Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Indiana?
Yes — Indiana lets a spouse be paid.
Indiana is one of the states where the person who needs care can hire their own husband or wife and have the program pay for it. You do the caring you are already doing. The state pays you for it.
What has to be true
- Your spouse lives in Indiana and needs long-term care help at home.
- Your spouse has Medicaid, or can qualify. We check that with you for free.
- You pass a background check. No license or certificate is needed.
- The care your spouse needs is written into their plan — that is what the hours are paid against.
What Indiana pays family caregivers
$46–$80/day
Your exact pay is set by the program and your care plan. We'll tell you your real number before you enroll.
Source: Indiana Medicaid program data · Updated September 2026
What Indiana's rule actually says
yes via SFC — a live-in spouse can be the paid SFC caregiver; no for Attendant Care since 7/1/2024 (spouse is a Legally Responsible Individual)
The programs this runs through in Indiana: Structured Family Caregiving (SFC), Attendant Care (PathWays & H&W Waivers). Who runs them: Indiana FSSA (Division of Aging / Indiana Medicaid); intake via local Area Agency on Aging — INconnect Alliance 800-986-3505
1.2 million people in Indiana are 65 or older. Most of them are cared for at home, by a relative — usually without being paid for it.
How to start in Indiana
Contact the local Area Agency on Aging for intake, level-of-care assessment, and waitlist placement; apply for Indiana Medicaid through FSSA; PathWays members then select a managed-care plan and request SFC through their care coordinator.
SFC: caregiver must enroll with an approved SFC provider agency that supervises and pays the stipend; attendant care may be agency-based or participant-directed, but LRIs are barred from self-directed attendant care (Indiana Code 12-10-17.1-10(b))
See if you qualify →Spouse questions in Indiana, answered
Can I get paid to care for my husband or wife in Indiana?
Yes. Indiana allows it. The published rule: yes via SFC — a live-in spouse can be the paid SFC caregiver; no for Attendant Care since 7/1/2024 (spouse is a Legally Responsible Individual)
Why do some states allow this and others don't?
Medicaid has long treated care between spouses as a family duty rather than paid work. Self-directed programs changed that in many states by making the person who needs care the employer — they choose their own worker, and in some states that can be a spouse. It is a state-by-state policy choice, not a federal rule.
How much would I earn in Indiana?
Reported pay in Indiana runs around $46–$80/day, though your exact rate is set by the program and the care plan.
Does my spouse need Medicaid first?
Yes. These are Medicaid programs, so your spouse has to qualify for Indiana Medicaid and need long-term care help. Many families assume they earn too much and never apply. The rules for long-term care are not the same as regular Medicaid — check before you rule yourself out.
Is there a waitlist in Indiana?
yes — PathWays and Health & Wellness reached federally approved capacity (waitlist since Apr 2024; 10,000+ waiting in 2025; capacity hit again Dec 2025 with new invitations not expected before ~Jul 2026); FSSA runs an online waitlist dashboard
How do we start?
Contact the local Area Agency on Aging for intake, level-of-care assessment, and waitlist placement; apply for Indiana Medicaid through FSSA; PathWays members then select a managed-care plan and request SFC through their care coordinator.
Sources: in.gov · in.gov · wfyi.org · Updated September 2026. Rules change — always confirm with the program.
Where most Indiana caregivers are
Counties with the most residents aged 65 and older. The rules are the same everywhere in Indiana — pick yours for the local picture.
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