary of State and IRS documents, criminal history reports, and nine policies with seven forms, which it says it approves before issuing a license (State Form 53391). This page marks which is which.
IDOH’s documents are of different ages: the application and renewal forms (State Forms 53391 and 53591) were revised in September 2018, the instruction letter was last updated in August 2022, the requirements document (IDOH-HCBC/PSA-1) took effect on March 26, 2024, and the Gateway page was last updated on September 1, 2026. The current page still links the 2018 forms. Where IDOH’s documents differ, we say so. The Gateway’s upload screen needs an Access Indiana login, so we could not see which documents it lists.
Each card says whether the item is a duty in the law or something IDOH’s form or letter asks for.
IDOH asks
IDOH’s form asks for your Indiana Secretary of State documents: for an LLC, the Articles of Organization and Certificate of Organization (corporations, limited partnerships and out-of-state corporations have their own). If you trade under another name, it also asks for a Certificate of Assumed Business Name.
IDOH asks
IDOH’s form asks for the official IRS document showing the legal entity’s name and EIN, and says the legal names on the IRS and Secretary of State documents must match. IDOH’s letter says not to send the request form you sent the IRS.
IDOH asks
IDOH’s 2022 instruction letter says a personal services agency may not advertise as a home health agency or use the word "health" or "nursing" in its name. Every policy then carries the name exactly as it appears on your Secretary of State document, not abbreviated.
IDOH asks
IDOH’s form asks for a physical location and an operational agency telephone. Its 2022 letter says the location must be in Indiana and may be a home or residential address. The statute expects an office in Indiana, where records are kept for 7 years (IC 16-27-4-18), but does not say what kind of premises it must be.
Form 53391, Section II.A; IDOH letterOffice and premises rules →
Law requires (manager); IDOH asks (alternates)
The law requires you to employ a manager, responsible for the agency’s organization and daily operation, with no qualifications set. IDOH’s form also asks for an alternate manager, and a second alternate if you have one.
IC 16-27-4-9(a); Form 53391, Section IIIThe manager in detail →
IDOH asks (reports); law requires (the bar)
IDOH’s form asks for a lifetime expanded or lifetime national criminal history report, dated within the past three months, for the manager, alternate managers, officers and owners, and for the people its ownership section lists. The law bars anyone with a listed conviction from operating an agency.
Form 53391, Sections III, IV, VIIII; IC 16-27-2-3Background checks in detail →
Law requires
The law requires ownership and management information when you apply: everyone with 5% or more ownership or controlling interest, each officer, director, managing agent and managing employee, the manager, the chief executive officer and the chair of the governing body.
IDOH asks (the written policies); law requires (each duty)
IDOH’s form lists them in order, from unstable health conditions to the client rights statement, each resting on a duty in the statute. Write them for your agency; the form says not to send a handbook or copy the statute.
Getting the criminal history reports. IDOH’s 2022 letter says a new applicant may use the vendor of its choice for either a national or an expanded report (IDOH letter). For a national check through the Indiana State Police, its letters say to register with the FBI before mailing the fingerprint cards, and to have the reports sent back to you to include with the application (IDOH criminal history letter). An expanded check must cover everything IC 20-26-2-1.5 lists (IC 20-26-2-1.5). IDOH’s criminal history letter still shows the offense list from before July 1, 2025, so check owners against the statute as it reads now (IC 16-27-2-3).
Out-of-state agencies. The law requires an agency based outside Indiana to be authorized by the Indiana Secretary of State to do business in Indiana and to have a branch office in Indiana (IC 16-27-4-6(c)). IDOH’s form asks an out-of-state corporation for its Certificate of Authority (Form 53391, Section VIIII).
Indiana’s personal services agency law limits what the application may ask for. IC 16-27-4-6(d) says: "The application may not require any information except as required under this chapter." Subsection (e) adds: "After receiving a completed application that demonstrates prima facie compliance with the requirements of this chapter and the payment of the fee required by subsection (d), the state department shall issue a license" (IC 16-27-4-6(d)-(e)). IDOH may not add to the chapter’s requirements by rule (IC 16-27-4-20(b)).
IDOH’s form goes further. It says "All documentation must be received and approved prior to issuance of a license to operate a personal services agency." (State Form 53391, Section VIII), and it asks for documents the chapter does not name: the Secretary of State and IRS documents (apart from an out-of-state agency’s authorization), alternate managers, criminal history reports for owners and managers, the written policies, and the forms and tests. Each policy rests on a duty in the statute, but the statute does not say to submit it.
