Presurvey Training
The administrator and alternate administrator complete HHSC’s computer-based Presurvey Training before you submit. It is seven online modules of 30 minutes to an hour each.
Texas · HCSSA license · 26 TAC §558.12
Texas HCSSA license application in TULIP: step by step
Every Texas home care license application goes through TULIP, HHSC’s online portal. Paper applications are no longer accepted. Here is what to have ready first, how to set up the accounts, each step of Form 2021, and what HHSC does after you submit.
- Rule-verified September 30, 2026
- Quoted from 26 TAC Chapter 558
- From HHSC’s TULIP guide and provider letter
Quick answer
You apply for a Texas home care (HCSSA) license in TULIP, the Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal. The rule is short: "An applicant must submit an application on the forms prescribed by HHSC through the online portal." HHSC says "HHSC no longer accepts or processes paper applications."
Register in TULIP, start an initial application for a new parent agency (Form 2021), fill it in, upload each required document, run TULIP’s Review step until it shows no deficiencies, pay HHSC’s $2,625 fee and submit. HHSC then has up to 45 days to confirm the application is complete and up to 45 days to issue the license.
Before you start, the administrator and alternate administrator must finish HHSC’s Presurvey Training, and the business must be registered with the Texas Comptroller and Secretary of State.
Before you open TULIP
TULIP checks that fields are filled in. HHSC checks that the facts behind them meet the rules. Have these ready first.
Business registrations
HHSC requires the agency to be registered with, and in good standing with, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and the Texas Secretary of State.
A place of business in Texas
A permanent physical address in Texas, one license per place of business. A home address can work; a virtual office cannot.
Owner details
The application asks for the full ownership hierarchy: each owner’s percentage, Taxpayer Identification Number and start date. HHSC checks the background of the applicant, controlling persons, affiliates and the CFO.
A qualified administrator and alternate
HHSC considers their background and qualifications before issuing the license.
TULIP accounts: get this right first
HHSC’s provider letter on TULIP sets three rules that catch new agencies out:
- Use your own email. "TULIP accounts for individuals associated with a provider are tied to the email and social security number (SSN) for that individual." If someone registers with a shared address like info@ and later leaves, the account stays tied to their Social Security number and cannot be used until TULIP Support separates it. PL 2023-20 §2.4
- Name two security authorities. "Each provider must designate at least two individuals" as security authorities. They approve or reject other users’ access; with only one, the agency is stuck if that person leaves. PL 2023-20 §2.3
- Use Chrome. "TULIP only works using Google Chrome as the browser." PL 2023-20 §2.7
The application, step by step
From HHSC’s TULIP provider training guide (written in 2018, last revised 2022) and the rules. Screens may have changed since, so follow what TULIP shows you.
Register for TULIP
Day 0Choose Provider Licensure. Each person registers with their own email; the account is tied to their email and Social Security number. Use Google Chrome.
PL 2023-20 §2.4, §2.7Start an initial application
Day 0Select “Submit an Initial Application for a New License”, then the agency type and “New Home Health/Personal Assistance Services Parent Agency”. TULIP creates Form 2021, the HCSSA license application. Tick “Initial”: you have no license number yet.
HHSC TULIP guide §1.3.CFill in Form 2021
Your paceWork through each step of the form, including the category of service (personal assistance services for non-medical care; PAS or home health?) and the ownership and control disclosure, where you build the ownership hierarchy.
26 TAC §558.12(a), §558.13(b)Upload documents
Your paceEach required document is marked “This document is required” in red. Upload or drag and drop each one. Use “Add Additional Attachment” for anything not on the list.
HHSC TULIP guide §1.3.CRun the Review step
Your paceTULIP lists blank or badly formatted fields and missing required documents. You cannot reach payment until it shows no deficiencies. This checks completeness only, not whether HHSC will approve.
HHSC TULIP guide §1.3.CPay the state fee
Day of submissionHHSC’s fee is $2,625 for a three-year license. Pay by ACH or card through Texas.gov (the link lasts 30 minutes), or print a coupon and mail a check or money order. Nothing is processed until payment clears.
26 TAC §558.3; HHSC TULIP guideSubmit
Up to 45 + 45 daysThe application moves to In Progress. HHSC has up to 45 days to confirm it is complete, then up to 45 days to issue or deny the license.
26 TAC §558.31(b)
The $2,625 is a state fee paid to HHSC, not a CareRulebook price. "Please note that the link is valid for 30 minutes." If it expires, close the application and refresh the page.
CareRulebook
Licensed? Next comes the survey.
Within six months of the license, HHSC surveys your agency and checks your written policies. CareRulebook writes the Texas policies Chapter 558 requires, with your agency's details filled in and the rule quoted under every policy.
- 35 policies, 48 rule requirements mapped
- Live preview of your own manual before you pay
- Editable Word and PDF, delivered instantly
Preview your manual
$199CareRulebook founding price for the first 50 Texas agencies, then $249. Not an HHSC fee.
