Paid to Care for a Relative in Your Idaho Home? Certified Family Homes

An Idaho certified family home (CFH) can be paid to care for a parent or other relative who lives with you, once the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) certifies your home. IDHW says a CFH provider "may or may not be related to the resident," and Idaho Medicaid can help pay the provider for care if your relative qualifies, but Idaho's Aged and Disabled (A&D) waiver can't pay a spouse as the adult residential care provider for their husband or wife.1

In This Guide

• Can a Relative Be Paid as an Idaho Certified Family Home Provider?
• What Your Home and Your Relative Must Meet
• How an Idaho Certified Family Home Gets Paid
• How to Get Certified
• Costs and Ongoing Duties

Can a Relative Be Paid as an Idaho Certified Family Home Provider?

Yes, if your home is certified. IDAPA 16.03.19, Idaho's CFH rule, covers care providers "who are paid to care for an adult living in the care provider's home, when the adult is elderly or has a developmental disability, mental illness, or physical disability, and needs personal assistance." IDAPA 16.03.19 exempts "any arrangement for care in a relative's home that is not compensated through a publicly funded program." So in Idaho, family care that isn't paid through a public program, whether unpaid or paid privately, falls outside the CFH rule, while a relative paid through a publicly funded program such as Medicaid to care for such an adult in their own home needs a CFH certificate.2,3

Idaho's CFH rule defines a relative as a person related by birth, adoption, or marriage to the third degree, including spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren. Idaho's CFH rule doesn't name an adult child as a provider; whether your home can be certified is decided through IDHW's certification process.2

Idaho's spouse bar comes from the A&D waiver, not the CFH rule. The A&D waiver's adult residential care service includes CFHs, and the A&D provider rule in IDAPA 16.03.26 says "direct care workers cannot be a participant's spouse," so a spouse can't be paid as the A&D adult residential care provider for their husband or wife.2 Idaho also ended Family Personal Care Services, which let a spouse provide personal care and attendant care, effective July 15, 2025.4 See getting paid to care for a spouse in Idaho for the routes left.

For a guardian, Idaho's CFH rule bars certifying anyone who is appointed as, is a relative of, or lives with the resident's legal guardian, "except if any of the aforementioned is a relative of the resident." IDHW may grant a variance when it finds the guardianship is in the resident's best interest.2

What Your Home and Your Relative Must Meet

A CFH serves an adult who is elderly or has a developmental disability, mental illness, or physical disability, and needs personal assistance. You must live there: IDHW can't certify anyone whose primary residence is somewhere other than the CFH.2

When your relative is admitted, IDHW says they're assessed for functional, medical, and behavioral needs, and you and your relative write a plan of service detailing how you'll provide care.1

An Idaho CFH may admit or retain up to two residents without a variance, and may care for one resident who needs nursing facility level of care without one. IDHW certifies homes for one to four adult residents, so a third or fourth resident needs a variance.3

How an Idaho Certified Family Home Gets Paid

IDHW says residents "may be eligible for Medicaid assistance to pay their CFH provider for their care." To apply for Idaho Medicaid, call IDHW's Benefits Customer Service Center at 877-456-1233.1 For eligibility rules and other ways to apply, see how to apply for Idaho Medicaid.

Room and board is separate. IDHW says every resident pays the CFH provider "a monthly room and board charge as negotiated in the admission agreement," and the rule requires the home to provide room, utilities, and three daily meals. Under Idaho's A&D waiver, adult residential care payment "does not include room and board."1 The Idaho HCBS waivers guide covers who qualifies for the A&D waiver.

State Plan Personal Care Services (PCS) may also be provided in a CFH.2 Idaho's Medicaid rule pays PCS for CFH residents by assessed care level:

• Level I: Idaho PCS for a CFH resident is paid at 1.25 hours a day (any diagnosis except serious and persistent mental illness, developmental disability, or Alzheimer's disease and related dementias)
• Level II: Idaho PCS for a CFH resident is paid at 1.5 hours a day (any diagnosis except those three)
• Level III: Idaho PCS for a CFH resident is paid at 2.25 hours a day (any diagnosis)
• Level IV: Idaho PCS for a CFH resident is paid at 1.79 hours a day (only those three diagnoses, scoring at level one or two)1

These are hours of care Medicaid pays for, not your income. The cited Idaho sources publish no dollar amount a CFH provider receives, so ask before you plan around a number: IDHW tells providers with questions about authorizations or a resident's Plan of Care to contact their regional Medicaid office. If your relative doesn't qualify for Medicaid, IDHW says they may pay you from personal funds or private insurance.1

How to Get Certified

IDHW lists these steps for initial certification:

Idaho's CFH application also needs written statements from a licensed electrician or electrical inspector, a licensed plumber, and a licensed heating and cooling technician, each dated within the past 12 months, plus proof of homeowner's or renter's insurance.3 IDHW's CFH certification page has the forms.

Costs and Ongoing Duties

Once certified, an Idaho CFH provider pays a $25 monthly certification fee (as of 2026), billed every three months. A full certificate lasts no more than 12 months, and IDHW says providers must recertify annually. Idaho CFH providers must document at least eight hours a year of ongoing, relevant training.3

Learn More

Find personalized help getting paid to care for a relative in an Idaho certified family home at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.