Our reading: the form, the 2022 letter, the 2024 requirements document and the Gateway pages are what IDOH has published about what it reviews, so the straightforward route is to send what IDOH asks for, written to the statute. If IDOH asks for something you think the chapter does not require, you can ask which section it rests on. An applicant or licensee aggrieved by an IDOH action under the chapter may request a review under IC 4-21.5 (IC 16-27-4-21). How IDOH squares its form with -6(d)-(e) is a question we have not seen answered.
From IDOH’s program page. Tick steps off as you go; progress is saved in this browser only.
Register with Access Indiana, or sign in if you have an account, and request access to the Personal Service Agency License Registration application, choosing Personal Service Agency from the drop-down menu.
An administrator approves the registration. The approval email gives the registration ID you use to sign in to the Gateway.
Open Personal Service Agency License Registration and click Register New Agency. Every field is mandatory, including agency hours. A Details page then shows the payment amount and the effective date of the license.
Enter the ownership details, then the manager’s details, then the location details. An agency with more than one location adds each one as a location.
Upload them in the Documents section. The upload screen needs a login, so we could not see which documents it lists. Have everything below ready, and email PSA@health.IN.gov if the list is unclear.
Enter the transaction and payment details. The $250 is IDOH’s license fee, set by IC 16-27-4-6(d), not a CareRulebook price. Once payment is processed, a confirmation is shown and emailed to the agency’s address on file; keep it.
The Gateway is used for initial applications, renewals, document uploads and payments (IDOH program page). It replaced mailing the paper form to IDOH’s Cashier or emailing it to PSA@health.in.gov (IDOH program page, May 2026 copy).
Section VIII of IDOH’s application form lists these, in this order (State Form 53391, Section VIII). The last column shows where each is in CareRulebook’s Indiana manual, whose section 1 follows the same order.
| # | IDOH’s item | Statute | Forms IDOH asks for | Manual policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unstable health conditions | IC 16-27-4-8 | None named; IDOH’s letter asks for detail on a medical emergency | 1.1 |
| 2 | Client satisfaction review | IC 16-27-4-11 | Satisfaction review form | 1.2 |
| 3 | Complaint investigations | IC 16-27-4-13 | Complaint investigation form | 1.3 |
| 4 | Tuberculosis test (control of communicable disease) | IC 16-27-4-15; 410 IAC 17-12-1 | None named | 1.4 |
| 5 | Compliance documentation | IC 16-27-4-18 | None named; IDOH’s letter asks for the time frame, where and how records are stored | 1.5 |
| 6 | Manager’s job description | IC 16-27-4-9(a) | The job description itself | 1.6 |
| 7 | Training policy and procedure | IC 16-27-4-16 | Written test; demonstration and observation skills test | 1.7 |
| 8 | Service plan | IC 16-27-4-10 | Service plan form; visit record form | 1.8 |
| 9 | Client rights statement | IC 16-27-4-12 | Client rights statement | 1.9 |
Two IDOH lists. IDOH’s 2024 requirements document names four of these as "Required Policy and Procedures" (service plan, client satisfaction review, client rights statement and complaint investigation) and says "Certain policies and procedures are not evaluated at the time of initial licensure however the agency is required to have those policies and procedures in place." (IDOH-HCBC/PSA-1). Its list for a license also names the completed application, the fee, Secretary of State documentation and an expanded or national check (IDOH-HCBC/PSA-1, License Requirements). Because we could not see the Gateway’s upload list, our suggestion is to have all nine and the seven forms ready, in the form’s order.
Nothing else. IDOH’s program page, as archived in May 2026, said of the mail and email process: "Do not submit any policies other than those instructed; each policy is attributed to Indiana Code (IC) that describes the requirement of the policy." (IDOH program page, May 2026 copy). Our suggestion: keep your other policies, such as criminal history checks and abuse reporting, on file unless IDOH asks for them. What each policy and form must contain →
Branch offices. For each branch, IDOH’s 2022 letter says to "send a separate letter and map with the application. The letter must include the branch name, complete address, county, telephone number and include a statement that the branch is owned and controlled by the parent personal services agency." The map must show the mileage (IDOH letter, Branch Offices). A branch must be within 120 miles of the parent (IC 16-27-4-6(b)).
From IDOH’s form and its 2022 instruction letter. The letter was written for paper applications.
CareRulebook
CareRulebook’s Indiana manual writes the nine policies IDOH’s form lists, with their forms, in IDOH’s order, for your agency, then the policies you keep on file. You also get a separate IDOH upload set: section 1’s policies and forms, each on its own page, without the rule text, because IDOH’s form says not to cut and paste the statute as your policies, and always without Recommended practice, because IDOH’s letter asks for nothing that is not required. The full manual keeps the rule quoted under each policy, and Recommended practice if you choose it, for your files.
