Reviewed by Scott Strachan, RN BSN
Quick answer: Most independent caregivers in Florida work through a licensed nurse registry, which refers them to private clients as independent contractors. To get started, choose your role (companion, home health aide, or CNA), complete the training that role requires, pass a Level 2 background screening, and gather the documents a registry must keep on file: a health statement, an HIV/AIDS course, Alzheimer's (ADRD) training, and CPR for CNAs and home health aides.
Step 1: Choose Your Caregiver Role
What you are allowed to do depends on your credential. Florida recognizes three main roles for independent caregivers.
Companion or Homemaker
Companions and homemakers provide non-medical help: companionship, supervision, light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, and transportation. They do not provide hands-on personal care such as bathing or toileting. Florida sets no minimum training hours for this role, but you still need ADRD training, an HIV/AIDS course, and background screening before a registry can refer you (see Step 3).
Home Health Aide (HHA)
Home health aides help clients with bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming, eating, and transfers. Florida does not certify or license home health aides, so there is no state exam to pass and no state certificate to apply for. What you need is proof of completed training, and the required hours depend on where you work:
Through a nurse registry: at least 40 hours of home health aide training from a public vocational-technical school or a private school approved by the Florida Commission for Independent Education (Rule 59A-18.0081, F.A.C.). If you trained in another state, you need a certificate of completion from a school licensed in that state.
Through a Medicare-certified home health agency: at least 75 hours of training, including 16 hours of supervised practical training, plus 12 hours of in-service training every year (42 CFR 484.80).
A certified nursing assistant may also work as a home health aide.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
CNAs are certified by the Florida Board of Nursing. You become certified by completing a state-approved CNA training program and passing the competency exam, which includes a written test and a skills demonstration. Once certified, CNAs must complete 24 hours of in-service training every two-year renewal period (s. 464.203, F.S.). See the Florida Board of Nursing CNA FAQs for current application steps.
Scope of practice: When a nurse registry refers a CNA or home health aide, the client must be under a physician's care, and the caregiver is limited to bathing, dressing, toileting, grooming, eating, physical transfers, and similar daily routines. CNAs and home health aides may not provide services that only licensed nurses can perform (s. 400.506(6)(b), F.S.).
Step 2: Decide How You Will Find Clients
Working Through a Nurse Registry (Most Common)
A licensed nurse registry refers you to private clients who need care. Florida law defines caregivers referred by a registry as independent contractors, not employees of the registry (s. 400.506(6)(d), F.S.). You decide which clients to accept and when you work. The registry finds clients, verifies your credentials, and keeps required records. By law, the registry cannot supervise, manage, or train you (s. 400.506(19), F.S.).
Working Directly for a Family
You can also be hired directly by a client or family. On this path you handle everything yourself: finding clients, background screening, contracts, insurance, and taxes. If you plan to offer companion or homemaker services as a business, Florida law requires registration with the Agency for Health Care Administration (s. 400.509, F.S.).
Step 3: Gather the Documents a Nurse Registry Requires
Before a nurse registry can refer you, it must have the following on file:
Proof of your credential: CNA certification, home health aide training certificate, or nursing license, verified by the registry (Rule 59A-18.005, F.A.C.).
Level 2 background screening: fingerprint-based screening under s. 400.512, F.S. and chapter 435.
Health statement: current documentation that you are free from communicable diseases (s. 400.506(6)(a), F.S.). You can get a Florida caregiver health statement at MyHealthForm.com.
HIV/AIDS course: proof of completion is required on every registry application (s. 400.506(8)(e), F.S.). Take the HIV/AIDS course for caregivers at C-E-U.com.
Alzheimer's (ADRD) training: DOEA's free 1-hour course within 30 days, plus 2 additional hours within 7 months for anyone who provides personal care, including companions and homemakers (s. 430.5025, F.S.). Get the DOEA-approved 2-hour ADRD training at C-E-U.com.
CPR: CNAs and home health aides referred by a registry must keep a current CPR certification (Rule 59A-18.0081, F.A.C.).
Application and work history: your identification, education, and employment history (s. 400.506(8), F.S.).
Registries are checking. AHCA inspection records on FloridaHealthFinder show surveyors actively citing ADRD training deficiencies against Florida nurse registries and home health agencies throughout 2025 and 2026, so expect a registry to ask for your certificates before your first referral.
New to the term? What Is ADRD Training? explains what ADRD means and who needs it.
For more on the ADRD requirement and what certificates must show, see ADRD Training Requirements for Homemaker and Companion Services in Florida.
Step 4: Add Specialized Training
Specialized training helps you care for clients with specific conditions and makes you a stronger candidate for registry referrals. C-E-U.com offers courses including:
Step 5: Set Up the Business Side
Employer Identification Number (EIN): an EIN is free from the IRS. Apply directly at IRS.gov and avoid third-party sites that charge a fee.
Business structure: work as a sole proprietor or form an LLC through Sunbiz, Florida's Division of Corporations.
Liability insurance: protects you if a client claims injury or loss related to your care.
Rates and contracts: research local rates and put your services, hours, and payment terms in writing with each client.
Taxes: as an independent contractor, you are responsible for your own income and self-employment taxes. Set money aside from each payment.
Step 6: Keep Your Credentials Current
Track your renewal dates. CNAs need 24 hours of in-service training every two years, CPR certifications expire, and your registry will ask for an updated health statement. Keeping certificates in one place makes registry renewals simple. C-E-U.com certificates can be downloaded any time and verified online.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I become a private caregiver in Florida?
Choose a role (companion, home health aide, or CNA), complete the required training, pass a Level 2 background screening, and register with a licensed nurse registry, which refers you to private clients as an independent contractor.
Do I need a license to be a caregiver in Florida?
It depends on the role. CNAs are certified by the Florida Board of Nursing. Home health aides are not licensed or certified by the state but must show proof of completed training. Companions and homemakers need no state license, but a registry still requires screening, ADRD training, and an HIV/AIDS course.
How many hours of training does a home health aide need in Florida?
At least 40 hours to be referred by a nurse registry, from a Florida public vocational-technical school or a school approved by the Commission for Independent Education. Home health aides at Medicare-certified home health agencies need at least 75 hours.
Is a nurse registry caregiver an employee of the registry?
No. Florida law defines caregivers referred by a nurse registry as independent contractors, not employees.
What documents does a nurse registry need from me?
Proof of your credential, Level 2 background screening, a health statement, an HIV/AIDS course certificate, ADRD training, CPR certification for CNAs and home health aides, and your application with work history.