After you submit
HHSC reviews the application and documents to decide whether they are complete and accurate. If anything is missing, it sends a notice through TULIP. "HHSC sends only one electronic notice through the online portal of the information needed to complete the application." You have 30 days to supply what it asks for, or HHSC may deny the application and keep the fee. §558.12(d)
Once HHSC issues the license, it lasts three years. You can then admit clients. Within six months you must serve your first client and request the initial survey on HHSC Form 2020. What happens at the survey →
If TULIP does not generate your renewal application later, HHSC says "it is the provider or occupational licensee’s responsibility to reach out to HHSC TULIP Support" before the license expires. PL 2023-20 §2.6
Why applications fail
Not answering the deficiency notice in 30 days
HHSC sends one notice listing what is missing. Miss the 30 days and it may deny the application and keep the fee.
§558.12(d)Incorrect, false or missing information
HHSC may deny the application or assess an administrative penalty.
§558.12(b)An owner or controlling person’s history
For example an unsatisfied judgment, child support arrears, a tax lien in the last two years, or a license action in the last 12 months.
§558.11(i)Presurvey Training not done first
The administrator and alternate must finish it before you submit.
§558.13(a)Serving clients before the license
You must not admit a client or start services until the initial license is issued.
§558.11(a)Proposed · not in force
HHSC’s 2026 rewrite of Chapter 558 would add a denial ground: a listed person who, in the 12 months before applying, "has a history in any state or other jurisdiction of willfully operating an agency without a valid and active license". Comments close on October 19, 2026. Read the rule-change guide →
Myths about applying
Can you mail HHSC a paper license application?
No. HHSC no longer accepts paper applications. It returns any that are mailed, emailed or faxed, with instructions to apply through TULIP.
"HHSC no longer accepts or processes paper applications."
Can I take clients while my application is pending?
No. You cannot admit a client or start services until the initial license is issued.
"An applicant for a license must not admit a client or initiate services until the applicant completes the application process and receives an initial license."
Does HHSC give you a list of required policies?
No. The requirements are spread through Chapter 558. Our crosswalk maps each rule to the policy that covers it.
"HHSC does not maintain a list of policies required for HCSSA agencies."
Can I use a virtual office or mailbox address?
No. HHSC says the place of business must be a permanent physical place. The proposed 2026 rules would put the ban into the rule text.
"An agency cannot have a virtual office as its place of business. It must be a permanent physical place."
Frequently asked questions
What is TULIP?
The Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal, HHSC’s online system for long-term care licensing. Texas home care agencies (HCSSAs) submit initial, renewal and change-of-ownership applications and pay license fees there. HHSC no longer accepts paper applications.
Which form is the Texas home care license application?
Form 2021, the Home and Community Support Services Agency application for a parent agency. TULIP creates it when you start an initial application. Branch offices use Form 2025.
What documents do I upload in TULIP?
TULIP shows the list for your application and marks each required document “This document is required” in red. HHSC does not publish the Form 2021 document list outside TULIP, so check it in the portal once you start the application. Your policies must be ready for the initial survey, which comes after the license is issued.
How long does a TULIP application take to process?
The rules give HHSC up to 45 days to confirm a paid application is complete, then up to 45 days to issue or deny the license. If something is missing, HHSC sends one notice and you have 30 days to reply.
How do I pay the license fee in TULIP?
By ACH or credit card through Texas.gov, or by printing a payment coupon and mailing it with a check or money order. HHSC’s fee is $2,625 for an initial three-year license, it is not refundable, and HHSC does not review an application until payment is received.
Who should register for TULIP?
Each person who works on the application registers with their own email. HHSC strongly recommends against shared addresses like info@, because the account is tied to the person’s Social Security number. Each provider must also name at least two security authorities, who approve other users’ access.
Who do I contact about a TULIP problem?
For technical problems, TULIP Support at 512-438-2584 (8am to 5pm, excluding state holidays) or the support link inside TULIP. For questions about the application itself, HHSC Licensing and Credentialing at 512-438-2630 or LTC_HCSSA_Licensing@hhs.texas.gov.
Do I need a new application if I buy an existing agency?
Yes. A change of ownership is an application for an initial license, submitted in TULIP.
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Sources
- 26 TAC Chapter 558, Licensing Standards for Home and Community Support Services Agencies · Texas HHSC (text via Cornell LII) · retrieved September 30, 2026
- How to Become a Licensed HCSSA Provider · Texas HHSC · retrieved September 30, 2026
- HCSSA Computer-Based Trainings (Presurvey CBT) · Texas HHSC · retrieved September 30, 2026
- Provider Letter PL 2023-20: Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal (TULIP), updated and additional information · Texas HHSC · retrieved September 30, 2026
- TULIP Portal Provider Training Guide (2018, revised 2022) · Texas HHSC · retrieved September 30, 2026
- HCSSA provider webinar slides, April 2024 · Texas HHSC · retrieved September 30, 2026
- Proposed Rules, 26 TAC Chapter 558 (rule project 22R045), 51 TexReg 6429, September 18, 2026 · Texas Register · retrieved September 30, 2026