Do You Need a License or Certification to Be a Paid Family Caregiver?

Many people who search "how to become a caregiver" or "certified caregiver for a family member" assume they need a nursing license or an expensive course before they can be paid to care for someone they love. In Michigan and Maryland, that usually isn't true. If you are caring for a family member who has Medicaid, you can often become a paid family caregiver without a license or caregiver certification. This guide explains what each state actually requires, and what it doesn't.

The Short Answer

No license or certification is required to become a paid family caregiver through Michigan's Home Help Program or Maryland's Community First Choice (CFC) and Community Personal Assistance Services (CPAS) programs. What you do need is to be at least 18, pass a background check, and complete the program's enrollment steps. In Maryland, that includes state-required training, which Family Love Care provides for free.

Why No License Is Needed

These programs pay for personal care: help with bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and getting around the home. That is non-medical care, the kind family members already provide every day. Skilled nursing tasks are different and are handled by licensed professionals, such as nurses and therapists from home health agencies.

Certified nursing assistants and home care aides with state certification exist, and some people earn a caregiver certification to work in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, or for other families. But you don't need that to care for your own loved one through a Medicaid program.

What Michigan Requires

In Michigan, paid family caregivers work through the Michigan Home Help Program (opens in new tab) or, for people with both Medicare and Medicaid in certain regions, MI Coordinated Health (opens in new tab). According to the MDHHS Adult Services Manual (opens in new tab), a Home Help caregiver must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Pass a criminal history background check.
• Enroll as a provider in CHAMPS, Michigan's Medicaid provider system. When done correctly, CHAMPS enrollment can take as little as 24 to 48 hours.
• Use electronic visit verification (EVV) to clock in and out.

No license or certification is required. Caregivers who work directly with the state set up the HHAeXchange app and also enter the work done in CHAMPS for every day worked. They can enter it at the end of the month, but each day needs its own entry. Caregivers who work through Family Love Care are set up and trained on our clock-in app, with nothing to submit in CHAMPS.

Who can be paid in Michigan: adult children, grandchildren, siblings, other relatives, friends, and neighbors. Two exceptions: a spouse cannot be paid to care for their husband or wife, and a parent cannot be paid to care for their own minor child. Another person can be paid instead only if the spouse or parent can't give the care because of their own physical limitations, or because they work and aren't available. A parent can be paid once the child turns 18. See our Michigan caregiver requirements (opens in new tab) for more.

What Maryland Requires

In Maryland, paid family caregivers work through CFC or CPAS and are employed by a licensed Residential Service Agency, a home care agency like Family Love Care. The agency must run a criminal history records check on every caregiver and employ a registered nurse, according to COMAR 10.09.84.06 (opens in new tab). To become a paid caregiver in Maryland, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old and legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Pass background checks.
• Complete state-required training, which Family Love Care provides at no cost.

A nursing license or CNA certification isn't needed for personal care. Additional training or certification is only required for certain medical tasks; for example, a caregiver who gives medications must be a certified medication technician.

Who can be paid in Maryland: adult children, other relatives, friends, and neighbors. In Maryland, spouses CAN be paid. A parent can never be paid to care for their own minor child in any program. Once the child turns 18, a parent can be paid as their caregiver. See our Maryland CFC caregiver requirements (opens in new tab) for more.

What About the Person Receiving Care?

The eligibility requirements that matter most are about the care recipient, not the caregiver. In both states, the person receiving care must have Medicaid, or be close to qualifying, and have a documented need for help with daily living. In Michigan, that means hands-on help with at least one activity of daily living. In Maryland, CPAS requires help with at least one activity of daily living, and CFC requires a nursing facility level of care.

What Is an Unlicensed Caregiver Called?

It depends on the program. In Michigan, MDHHS calls a paid Home Help caregiver an "individual caregiver" when they work directly with the state; some families still say "chore provider." In Maryland, a paid caregiver in CFC or CPAS provides "personal assistance services." None of these roles requires a license when the care is non-medical.

How Much Does a Caregiver Certificate Cost?

For family caregivers in these programs, nothing, because no certificate is required. Private caregiver certification courses do exist and cost varies widely. In Maryland, the training the program requires is provided free by Family Love Care.

How Much Will the Government Pay You to Be a Caregiver?

• Michigan: $17.13 per hour if paid directly by the state in 2026, according to MDHHS Adult Services Bulletin 2026-002 (opens in new tab). Through Family Love Care, $18 or more per hour.
• Maryland: through Family Love Care, $15 to $18 per hour, depending on the program, location, and care needs.

Total pay depends on the hours approved for your loved one.

Will Social Security Pay Me to Take Care of My Elderly Parents?

No. Social Security doesn't pay family caregivers. Medicaid programs like Home Help, CFC, and CPAS are how most families get paid.

Start Without the Certification Worry

If you are already caring for a family member, you likely have what it takes. Family Love Care is a home care agency that helps families in Michigan and Maryland with enrollment in Medicaid home care benefits, and employs and pays family caregivers, with no license required. Contact Family Love Care (opens in new tab) to learn how to become a paid caregiver for your loved one.