New Jersey home care license requirements
Bottom line: Yes (registration) — DCA Health Care Service Firm registration + accreditation.
WATCH Watch item: P.L. 2026, c. 45 (July 22, 2026) changed Medicaid Personal Care Assistance thresholds and reporting.
- License required?
- Yes (registration)
- License / pathway
- DCA Health Care Service Firm registration + accreditation
- Fees (initial / renewal)
- Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency; $10,000 bond
From the 50-state summary. Fees shown as stated in the state entry; see each entry for conditions, conflicts, and sources.
New Jersey requirements, item by item
Bracketed numbers link to the official sources at the bottom of this page.
Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency We could not confirm this item on an official state source during our review, so we did not estimate it.
| Item | What the guide found |
|---|---|
| License required? | Covered firms must register as a Health Care Service Firm when they provide, employ, place, arrange, or refer personnel for companion, health care, or personal care services in the residence of a person with a disability or someone age 60 or older. The facts do not establish that this requirement applies universally to every non-medical agency. [1][2] |
| License type / name | Health Care Service Firm registration, under N.J.A.C. 13:45B-13.1 et seq. The guide advises contacting the Regulated Business Section to confirm the specific registration type. [3][2] |
| Licensing agency | New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Law and Public Safety. [1][2] |
| Agency website | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Initial application / license fee | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Renewal fee | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Renewal cycle | Annual; renew registration on or before July 1 each year (N.J.A.C. 13:45B as published by DCA). [4] |
| Typical approval timeline | No official timeline published — check with the agency |
| Administrator qualifications | A health care service firm must obtain, within 12 months of registration, accreditation from a body recognized by the Commissioner of Human Services for homemaker agencies participating in Medicaid. Registered firms must submit an audit in the third calendar year after registration and every third year thereafter. [1] |
| Caregiver background checks | CHHA applicants must complete federal and state criminal history background checks. The facts do not specify a background-check requirement for agency owners or as a condition of Health Care Service Firm registration. [5] |
| Caregiver training hours | Not confirmed in official sources — check with the state agency |
| Registry checks | The Board of Nursing maintains a registry of individuals who successfully complete homemaker-home health aide training and competency evaluation. [2] |
| General liability insurance | Evidence of liability insurance is required for the applicant pathways listed on the JACC forms. The facts do not establish it as a universal Health Care Service Firm registration requirement. [6][7] |
| Workers' compensation | Employees must be covered by workers’ compensation. The JACC forms also require evidence of coverage for their listed applicant pathways. [2][6][7] |
| Bonding (surety / dishonesty) | $10,000 bond to secure compliance (renewed annually unless perpetual); the Director may waive it for entities with net worth of $100,000+ shown by a CPA-certified financial report (N.J.A.C. 13:45B, as published by the Division of Consumer Affairs). [4] |
| Rule changes 2025–2026 | P.L. 2026, c. 45 was approved July 22, 2026, and takes effect immediately; the sources reviewed say it raises specified Medicaid Personal Care Assistance thresholds from $250,000 to $500,000 and changes reporting requirements. S3463 (introduced February 12, 2026) and A5015 (introduced May 7, 2026) are presented as bills, not enacted changes. A4790 was amended June 11, 2026, and its text says it would take effect immediately, but the sources reviewed do not establish enactment. [8][9][10][11] |
Source notes and conflicts
The 2019 guide says all health care service firms must register, while the statutes describe covered firms and qualifying client residences; the starter kit says to register only “if Applicable” and does not resolve application to every non-medical agency. The Certificate of Need listing concerns a Home Health Care Agency and does not establish that requirement for the non-medical agency pathway described here.
Sources
- P.L. 2019, c.048 (S2773)
https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2018/AL19/48_.HTM - HOME HEALTH AIDE | New Jersey Board of Nursing
https://www.nj.gov/state/bac/assets/pdf/quick-start/home-health-aide-2019-09-R1.pdf - [PDF] CHAPTER 29 AN ACT concerning licensure of health care service ...
https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2014/PL14/29_.PDF - N.J.A.C. 13:45B (Division of Consumer Affairs)
https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/regulations/Chapter-45B-Subchapter-14-Placement-of-Health-Care-Practitioners.pdf - a presentation for new jersey personal care agencies
https://www.nj.gov/comptroller/library/Resources/PCA%20Presentation_FINAL%20(7.25.2023).pdf - [PDF] ATTENDANT CARE EVALUATION Definition - NJ.gov
https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/doas/forms/JACC-3.pdf - [DOC] JACC-8.docx - NJ.gov
https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/doas/forms/JACC-8.docx - PL 2026, CHAPTER 45, approved July 22, 2026
https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2026/AL26/45_.PDF - pub.njleg.state.nj.us
https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2026/S3500/3463_I1.HTM - A5015 - NJ Legislature
https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2026/A5500/5015_I1.HTM - [PDF] STATE OF NEW JERSEY - NJ Legislature
https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2026/A5000/4790_R1.PDF
Limits: fees and forms change often. Agencies sometimes post conflicting figures (a statute vs. an older form); those conflicts are shown, not resolved by guessing. Confirm the current fee with the agency before filing. This guide is a research reference, not legal advice.
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