What it costs to open a PA home care agency

The license itself costs $100 per office

The Department of Health charges $100 to apply for or renew a home care agency or registry license, per location, and does not refund it.

That is the smallest number in your budget and the one people fixate on. The real spending sits around it: the office, the entity filings, the checks on every person you hire, insurance, and payroll from the first shift.

Because the fee is per location and non-refundable, an application sent back as incomplete costs you the fee again when you resubmit. Getting the packet right once, using the licensing steps, is the cheapest thing you can do.

$100Pennsylvania's home care agency or registry application and renewal fee is $100, with no rebate, refund or prorating. — 28 Pa. Code § 611.2, Pennsylvania Code, retrieved 2026-09-27

Department of State filing fees for the business entity

Forming a Pennsylvania LLC or corporation costs $125 at the Department of State, and a fictitious name for trading under a different brand is another $70.

Those are the state's fees whoever files. Standard processing is included in them; faster turnaround is extra, and the Department prices it steeply. Unless you are racing a lease start date, standard filing is usually enough, since the Department of Health review takes longer than the entity filing does.

The annual report adds $7 a year from the second year on, which is covered on the annual obligations page.

$125The Pennsylvania Department of State charges $125 to file a domestic LLC Certificate of Organization or domestic business corporation Articles of Incorporation. — Pennsylvania Department of State, Fees and Payments, retrieved 2026-09-27

$70Pennsylvania charges $70 to register a fictitious name. — Pennsylvania Department of State, Fees and Payments, retrieved 2026-09-27

$100 to $1,000Pennsylvania's expedited filing surcharges are $100 for same-day, $300 for 3-hour and $1,000 for 1-hour service. — Pennsylvania Department of State, Fees and Payments, retrieved 2026-09-27

Background checks are a per-person cost that never stops

Every caregiver, office staffer and owner needs a criminal history report, and a State Police check costs $22 while an FBI fingerprint check costs $26.20.

Which one a person needs depends on residency. Two years or more in Pennsylvania means the State Police check; anyone newer to the state needs the FBI check as well as a Department of Aging determination. Serving children adds a ChildLine clearance on top.

Budget this as a recruiting cost, not a startup cost. Home care turnover means you will pay it again and again, and a candidate who fails the check or never starts still cost you the fee. The ordering process is in the background check guide.

$22A Pennsylvania State Police individual criminal background check costs $22, with an optional $5 notarization. — Pennsylvania State Police, retrieved 2026-09-27

$26.20The Pennsylvania Department of Aging lists the FBI background check fee as $26.20, effective June 15, 2024. — Pennsylvania Department of Aging, retrieved 2026-09-27

The EIN and payroll registrations, where deadlines cost money

The federal EIN costs nothing, while the state payroll registrations come due within weeks of your first hire, and missing that deadline is where the real cost appears.

The EIN comes straight from the IRS in minutes. The unemployment compensation registration is the one to watch: Pennsylvania wants it within 30 days of the first covered work, and the penalty for missing it can reach $10,000 per assessment. That turns a free form into one of the most expensive items on this page if forgotten.

Anyone selling you an EIN is selling the typing. The payroll registrations are laid out on the payroll page.

$0The IRS does not charge a fee for an employer identification number. — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-09-27

up to $10,000New Pennsylvania employers that do not register for unemployment compensation within 30 days of first covered services face a penalty of up to $10,000 per assessment. — Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, retrieved 2026-09-27

Insurance is the cost the state does not price for you

Workers' compensation is mandatory once you have one employee, but no state fee schedule prices it; your premium depends on your payroll and your carrier.

Chapter 611 sets no liability insurance dollar minimum for the license. Where coverage becomes a condition is Medicaid waiver work, which requires commercial general liability and workers' compensation before you can enroll. Get quotes before you sign an office lease, because insurance can outweigh every state fee on this page combined.

What each policy covers, and when it is required, is on the insurance page.

Pennsylvania requires employers with at least one employee who could be injured at work in the state to insure their workers' compensation liability. — Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, retrieved 2026-09-27

Budget for a second office before you promise a second county

A second office repeats the $100 license fee and the whole initial application, because Pennsylvania home care has no branch licenses.

That is often cheaper than it sounds in fees and more expensive in effort. The Department allows an existing office to add counties by letter, with a plan for staffing and supervision when those counties are not adjacent. Try that route first if your growth is a matter of reach rather than a new team.

Whichever route you choose, get it approved before you sign clients in the new area.

Each separately licensed Pennsylvania home care location requires a separate application and a separate application fee. — 28 Pa. Code § 611.2, Pennsylvania Code, retrieved 2026-09-27

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