Free Guide: How to Start a Companion Care Business in Florida
To start a companion care business in Florida, you register with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) as a homemaker and companion service, Level 2 screen everyone who works with clients, complete Florida's required Alzheimer's and dementia (ADRD) training, and stay out of hands-on personal care. This free, step-by-step path walks you through all of it, with links to the official forms you need.
Why there's a report button. Responsible companion services pay real costs to protect their clients: background screening, Alzheimer's training, insurance, and turning away hands-on care they aren't licensed to give. Not every provider does, and AHCA almost always learns about a problem only when someone files a complaint. If you have a concern about a provider, the section below walks you through what to report, where to send it, and how to keep it factual.
Five things every Florida companion service should know
- Hands-on care is off-limits, and the law treats it as abuse and neglect. Companions and homemakers may not provide personal care (s. 400.462, F.S.). Performing services without the proper license is unlicensed activity, which Florida law says "constitutes abuse and neglect" (s. 408.812(2), F.S.). Offering or advertising those services without a license is also prohibited (s. 408.812(1), F.S.).
- Every caregiver needs Alzheimer's (ADRD) training. Clients don't need a dementia diagnosis for it to apply. The deadline for caregivers who started before July 1, 2023, has passed (s. 430.5025, F.S.).
- Reporting is a legal duty. Anyone aware of an unlicensed provider must report it to AHCA (s. 408.812(7), F.S.). Anyone who suspects a vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected must report it to the Florida Abuse Hotline (s. 415.1034, F.S.).
- AHCA relies on those reports. 279 of 281 companion service inspections on record were complaint investigations.
- Report responsibly. Stick to facts you know firsthand, use the right form, and let AHCA investigate. Don't confront the provider or post accusations publicly.
What a legal, compliant companion service looks like
Florida makes a companion service easy to start: a $50 registration and no initial survey. That's also why so many operate out of compliance, often without knowing it. A compliant companion service does six things:
- Registers with AHCA and puts its registration number in every ad (s. 400.509, F.S.).
- Stays out of hands-on personal care. No bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, or help with medications, and none of it advertised (s. 400.462 and s. 408.812, F.S.). AHCA's Homemaker Companion Services regulation set (the I-tags surveyors cite) spells out what companions and homemakers may and may not do.
- Level 2 screens every caregiver through the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse before they have contact with clients (s. 400.512, F.S.).
- Verifies each caregiver's work history, with two documented attempts (Rule 59A-8.025, F.A.C.).
- Completes ADRD training for every caregiver, whether or not clients have dementia (s. 430.5025, F.S.).
- Keeps a record for each client with contacts, the service agreement, services provided, diet, allergies, and activity limits (Rule 59A-8.025, F.A.C.).
The requirement most companion services miss
Florida's ADRD training law names companion and homemaker providers as covered providers. It applies to every employee, contracted worker, and independent contractor who needs Level 2 screening, which means every caregiver. Under that law, companion and homemaker services count as "personal care," so a caregiver doesn't have to bathe or dress anyone to be covered.
| When | What every caregiver needs |
|---|---|
| At hire or contract | Basic written information about interacting with people who have Alzheimer's disease or related dementias |
| Within 30 days | The Department of Elder Affairs' free 1-hour online ADRD training |
| Within 7 months | 2 more hours of ADRD training from an approved provider |
Caregivers who started before July 1, 2023, had until July 1, 2026, to finish. That deadline has passed.
C-E-U.com, the continuing education company I co-own, is an approved provider of the 2-hour training. Of the 10,690 Florida ADRD completions it recorded in 2026, one was documented as companion-service work. That suggests the requirement is widely overlooked.
Or get a caregiver a full year of unlimited access to every caregiver course on C-E-U.com, ADRD and HIV/AIDS included, for $18.99 with the ALL Access Caregiver Bundle.
