Michigan: Get Paid To Care For A Family Member

It depends on the program. Through the Home Help Program, a spouse cannot be paid. Michigan treats spouses as legally responsible for one another, so Home Help pays other relatives and friends but never a husband or wife. The MI Choice Waiver is different. Under its Self-Determination Option, the participant becomes the employer and can hire the caregiver of their choice, and in certain approved situations that can include a spouse. There are specific rules about when a spouse or other legally responsible person may be paid, and the decision is made case by case by your regional waiver agency. If having your spouse paid is your main goal, apply for MI Choice rather than Home Help and ask the waiver agency directly about the Self-Determination Option and spousal caregiver approval.

For the Home Help Program, the individual caregiver rate as of January 1, 2026 is $17.13 per hour statewide. That figure is Michigan's state minimum wage of $13.73 per hour plus a $3.40 per hour direct care worker wage increase. The total rises automatically whenever Michigan raises its minimum wage. Under the MI Choice Waiver's Self-Determination Option, pay is set by each regional waiver agency and typically runs about $13 to $17 per hour for personal care in 2026, so it can be a little lower or comparable to Home Help depending on the region. In both programs, caregivers hired through a financial management services agency are treated as W-2 employees, meaning federal and state income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare are withheld from each paycheck.

Home Help is usually the faster route. Once the person receiving care has Michigan Medicaid, an MDHHS adult services worker schedules an in-home assessment, and payment can often begin within a few weeks after the caregiver finishes enrolling in CHAMPS, passing the background check, and setting up Electronic Visit Verification. MI Choice generally takes longer, often up to three months or more, because it requires a nursing facility level of care determination and enrollment through a regional waiver agency. MI Choice also has an enrollment cap, so if all slots are full you may be placed on a waiting list before services start. If the person is not yet enrolled in Medicaid, add extra time for that application. Gathering identification, proof of income and assets, and medical records in advance helps speed both processes.

You do not need to be a Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health Aide, or any licensed professional to be an individual caregiver in the Home Help Program. The program is built around ordinary family members and friends providing hands-on help, so no clinical exam or skills test is required. What is required is practical: the caregiver must be at least 18, pass a Michigan criminal history background check, enroll in CHAMPS (Michigan's Medicaid provider system), and use Electronic Visit Verification through HHAeXchange to log each visit. MI Choice caregivers hired under the Self-Determination Option also complete a background check and onboarding through the financial management services agency, and the waiver agency may provide task-specific orientation. Neither program expects you to already hold a healthcare credential, which is why so many families are able to be paid for care they are already giving.

Home Help is Michigan Medicaid's statewide personal care benefit. It pays for help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, and eating, has no waiting list, and is the simplest way for most families to get paid. MI Choice is a Home and Community-Based Services waiver for people who medically qualify for a nursing home but want to stay in the community. It covers a broader package of services and care coordination, but it requires a nursing facility level of care, is run through about 20 regional waiver agencies, and has a limited number of slots. On pay, Home Help uses a set statewide rate, while MI Choice pay is set by the waiver agency. On who can be paid, Home Help never pays a spouse, but MI Choice can in certain approved cases. Many families start with Home Help and move to MI Choice if needs grow.

Yes. Adult children are among the most common paid caregivers in both programs. In the Home Help Program, qualified paid caregivers include sons, daughters, adult grandchildren, siblings, nieces, and nephews, as well as friends and neighbors the person trusts. The only close relatives Home Help will not pay are a spouse and a parent caring for their own minor child, because those relationships are treated as legally responsible. Under the MI Choice Waiver's Self-Determination Option, the participant chooses their own caregiver and can hire relatives including adult children and siblings. In every case the caregiver must be at least 18, pass a Michigan criminal background check, and complete provider enrollment, either through CHAMPS for Home Help or through the financial management services agency for MI Choice. This flexibility is what lets families turn unpaid caregiving into paid work.

No. Both Home Help and MI Choice are Medicaid programs, so there is no fee for the family to receive services, and the caregiver is paid rather than charged. The financial requirements apply only to the person receiving care, not to the caregiver. For 2026, Home Help generally allows an individual monthly income of about $1,330, and MI Choice generally allows up to about $2,982 in monthly income for an applicant, with a countable asset limit around $9,950 for a single person in both programs. A home the person lives in, one vehicle, and certain personal items usually do not count toward the asset limit, and spousal impoverishment rules protect a portion of income and assets for a spouse who remains at home. If income is slightly over the limit, a Medicaid planner can explain options for qualifying.

The family does not have to run its own payroll. In the Home Help Program, the individual caregiver enrolls in CHAMPS, logs each visit through Electronic Visit Verification via HHAeXchange, and is paid through the state at the statewide Home Help rate. In the MI Choice Waiver, a financial management services (FMS) agency acts as the payroll and employer-of-record support: it processes background checks, withholds federal and state taxes, and issues the caregiver's pay, while the participant (or their representative) directs the day-to-day care as the employer under the Self-Determination Option. In both cases the caregiver is treated as an employee, so income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare are withheld and the caregiver receives a W-2 at year end. This structure keeps the arrangement compliant and takes the paperwork burden off the family.