$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 Indiana agencies, then $249. Not an IDOH fee.
| IDOH fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Personal services agency license application (one year) | $250 | IC 16-27-4-6(d) |
| Renewal (each year) | $250 | State Form 53591 |
| Change of ownership (the new owner’s application) | $250 | IDOH letter (08.2022) |
These are IDOH’s fees, paid to the state, not CareRulebook prices. IDOH’s forms call the fee non-refundable. The Gateway shows the payment amount on its Details page before you pay (IDOH program page). Other costs: criminal history checks, which the agency pays for but may ask job applicants to pay or reimburse (IC 16-27-2-6), and liability insurance covering lift services if you offer them (IC 16-27-4-6(l)). Indiana license cost and timeline →
Then come your first hires and clients: criminal history checks within 3 business days, TB tests, competency checks and service plans. The free checklist lists them in order.
A license expires one year after it is issued (IC 16-27-4-6(h)). The statute does not say when to renew. IDOH has given three different timings:
| IDOH document | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The Gateway (current program page, updated September 1, 2026) | Renewal opens at the 60-day mark before expiry. IDOH’s example: a license expiring December 15, 2025 can be renewed no earlier than October 16, 2025. | IDOH program page |
| Instruction letter (August 2022) | Submit at least 60 days before, but not sooner than 90 days before, the expiry date. | IDOH letter, page 2 |
| Renewal form 53591 (September 2018) | Submit "within fifteen (15) days prior to the expiration date of the current license". | State Form 53591, page 1 |
Our reading. The Gateway is IDOH’s current process, and it does not open renewal earlier than 60 days before expiry, so the letter’s 60 to 90 day window can only be met on the day renewal opens. The 2018 form’s wording can be read as "no later than 15 days before expiry" or as "only in the last 15 days"; a renewal on the day the Gateway opens meets the first reading but not the second. The form also warns that if the renewal is not received and approved by the expiry date, "the agency may be subject to a civil penalty for non-compliance with IC 16-27-4-6" (State Form 53591). Our suggestion: renew in the Gateway as soon as it opens, so there is time for approval before the license expires, and if you cannot, ask IDOH at PSA@health.IN.gov whether a renewal can still be approved in time.
IDOH’s 2024 requirements document lists what to send for each change, sent by a manager, owner or other designated party on file with IDOH. It sets no deadline for them.
IDOH asks; law requires the disclosure
IDOH asks for the license number and agency name, the new person’s name and title, whom they replace, the date, and an expanded or national background check. The law also requires ownership and management information whenever the management changes.
IDOH-HCBC/PSA-1; IC 16-27-4-17(a)(3)IDOH asks
IDOH’s 2022 letter asks for changes in owners, officers and managers after licensing on the agency’s letterhead, with the person’s criminal history check.
IDOH letter (08.2022)IDOH asks; law requires the disclosure
IDOH asks who transfers and who receives the stock, with titles, the percentage, the effective date, and a national or expanded background check for anyone holding over 5%. A change of more than 5% in ownership is also a disclosure the law requires.
IDOH-HCBC/PSA-1; IC 16-27-4-17(a)(3)IDOH asks; law requires the hours in the rights statement
IDOH lists what to send for each. A name change needs the Secretary of State certificate. New office hours also go in your client rights statement, which must give them.
IDOH-HCBC/PSA-1; IC 16-27-4-12(8)IDOH asks; law sets the conditions
IDOH asks for the branch’s full address and a map showing it is within 120 miles of the parent. The law requires a branch to provide services, be owned and controlled by the parent, and be within that radius.
IDOH-HCBC/PSA-1; IC 16-27-4-6(b)How to send them. IDOH’s page as archived in May 2026, in the section it said applied until May 1, 2026, said provider changes must be emailed to PSA@health.in.gov (IDOH program page, May 2026 copy). The current page describes only applications and renewals in the Gateway, and we found nothing on it about changes. Our suggestion: use the Gateway if it offers the change, and otherwise email PSA@health.IN.gov.
No. IDOH’s application form lists nine policies and procedures, with their forms, in a set order, and its 2022 instruction letter says not to submit information that is not required. IDOH’s program page, as archived in May 2026, said for the mail and email process not to submit any policies other than those instructed. Keep your other policies, such as criminal history checks and abuse reporting, on file. We could not see the Gateway’s upload list, so if it asks for something different, follow the Gateway.
"Do not submit any policies other than those instructed; each policy is attributed to Indiana Code (IC) that describes the requirement of the policy."
No. IDOH's application says not to send a handbook as policies and procedures and not to cut and paste IC 16-27-4. It asks for agency-specific policies and procedures for each listed item, and says it approves them before it issues the license.
"Do not send a handbook as policies and procedures and/or cut and paste IC 16-27-4 as policies and procedures."
No. Not according to IDOH’s 2022 instruction letter. Applications are reviewed in the order received, and IDOH will not accept calls or emails asking for immediate review because of a provider’s timeline. IDOH contacts you by email or letter once your application has been reviewed. We found no published processing time.
"IDOH will not accept providers calling or emailing to request immediate review and approval of application and licensure due to provider’s timelines."
No. A PSA license cannot be transferred or assigned. The buyer must obtain its own license before operating the agency, and the seller gives IDOH written notice at least 30 days before the sale.
"A personal services agency license may not be transferred or assigned."
Online, in the IDOH Gateway, since May 1, 2026. Register with Access Indiana, request access to the Personal Service Agency License Registration application and wait for the approval email. Then register the agency (every field is mandatory, including agency hours), enter ownership, manager and location details, upload the required documents, complete the attestation and pay IDOH’s $250 fee online.
IDOH’s application form and its 2022 instruction letter ask for your Indiana Secretary of State documents, the IRS document showing your legal name and EIN, lifetime expanded or national criminal history reports dated within three months for the manager, alternate managers, officers and owners, and nine policies and procedures with seven forms, in the form’s order. Add a letter and map for any branch office. The Gateway’s own upload list needs a login and we could not see it, so check it when you get there.
IDOH’s program page as archived in May 2026 described mailing the paper form with a check or emailing PSA@health.in.gov, and said that process applied until May 1, 2026. The current page describes applying, uploading and paying in the Gateway, although it still links the paper forms. If you are unsure, email PSA@health.IN.gov before you send anything.
We found no processing time published by IDOH. Its 2022 instruction letter says applications are reviewed in the order received, that IDOH will not accept requests for immediate review because of a provider’s timeline, and that IDOH contacts the provider by email or letter once the application has been reviewed.
IDOH’s form says all documentation must be received and approved before it issues a license. The statute frames it more narrowly: IDOH shall issue a license after a completed application that shows prima facie compliance with IC 16-27-4 and the fee, and the application may not require information beyond the chapter. Our reading: the straightforward route is to send what IDOH asks for, written to the statute, and if IDOH asks for something you think the chapter does not require, ask which section it rests on.
IDOH has given three timings. The Gateway, its current process, opens renewal 60 days before the license expires. Its 2022 letter says at least 60 but not more than 90 days before, and its 2018 renewal form says within 15 days before expiry. Our suggestion: renew in the Gateway as soon as it opens, which meets the Gateway and the 2022 letter, and ask IDOH if you cannot.
IDOH’s 2022 instruction letter says the agency must have a physical location in Indiana and may use a home or residential address, and IDOH’s form asks for an operational agency phone. The statute does not say what kind of premises the office must be, though records must be kept, or be electronically accessible, at the agency’s Indiana office for 7 years (IC 16-27-4-18).
No. A PSA license may not be transferred or assigned, and the new owner must get its own license before operating the agency. IDOH’s 2022 letter asks for the change of ownership application, documents and $250 fee at least 30 days before the sale takes effect, and the seller must give IDOH written notice at least 30 days before. If the agency is a Medicaid waiver provider, the 2026 moratorium also stops changes of ownership for existing HCBS agencies.
We watch IC 16-27-4, IDOH’s forms and Gateway pages, and the home health TB rule (410 IAC 17) that IDOH has proposed to readopt. Leave your email and we will tell you when an Indiana change affects your application or your policies.
No spam. Only emails about Indiana personal services agency rule changes. How we use your email.
Indiana
How to start a home care agency in Indiana
The PSA license, who needs it, training, TB tests and criminal history checks.
Tool
Indiana license checklist
Every step, tailored to your agency, emailed to you.
Manual
Indiana policy manual
The nine policies and seven forms IDOH asks for, preview free.
Indiana
Indiana policies and procedures
What IDOH asks each policy and form to contain.
Indiana
Indiana license cost and timeline
IDOH’s fee, the costs the law requires without setting a price, and the timeline.
Indiana
Indiana office and premises rules
Running a PSA from home, records and branch offices.
Illinois
The Illinois license application
How Illinois does it: a paper form, your policies in the envelope and a 240-day provisional license.
North Carolina
The North Carolina license application
DHSR also reviews your policies before it licenses you.
Georgia
The Georgia license application
GAHLES and a three-month provisional license.
Virginia
The Virginia license application
The VDH OLC Portal, 60 days before opening.
Texas
Applying in TULIP, step by step
How Texas does it: an online HCSSA application.