What's in the free companion startup path
- Nine steps, from knowing your scope to serving your first client, including the law and the logic behind each one
- A checklist of what to keep on file at each step, with links to the official forms
- Employees or independent contractors: a side-by-side checklist to help you decide
- How to market within your scope, and the words that get companion services in trouble
- How to tell when you've outgrown the companion model, and what the move to a nurse registry takes
Enter your details below and your path opens right away. By signing up, you agree to our Free Resources Terms: this is general educational information, not legal, tax, or professional advice.
Report a non-compliant companion or home care provider
Following the law costs money: background screening, training, insurance, and payroll taxes. Providers who skip those steps can underprice the ones who don't, and they put clients at risk. Florida law requires anyone aware of an unlicensed provider to report it to AHCA (s. 408.812, F.S.). AHCA also takes complaints about registered providers that skip requirements like ADRD training or background screening.
Companion registrations don't go through an initial survey, so in practice a complaint is usually how AHCA learns a companion service is out of compliance.
What AHCA's own records show
We reviewed every homemaker and companion inspection in AHCA's public Statement of Deficiencies database, covering 2012 through July 2026 (pulled October 2026).
- 279 of 281 inspections were complaint investigations. AHCA almost never inspects a companion service unless someone reports it.
- In all of 2025, AHCA inspected 14 companion services statewide, every one in response to a complaint.
The five most common citations against Florida companion services
| # | Violation | Providers cited |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providing services beyond the registration, such as hands-on personal care or other home health services | 81 |
| 2 | Background screening violations | 55 |
| 3 | Refusing, or not being available for, an AHCA inspection | 30 |
| 4 | Registration problems, such as an unreported address change | 29 |
| 5 | Employment history not verified | 25 |
2012 through July 2026, grouped by violation type. 2025 alone was too small to rank: 8 citations at 6 providers, with no violation cited more than once.
Know the law before you report
Hands-on care by a companion service is, by law, abuse and neglect. A companion or homemaker registration doesn't cover personal care like bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, or help with medications (s. 400.462, F.S.). Performing services that require licensure without the proper license is unlicensed activity, and Florida law says unlicensed activity "constitutes harm that materially affects the health, safety, and welfare of clients, and constitutes abuse and neglect" (s. 408.812(2), F.S.). A registration counts as a license for this purpose (s. 408.803, F.S.), so a registered companion service that crosses into personal care is in violation of the law and can be held liable.
Missing Alzheimer's (ADRD) training is a violation, whether or not clients have dementia. Every companion and homemaker caregiver needs it: written information at hire, the free 1-hour course within 30 days, and 2 more hours within 7 months (s. 430.5025, F.S.). Report a registered provider whose caregivers don't have it on AHCA's Health Care Facility Complaint Form.
Reporting is a legal duty, not just an option. Anyone aware of an unlicensed provider must report it to AHCA (s. 408.812(7), F.S.). Separately, any person who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected must immediately report it to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873) or online (s. 415.1034, F.S.). Because the law defines unlicensed activity as abuse and neglect, hands-on care from a provider not licensed to give it can fall under both duties.
Want to offer hands-on care? Do it legally.
If your families keep asking for help with bathing, dressing, or transfers, the answer isn't to stretch your companion registration. It's to become a licensed nurse registry. A Florida nurse registry can refer independent CNAs, home health aides, and nurses who provide personal care, along with the companions and homemakers you already work with. It's also the structure Florida built for the independent contractor model.
I've run a Florida nurse registry since 2007, and I help companion services make this move: the license application, policies, the initial AHCA survey, and the day-to-day compliance that follows.
Reporting a nurse registry, home health agency, or an individual caregiver instead? See our general guide to reporting a home care provider to AHCA.
What to report
- Operating without a registration. Providing or advertising companion or homemaker services without an AHCA registration is unlicensed activity. Under Florida law, a registration counts as a license for this purpose (s. 408.803, F.S.).
- Hands-on personal care under a companion registration. Bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, or medication help require a home health agency license or caregivers referred by a licensed nurse registry. That includes advertising those services.
- A registered provider skipping requirements. Caregivers without ADRD training, caregivers working before Level 2 clearance, or no registration number in ads.
How to report
- Check the provider. Search the business on Florida Health Finder to see whether it holds a current AHCA registration or license, and what type. Screenshot the result, even if you find nothing.
