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Get paid to care for a family member in Indiana

In Indiana, a relative can be paid through Structured Family Caregiving or attendant care if the person receiving care is on a Medicaid waiver. Spouses and parents of minors can be paid through Structured Family Caregiving only.

Carevo editorial team Updated October 27, 2026 Source checked by Carevo editorial team, October 27, 2026

A relative can be paid in Indiana if the person receiving care is on a Medicaid waiver. Two services pay family: attendant care and Structured Family Caregiving. FSSA says that from July 2024 spouses and parents of minor children can be paid only through Structured Family Caregiving.

The two routes

  • Structured Family Caregiving (SFC). Pays a caregiver who lives with the participant, through an approved agency that receives a daily rate. See Structured Family Caregiving in Indiana.
  • Attendant care. Hours of hands-on help, which FSSA says some relatives can provide.

Both are waiver services. The waivers are PathWays for people 60 and older and Health and Wellness for people 59 and younger, and both have waiting lists. See the Indiana program overview.

Who can be paid, from FSSA's July 1, 2024 guidance

For an adult on the Health and Wellness or PathWays waiver:

  • Attendant care: yes for a biological or adoptive parent or stepparent who is not a guardian or power of attorney, a non-parent power of attorney, an authorized Medicaid representative, a health care representative who is not legally responsible, and other relatives.
  • Legal guardian: may provide attendant care for up to 40 hours per week per guardian, with other attendants covering extra authorized hours.
  • Spouse: may not provide attendant care. May provide structured family care.
  • Structured family care: yes for the spouse, a guardian, a parent, a stepparent, a power of attorney, an authorized representative, a health care representative and other relatives.

For a minor child on the Health and Wellness waiver:

  • Attendant care: a stepparent or other relative may, as long as they are not the parent. Parents, spouses and guardians of a minor may not.
  • Structured family care: biological or adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, a foster parent and other relatives.

FSSA's FAQ adds that people who are legally responsible, such as a parent of a minor or a spouse, may not be paid for self-directed attendant care under Indiana Code 12-10-17.1-10(b).

What a relative needs to do

  1. The person receiving care needs a waiver slot. Ask a care manager, and see the waitlist figures on the overview page.
  2. Decide between attendant care and SFC with the care manager. SFC needs a caregiver who lives in the home.
  3. For SFC, choose an approved agency. FSSA says the agency trains the caregiver, checks qualifications, and does two quarterly home visits by a Caregiver Coach or RN.

Pay and hours

We did not find a wage or a rate on the FSSA pages we read. FSSA pays SFC agencies a daily rate for each day services are delivered, and the agency decides the caregiver's share. The hours of attendant care depend on the service plan.

Where to start

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Common questions

Can I get paid to take care of my parent in Indiana?

Possibly. FSSA's guidance says an adult child, a sibling or another relative can provide attendant care for an adult on the Health and Wellness or PathWays waiver, or structured family care. The person receiving care must be on a waiver.

Can I be paid to care for my spouse?

Through Structured Family Caregiving, yes. FSSA says that from July 2024 a spouse may not provide attendant care, but the spouse of a waiver recipient may provide structured family care. The caregiver must live in the home.

Can I be paid to care for my minor child?

Through Structured Family Caregiving, yes. FSSA lists biological or adoptive parents, guardians and stepparents of a minor child as allowed to provide structured family care. Parents of minors may not provide attendant care.

Is there a limit on hours for a legal guardian?

Yes. For an adult, FSSA says a legal guardian may provide up to 40 hours of attendant care per week per guardian, and other attendants provide any additional authorized hours.

Can a power of attorney be paid?

Yes. FSSA's FAQ says a power of attorney or attorney in fact can provide paid family care under attendant care and structured family care when the waiver recipient and the power of attorney live together. Holding a power of attorney does not on its own prevent you from providing attendant care.

How long do I wait for a waiver?

FSSA's page, with counts dated October 2026, lists 12,680 people on the PathWays waitlist and 7,141 on the Health and Wellness waitlist. The page says people do not have a fixed place in line.

How much does a paid family caregiver earn?

The FSSA pages we read do not state a wage or rate. Structured Family Caregiving is paid through a daily rate to the agency. Ask the agency what it pays the caregiver.

Sources

Review status: Carevo checked this page against the primary sources listed above. It has not been professionally reviewed by a registered nurse, licensed social worker, benefits counselor or attorney. See our editorial standards.

This page is general information, not financial, legal or medical advice. Rules and services vary by state and by individual circumstances. Use the official sources and decision-maker named on the page. Carevo is a connection platform, not a care provider.