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Kansas · License fees and time frames · K.A.R. 28-51-101
KDHE charges $250 to apply for a Non-Medical Supportive Care Services license if you expect fewer than 100 unique clients a year, then $100 a year to renew. Neither the rules nor KDHE publish a processing time. Here are KDHE’s fees, the other costs with official prices, each step from the application email to the license, the deadlines the rules do fix, and what KDHE’s drafted rewrite says about fees.
Quick answer
Cost: the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) charges $250 to apply for a supportive-care-only license if you expect fewer than 100 unique clients a year, or $500 for 100 or more (K.A.R. 28-51-101(a)(1)(B)). The license lasts one year, and renewal costs $100 or $350 (K.A.R. 28-51-101(b)(2)). These are KDHE’s fees, not CareRulebook prices. The initial fees are non-refundable, and since July 1, 2025 KDHE takes them online through PayIt (KDHE).
Time: KDHE publishes no processing time. Its application says that once all required documents have been reviewed and meet the requirements, KDHE will issue a license (KDHE application). The waits come at the upload login, at KDHE’s review, and at each round of questions. We cannot give you a date, and we do not estimate one.
Other costs with an official price: forming an LLC or corporation with the Secretary of State ($85 online, the Secretary of State’s fee) and its information report every two years ($90 online). KDADS’s background check fee for each worker was $19 plus a 48-cent card fee in KDADS’s 2020 guide; we could not confirm today’s amount.
$250
KDHE fee to apply, supportive care only, under 100 unique clients a year
K.A.R. 28-51-101(a)(1)(B)(iii)Every amount below is a state fee set in KDHE’s rules, K.A.R. 28-51-101, or required by the Home Health Agency Act. None of them is a CareRulebook price.
| What for | KDHE fee | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial license, supportive care only, fewer than 100 unique clients a year | $250 | With the application. Non-refundable. A new agency estimates its count for its first year. | K.A.R. 28-51-101(a)(1)(B)(iii) |
| Initial license, supportive care only, 100 or more unique clients a year | $500 | Non-refundable. | K.A.R. 28-51-101(a)(1)(B)(iv) |
| Yearly renewal, supportive care only, fewer than 100 unique clients served | $100 | At least 30 days before the license expires. KDHE calls it non-refundable. | K.A.R. 28-51-101(b)(2)(C) |
| Yearly renewal, supportive care only, 100 or more unique clients served | $350 | Same timing. | K.A.R. 28-51-101(b)(2)(D) |
| New owner (sale, transfer or substantial change in corporate status) | The license fee again | The old license is voided. The new owner applies on the same form as an original license, with the license fee, before the change takes effect. | K.S.A. 65-5104(e) |
| Skilled Services license, for comparison | $500 / $750 | To apply, under 100 / 100 or more. Renewal $350 / $600. Needed for nursing, Medicaid waiver work and many payers; not the license this page covers. | K.A.R. 28-51-101 |
Both fees turn on one number, the total unique patient and client count.
Our suggestion: estimate honestly from your business plan, and keep a running list of each client’s first service date, so the renewal count is easy to show.
Simple arithmetic, not a KDHE figure
Your first two license years, under 100 clients. The initial fee and one renewal: $250 + $100 = $350 at current rates. A third year adds another $100, for $450 (K.A.R. 28-51-101).
Simple arithmetic, not a KDHE figure
100 or more clients. $500 + $350 = $850 for the first two years. The band can change at renewal: an agency that starts small and grows past 100 clients in a licensure year pays $350 at its next renewal (K.A.R. 28-51-101(b)(2)(D)).
Simple arithmetic, not an official total
State fees to open, for an LLC. KDHE’s $250 plus the Secretary of State’s $85 online LLC filing: $335, before KDADS checks, health assessments, TB tests or anything else (Form DL).
Each card says where the duty comes from. We give a price only where an official source sets one, and say so where we could not find or confirm one.