- Use the right form. For a provider with no registration or license, or one providing services its registration doesn't allow, use AHCA's Complaint Form for Unlicensed Health Care Facilities. For a registered provider skipping requirements like ADRD training, use AHCA's Health Care Facility Complaint Form.
- Or call. AHCA's complaint line is 1-888-419-3456, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- When a specific client is involved, also call the Florida Abuse Hotline. If you know of a vulnerable adult getting hands-on care from a provider not licensed to give it, report it to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873) as well as to AHCA. Describe the client's situation and the care being provided, and note that s. 408.812(2), F.S., defines unlicensed activity as abuse and neglect. AHCA handles the provider; the hotline handles the client's safety.
- Include the facts. The business name, address, phone, and website; what you saw or know firsthand, with dates; dated screenshots of ads or web pages; your Health Finder result; and anyone else with firsthand knowledge who is willing to be contacted.
Ready to file? Go straight to AHCA's forms:
What happens next
AHCA's Complaint Administration Unit reviews and prioritizes each complaint. If a client may be in immediate danger, AHCA aims to inspect within two business days. If AHCA has authority, it schedules an inspection; if not, it tells you in writing and refers you elsewhere. Leave your name and contact information and AHCA will send you the outcome in writing (AHCA complaint FAQ).
You can file anonymously, but you won't hear back, and AHCA notes that your identity isn't protected unless you stay anonymous. Complaints about events more than 12 months old usually don't lead to an onsite inspection, so report promptly. Once AHCA notifies an unlicensed provider, continuing to operate can bring fines of $1,000 per day and an injunction.
Stick to facts you can support. Don't confront the provider or post accusations publicly. Let AHCA investigate.
Already filed? Tell us how it went. What we hear shapes our training for providers and our advocacy work with PCA Florida.
If you suspect abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873). If someone is in danger now, call 911.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to start a companion care business in Florida?
No. Florida companion and homemaker services register with AHCA instead of getting a license. The fee is $50 per biennium under s. 400.509, F.S. (AHCA lists $50.75), and your registration number must appear in your advertising.
Do companion caregivers in Florida need ADRD training?
Yes. Section 430.5025, F.S., covers companion and homemaker providers and every caregiver who needs Level 2 screening: written information at hire, the free 1-hour DOEA course within 30 days, and 2 more hours within 7 months. It applies whether or not your clients have dementia.
Can companion caregivers help with bathing or dressing in Florida?
No. Companions and homemakers may not provide hands-on personal care, including bathing, dressing, toileting, transfers, and help with medications (s. 400.462, F.S.). That requires a licensed home health agency or caregivers referred by a licensed nurse registry.
Can a Florida companion service use independent contractors?
The companion statute doesn't prohibit it, but it doesn't create an independent contractor framework either, so classification depends on federal and state control tests. Most companion services set schedules and rates, and companion work requires no license or formal training, so the business usually directs the work. That points to employees. Florida's nurse registry statute is the framework built for independent contractors.
How do I report an unlicensed companion or home care provider in Florida?
Check the provider on Florida Health Finder, then file AHCA's online Complaint Form for Unlicensed Health Care Facilities or call 1-888-419-3456. Include the business name, what you saw, dates, and screenshots of any ads.
Is it abuse for a companion service to provide hands-on care in Florida?
Under Florida law, yes. Hands-on personal care requires a license a companion registration doesn't provide, and s. 408.812(2), F.S., says unlicensed activity constitutes abuse and neglect as defined in s. 415.102. Report the provider to AHCA, and call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE when a specific client is involved.
How long does it take to register a companion service in Florida?
There's no initial survey, so timing mostly depends on how complete your application is and how quickly Level 2 screening clears for your managing employee and financial officer. Set up your business first so the application goes in complete.
Not sure which model fits your plans?
Book a free 15-minute consultation. We'll talk through where you are, whether to start as a companion service or go straight to a nurse registry, and what makes sense for your business.
Book a free 15-minute consultationThis page is general regulatory information based on the Florida statutes and rules cited. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice.