Texas · Step-by-step licensing guide
How to start a home care agency in Texas
To start a home care agency in Texas, you need a Home and Community Support Services Agency (HCSSA) license in the Personal Assistance Services category from Texas HHSC under 26 TAC Chapter 558. The path: form an entity in good standing, complete the administrator training and pre-survey CBT, write the policy manual, apply in TULIP with the $2,625 fee, then admit a client and pass the initial survey within 6 months.
Informational summary of Texas regulations, not legal advice. We are not affiliated with any state agency. Verify current requirements with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
Step 1: What legal entity do you need to form?
Form the business and get it in good standing with both the Texas Secretary of State and the Texas Comptroller; HHSC requires both before it will issue the license. The Certificate of Formation for a Texas LLC (Form 205) is $300. There is no separate “home care license” in Texas: a non-medical agency applies for the HCSSA license in the Personal Assistance Services (PAS) category.
- File the Certificate of Formation with the Texas Secretary of State; the LLC filing fee is $300 per the Form 205 instructions.
- Good standing with the Comptroller (franchise tax) is a licensing prerequisite alongside Secretary of State standing.
- PAS is one of three HCSSA categories; home health and hospice are the skilled categories and require a supervising nurse. A PAS-only agency needs an administrator and an alternate administrator instead.
Step 2: What pre-license training do the administrator and alternate need?
Before designation, a first-time administrator must complete 8 clock hours of HCSSA administrator training under 26 TAC §558.259, with 24 additional clock hours within the first 12 months after designation. For a PAS-only agency, both the administrator and the alternate must also complete the HCSSA Pre-Survey Computer-Based Training, which satisfies the pre-survey conference requirement.
- The 8 clock hours come before designation, not after; designating an untrained administrator is a common application defect (§558.259).
- The Pre-Survey CBT is required for the administrator and the alternate at a PAS-only agency; see HHSC's HCSSA training page for the current course.
- Unlike the skilled HCSSA categories, PAS does not require a supervising nurse, but RN delegation rules still apply when unlicensed staff perform health-related tasks (§558.404(d)).
Step 3: What goes in the written policy and procedure manual?
Texas requires a full written policy set under 26 TAC Chapter 558, and HHSC supplies no manual or template. The initial on-site surveyor verifies that every required policy exists and is enforced: staffing under §558.245, emergency preparedness under §558.256, client rights and complaints under §558.282, infection control under §558.285, client records under §558.301, and PAS supervision and service planning under §558.404. Every mandated policy, with its citation:
Staffing: orientation, job-specific training and competency, written job descriptions, criminal-history and registry checks for unlicensed personnel, annual evaluations, disciplinary procedures, and a signed staff statement of compliance
26 TAC §558.245
Client conduct/responsibilities and client rights: the written grievance mechanism a client can use without reprisal, with notice that complaints may go to HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake or the administrator
26 TAC §558.282
Emergency preparedness and response: disaster coordinator + alternate, continuity-of-operations plan, client triage/evacuation, staff roles and training, and annual drills
26 TAC §558.256
Infection control: written policies for standard precautions, surveillance of clients with infections, and safe disposal of medical waste
26 TAC §558.285
Supervision of personnel: PAS agencies must adopt a written supervision policy with client/family input on frequency
26 TAC §558.404(g)
Individualized service plan / scope of PAS: types, frequency, and duration of services for each client
26 TAC §558.404 (incl. (f))
RN delegation for health-related tasks performed by unlicensed personnel, consistent with Texas Board of Nursing rules
26 TAC §558.404(d) (22 TAC Ch. 225)
Abuse, neglect, and exploitation reporting: immediate (within 24 hours) reporting to DFPS (1-800-252-5400) and HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake (1-800-458-9858)
26 TAC §558.282; HSC Ch. 260A
Client records: content, retention, confidentiality, and release of client information
26 TAC §558.301
Every policy above, written out to 26 TAC Chapter 558 with the citation beside it:
Step 4: How do you submit the application?
Apply in TULIP, the Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal, via Form 2021, upload the required documents, and pay the non-refundable $2,625 initial license fee for a parent agency (a 3-year term; an alternate delivery site adds $1,500). If HHSC posts deficiencies in TULIP, you have 30 days to cure them; once the application is complete, HHSC issues or denies the license within about 45 days.
- The fee is non-refundable, so fix entity standing, training, and document gaps before you file, not after.
- The 45-day issue-or-deny window runs from a complete application; an incomplete filing does not start the clock.
Step 5: What happens after the license issues?
In Texas the license comes before the survey. You become operational by admitting and serving at least one client under the PAS category, file Form 2020 (Notification of Readiness for Initial Survey), and obtain the initial on-site survey no later than 6 months after the license effective date under 26 TAC §558.521. At that survey, the surveyor reviews the client list and verifies your full written policy set is adopted and enforced.
- Plan the first-client pipeline before the license issues; the 6-month survey clock starts on the license effective date (§558.521).
- A fully surveyed PAS agency commonly takes several months end to end: entity setup, training, the ~45-day application window, first client, then the survey.
Preparing for the survey? Everything the surveyor verifies, document by document.