A corporation or LLC must be registered with the Kansas Secretary of State, and you attest to it on KDHE’s form. The Secretary of State charges $85 to file an LLC’s Articles of Organization online or $90 on paper, and the same for a for-profit corporation’s Articles of Incorporation. Online filings are processed within minutes. Sole proprietors do not register. These are the Secretary of State’s fees.
Every business on file with the Secretary of State files an information report every two years; for-profit businesses by April 15. It costs $90 online or $110 on paper. Miss it, and after a three-month delinquency period the business forfeits. That matters for KDHE: renewals include a Certificate of Good Standing. These are the Secretary of State’s fees.
If the agency is registered with the Secretary of State, each KDHE renewal includes a Certificate of Good Standing, bought online from the Secretary of State. Its page gives no price, and we did not find one.
Before hire, you request an eligibility determination from KDADS, and the employer pays KDADS’s fee. KDADS’s March 2020 guide showed $19 plus a $0.48 processing fee for card or eCheck payment. KDHE’s page says there will be no fee increase until fingerprint-based checks are implemented, but KDADS moved to a new system on November 19, 2025, and we could not confirm the current amount. If KDADS ever requires fingerprints, the fingerprint site charges its own fee. These are KDADS’s fees.
K.S.A. 65-5117(d)-(e)KDADS guide, 2020 (unconfirmed today)No increase until fingerprintsHow the checks work →
An administrator or alternate without a bachelor’s or associate degree needs a certificate from a KDHE-approved home health administrator course. KDHE links a course from Relias Academy and encourages pre-approval of any other. The course seller’s page would not load for us, so we have no price.
K.A.R. 28-51-103(b)(4)KDHE, Training OpportunitiesWho qualifies →
Each employee needs a health assessment by a physician, NP, clinical nurse specialist, PA or RN, and a current two-step TB skin test, before working with clients, then a new assessment at least every two years or after a significant health event. No official source sets a price.
K.A.R. 28-51-103(d)(6)-(7)TB testCaregiver training and health →
We found no liability insurance, surety bond or workers’ compensation requirement in K.A.R. 28-51 or the Home Health Agency Act. Other laws, landlords or clients may still ask for cover; we do not quote premiums.
The parent office needs a local street address and phone, staffed during posted and advertised hours, with no PO box. The rules set no minimum hours and do not say whether a home can be the office. We give no cost for it.
KDHE reviews your policies, templates and personnel files before it issues the license, in 13 folders with nothing marked "Not Applicable". You can write them yourself or start from a manual.
Fees are set by KDHE, KDADS and the Kansas Secretary of State, not by CareRulebook.
CareRulebook
Answer a few questions and CareRulebook writes your Kansas supportive care policies and forms, with your agency’s details, the rule quoted under each policy, the KDHE folder index and a folder download ready for KDHE’s file transfer system. Read every policy before you adopt it.
$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 Kansas agencies, then $249. Not a KDHE fee; KDHE’s $250 or $500 license fee is separate.
The order follows KDHE’s application, its Instruction Guide and the rules. Only steps with a fixed time show one. Tick steps off as you go; progress is saved in this browser only.
Hands-on help with daily living and nothing medical. Nursing, Medicaid waiver services and many payers, including Veterans Affairs, need the Skilled Services license, which costs more. Supportive care or skilled services?
A corporation or LLC registers with the Kansas Secretary of State. Filing an LLC online costs $85 (the Secretary of State’s fee) and is processed within minutes. Sole proprietors do not register.
Each administrator is at least 21 with a year of relevant experience and a degree or a KDHE-approved course certificate. The manager has a year of experience in home health, HCBS or supportive care. No nurse.
On your letterhead, specific to Kansas, approved by your governing body, with nothing marked "Not Applicable". KDHE reviews them before it licenses you. The 13 folders, item by item.
The application, attestation form, both release of information forms and ownership attachments go to KDHE by email. Pay the non-refundable fee online through PayIt: $250 under 100 unique clients a year, $500 for 100 or more. The application, step by step.
Once KDHE has the application and fee, it emails instructions and a username and password for its file transfer system to the address you applied from. Your policies and personnel files go through that upload, not the first email.
Every numbered folder needs at least one document. The signed "Begin Review Process" letter goes in last; review does not start until KDHE has it.
A KDHE staff member emails you about missing documents, clarifications or other issues. How long this takes depends on KDHE’s queue and on how complete your packet is.
KDHE issues the license when all required documents meet the requirements. It lasts one year. Post it in your main office. No services before it is issued. Whether KDHE visits before the first license is unclear.
Request the KDADS check (a pass or fail within three working days of KDADS receiving the criminal history information), a health assessment and a two-step TB skin test before client contact, and competency before working without the manager present. A worker may start provisionally, once, for up to 60 days, under supervision.
File the renewal application, attestation, Certificate of Good Standing if you are registered with the Secretary of State, and the fee ($100 or $350) at least 30 days before the license expires.
A license stays in effect only if an on-site survey at least once every 36 months shows compliance. KDHE may also survey at other times during business hours. How surveys work.
We have no basis for an estimate, so we do not make one. Our suggestion: when you email the application, ask KDHE what to expect, and do not sign client contracts or set a start date until the license is issued. "No person shall provide home health services, HCBS, or supportive care services before the person is issued a license." (K.A.R. 28-51-101(a)(2))
These periods are set by K.A.R. 28-51, the Home Health Agency Act or the Secretary of State. Most are yours to meet.
| What | When | Who | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renewal application and fee | At least 30 days before the license expires | You | K.A.R. 28-51-101(b) |
| Automatic cancellation | If the annual report and fee are not in within 30 calendar days of the renewal expiration date | Automatic | K.S.A. 65-5104(c) |
| Change of administrator or alternate | Written notice within 5 days | You | K.A.R. 28-51-101(e) |
| Change of name or address | Written notice within 5 days; tell KDHE before moving or changing the phone number | You | K.A.R. 28-51-101(f)-(g) |
| Closing the agency | Written notice at least 30 days before | You | K.A.R. 28-51-101(k) |
| Temporary operating permit for a new owner | Up to 90 days | KDHE may issue it | K.S.A. 65-5104(e) |
| KDADS pass or fail on a worker | Within 3 working days of KDADS receiving the criminal history information | KDADS | K.S.A. 65-5117(f) |
| Provisional employment while the check is pending | Once, up to 60 calendar days, supervised | You | K.S.A. 65-5117(e) |
| Fingerprints, if KDADS ever requires them | Within 20 calendar days of authorization | The worker | K.S.A. 65-5117(d)(3) |
| Records for a surveyor | Within 30 minutes of a request | Administrator or alternate | K.A.R. 28-51-101(i) |
| On-site survey | At least once every 36 months | KDHE | K.S.A. 65-5104(b)(2) |
| Secretary of State information report | Every two years; for-profit businesses by April 15 | You | Secretary of State, Information Reports |
Drafted by KDHE · not published · not in force
KDHE has drafted a rewrite of K.A.R. 28-51. It must still go through formal public comment; KDHE says it will tell agencies when the Notice of Public Hearing appears in the Kansas Register. None was found by October 2, 2026. (KDHE Summary of Changes Guide) We could not search the new rules.ks.gov site, which asks for a captcha; the Secretary of State’s future effective regulations page listed nothing from KDHE on October 2, 2026 (Secretary of State). From KDHE’s summary:
No one may provide supportive care services before the license is issued, and violating the Act is a class B misdemeanor.
K.A.R. 28-51-101(a)(2); K.S.A. 65-5114KDHE’s application says the instructions for submitting your policies, templates and employee qualifications come after it receives the application and fee, and its March 2024 letter asked applicants not to send documents for review until a reviewer had contacted them. Upload only after the login arrives.
KDHE application; update letterReview does not start until the "Begin Review Process" letter is in, every numbered folder needs a document, and nothing may say "Not Applicable". Each gap means another email round.
Instruction GuideFile at least 30 days before expiry. Thirty calendar days after the renewal expiration date without the report and fee, the license is canceled automatically.