Texassurvey checklist →What it costs to start a home care agency in Texas
| Item | Cost | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial HCSSA license fee (parent agency) | $2,625 | 3-year term, non-refundable; per HHSC's HCSSA licensing materials. |
| Each alternate delivery site | $1,500 | Additional non-refundable fee per site, per HHSC. |
| Entity formation (Texas LLC, Form 205) | $300 | Texas Secretary of State Form 205 instructions. |
| Administrator training (8 clock hours + 24 within 12 months) | Varies, see HHSC-listed providers | Required by 26 TAC §558.259; course pricing is set by training providers, not HHSC. |
| Pre-Survey Computer-Based Training | Varies, see HHSC | Required for the administrator and alternate at a PAS-only agency; see HHSC's HCSSA training page. |
| Policy & procedure manual | $149 | Our made-to-order Chapter 558 manual; start-up consultants charge $1,000 to $4,000 for the same document. |
Only the figures with a citation are verified; “varies” cells are set by the named program or vendor, not by Chapter 558. Fees change, so confirm each with HHSC and the Texas Secretary of State before relying on it.
Common mistakes that stall Texas applications
Designating an administrator before the required training
The 8 clock hours of administrator training must be completed before designation under §558.259, and for a PAS-only agency both the administrator and the alternate need the Pre-Survey CBT. Skipping either stalls the application.
Treating an incomplete TULIP application as filed
The roughly 45-day issue-or-deny window runs from a complete application, and deficiencies HHSC posts in TULIP carry a 30-day cure window. Missing entity-standing proof, training certificates, or documents effectively resets your timeline, and the $2,625 fee is non-refundable either way.
Bringing a generic template manual to the initial survey
HHSC supplies no manual or template, and the initial on-site surveyor verifies each Chapter 558 policy exists and is enforced: §558.245 staffing, §558.256 emergency preparedness, §558.282 client rights, §558.285 infection control, §558.301 client records, and the §558.404 PAS supervision and service-plan rules. National templates keyed to no rule chapter fail that check.
Stopping when the license issues
Texas issues the license before the survey. You must admit at least one client, file Form 2020, and pass the initial on-site survey within 6 months of the license effective date (§558.521); an agency with no client pipeline burns that window.
A fraction of the start-up consultant’s price.
Start-up consultants charge $1,000–$4,000 to assemble these documents by hand, and instant template shops are instant because they sell everyone the same generic document. Every manual is made to order: built from your agency details, organized to your state's rules, and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Founding pricing is limited to the first 25 agencies; after that the State P&P Manual is $199.
Delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. This is a self-prepared operational document you adopt for your own agency, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of license approval.
Texas licensing FAQ
How much does it cost to start a home care agency in Texas?
The initial HCSSA license fee is $2,625 for a parent agency, covers a three-year term, and is non-refundable; an alternate delivery site adds $1,500. Forming a Texas LLC costs $300, and you should budget separately for the 8-hour administrator training, the pre-survey CBT, insurance, and the written policy manual the initial survey verifies.
How long does it take to get a home care license in Texas?
After a complete application in the TULIP portal, HHSC issues or denies the license within about 45 days, with 30 days to cure any posted deficiencies. You then admit at least one client and obtain the initial on-site survey within 6 months of the license effective date, so a fully surveyed agency commonly takes several months.
Do I need a policy and procedure manual in Texas?
Yes. 26 TAC Chapter 558 requires written policies covering staffing (§558.245), emergency preparedness (§558.256), client rights and complaints (§558.282), infection control (§558.285), client records (§558.301), and PAS supervision and service planning (§558.404). HHSC supplies no template, and the initial on-site surveyor verifies every required policy exists and is enforced.
Can I use a generic template manual?
You can try, but the surveyor checks your policies against Chapter 558 specifically: the §558.282 grievance mechanism with the HHSC complaint-intake notice, the §558.256 emergency-preparedness plan with a named disaster coordinator, and the §558.404(g) supervision policy with client and family input. Generic national templates keyed to no rule chapter are what fail initial surveys.
Do I need a nurse to run a non-medical home care agency in Texas?
Not on staff. The Personal Assistance Services category covers routine personal care that is not professional nursing, and a PAS-only agency needs an administrator and an alternate administrator rather than a supervising nurse. RN delegation rules still apply when unlicensed personnel perform health-related tasks, consistent with Texas Board of Nursing rules (§558.404(d)).
Comparing states? Fees, timelines, and mandated policies for every state we cover, side by side.
Home care license requirements by state →Sources
- www.hhs.texas.gov/providers/long-term-care-providers/home-community-support-services-agencies-hcssa/how-become-a-licensed-hcssa-provider
- www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/26-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-558-2
- www.hhs.texas.gov/providers/long-term-care-providers/home-community-support-services-agencies-hcssa/hcssa-training
- www.sos.state.tx.us/corp/instructions/205.shtml
Last verified: July 15, 2026. Informational summary, not legal advice; not affiliated with any state agency. Regulations and fees change, so confirm current requirements with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) before relying on them.
Ready to submit a license-ready manual?
Order your state P&P manual now, built to your state and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Or see a sample section by email first.
Want to judge the quality first? We’ll email you a sample section from a state P&P manual.