K.A.R. 28-51-101(b); K.S.A. 65-5104(c)Renewal needs at least five clients served in the past 12 months and one in the latest three months.
K.A.R. 28-51-101(l)Miss the Secretary of State’s information report and, after three months, the business forfeits; KDHE’s renewal asks for a Certificate of Good Standing.
Secretary of State; KDHE, License RenewalThe license is voided on a sale or substantial change in corporate status; the new owner applies, with the fee, before the effective date.
K.S.A. 65-5104(e)Fees and penalties are set by the state, not by CareRulebook.
No. A license lasts one year, and you renew it every year with a renewal fee: $100 if you served fewer than 100 unique clients in the licensure year, or $350 for 100 or more. The renewal is due at least 30 days before the license expires. These are KDHE’s fees.
"$100.00 for each licensee that submits a renewal application for a license to provide only supportive care services"
No. The rule calls the initial application fees nonrefundable, and KDHE’s application form says the same. The fee is paid before KDHE reviews your documents. By our reading, the rules set no extra fee for a second round of review, but a withdrawn or refused application does not get the fee back.
"one of following nonrefundable fees based on the total unique patient and client count"
No. Do not rely on it. The rule says to file the renewal and fee at least 30 days before the license expires. The statute adds that if the annual report and fee are not in within 30 calendar days of the renewal expiration date, the license is canceled automatically, and no one may provide supportive care services without a license. Put the renewal date in your calendar well ahead.
"such license is automatically canceled"
No. No one may provide supportive care services before being issued a license, and operating without one is a class B misdemeanor. An agency found operating unlicensed is offered a 60-day temporary license while it applies, but that is enforcement, not a route to start early.
"No person shall provide home health services, HCBS, or supportive care services before the person is issued a license."
KDHE’s fee for a Home Health Agency license for Non-Medical Supportive Care Services is $250 to apply if you expect fewer than 100 unique clients in your first year, or $500 for 100 or more. After that you renew every year for $100 (fewer than 100 clients served) or $350 (100 or more). These are KDHE’s fees, not CareRulebook prices, and the initial fees are non-refundable. Other costs include forming the business ($85 to file an LLC online with the Secretary of State), KDADS criminal record checks for each worker, health assessments and TB tests. We do not give a total, because staffing and office costs vary.
KDHE does not publish a processing time. The steps are fixed: email the application and pay the fee, wait for the upload login, upload your documents into KDHE’s 13 folders, file the "Begin Review Process" letter, answer KDHE’s emails, and KDHE issues the license when every required document meets the requirements. KDHE restarted processing non-medical applications on March 1, 2024, after a hold that began in 2017. Ask KDHE what to expect when you apply.
A new agency estimates the number of separate clients it will serve in the year after it applies, and a client served on several occasions counts once. If you expect fewer than 100, the fee is $250; 100 or more, $500. At renewal the count is the clients you actually served in the licensure year. If you are unsure which band applies, ask KDHE before you pay.
No. The rule calls the initial application fees nonrefundable, and KDHE’s page calls the renewal fee non-refundable. The fee is paid before KDHE reviews your documents.
We could not confirm the current amount. KDADS’s March 2020 guide showed $19 per check plus a 48-cent processing fee for card or eCheck payment, and KDHE’s page says there will be no fee increase until fingerprint-based checks are implemented. KDADS replaced its check system on November 19, 2025, and we have not seen its current fee. The employer pays KDADS’s fee. These are KDADS’s fees.
We found no liability insurance, surety bond or workers’ compensation requirement in K.A.R. 28-51 or the Home Health Agency Act. Other laws or your clients may still require insurance; ask a broker or lawyer.
KDHE’s summary of its drafted rewrite of K.A.R. 28-51 says it created separate fee structures, including annual renewal fees, for three license types, but gives no amounts. The draft has not been published in the Kansas Register and is not a rule. The fees on this page are the ones in force.
KDHE has drafted a rewrite of K.A.R. 28-51 with separate fees for three license types. No official text or amounts have been published yet. Leave your email and we will tell you when a Kansas rule or fee change affects your agency.
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