Family Caregiver Pay Rate in Michigan (2026)
Coming soon to your area
Thank you for reaching out. Supportive Solutions currently serves families in Michigan only, and we are coming soon to your area. We have saved your details and will contact you as soon as we can help where you live.
Thank You!
Our team will contact you within 24 hours. Need us sooner? Call (313) 977-6888, every day from 8 AM to 8 PM.
Michigan caregiver pay through the Medicaid Home Help program is an hourly rate set by MDHHS, multiplied by the number of care hours approved in your loved one’s assessment. Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Your monthly income depends on approved hours, not on how many hours you actually work.
On this page
- How much does the Michigan Home Help program pay per hour?
- How are Home Help hours authorized?
- Monthly pay examples for Michigan family caregivers
- How much does a live-in caregiver get paid in Michigan?
- Michigan caregiver pay: agency vs individual provider
- How and when are Home Help caregivers paid?
- Is Home Help pay taxable?
- Michigan caregiver pay support in your city
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- Michigan caregiver pay under Home Help is one statewide hourly rate for individual providers, with a higher rate for agencies.
- Your pay equals the hourly rate times the hours approved in the in-home assessment, paid after visits are verified through EVV.
- Hours are based on the specific daily tasks your loved one needs help with, so two caregivers can be paid very different amounts.
- Caregivers who live with the person they care for may be able to exclude the income from federal tax under IRS Notice 2014-7.
How much does the Michigan Home Help program pay per hour?
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) publishes two Home Help rates: an individual provider rate for family members and friends who enroll in CHAMPS, and an agency rate for licensed home care agencies.
Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. The minimum does not vary by county, so a caregiver in Flint earns at least as much as one in Ann Arbor.
There is no overtime or holiday pay. The only way to increase your monthly pay is to have more hours approved.
How are Home Help hours authorized?
An MDHHS Adult Services Worker visits your loved one’s home and completes a standard assessment. For each activity of daily living and household task, the worker records how much help is needed and how often. The assessment tool assigns minutes to each task, and the total becomes the approved hours per month.
Tasks that count toward hours include:
- Bathing, dressing, and grooming
- Eating and meal preparation
- Toileting and incontinence care
- Transferring, positioning, and mobility
- Medication reminders
- Laundry, light housework, and shopping
The state also sets a standard monthly maximum. If your loved one needs more than that, the worker can request approval through the Expanded Home Help Services process.
How many hours per month will Home Help pay for?
There is no fixed number. Hours range from a few per week for light needs to a full-time schedule for someone who needs constant hands-on help. Be specific during the assessment, especially about bad days, so the hours reflect real needs.
Monthly pay examples for Michigan family caregivers
These examples use our $18 per hour minimum. They are illustrations only; actual pay depends on the assessment and current MDHHS rate.
| Level of need | Approved hours per month | Estimated monthly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Light: help with bathing and meals a few days a week | 30 hours | at least $540 |
| Moderate: daily help with bathing, dressing, meals, and housework | 60 hours | at least $1,080 |
| High: daily help with most ADLs, including toileting and transfers | 100 hours | at least $1,800 |
| Very high: hands-on help with all ADLs and household tasks | 160 hours | at least $2,880 |
For what to do if you think your loved one’s hours are too low, read how much family caregivers get paid in Michigan.
How much does a live-in caregiver get paid in Michigan?
Living with your loved one does not change the hourly rate, and Home Help does not pay for 24-hour care. A live-in caregiver is paid for the same approved task hours as any other provider. What changes is taxes: caregivers who live with the person they care for may be able to exclude the income from federal tax, covered below. If your loved one needs round-the-clock supervision, ask about the MI Choice Waiver, which adds respite and other services.
Michigan caregiver pay: agency vs individual provider
MDHHS pays licensed agencies a higher hourly rate than individual providers because agencies cover payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, training, supervision, and EVV compliance. The caregiver working for an agency earns a wage set by that agency, not the full agency rate.
Which option pays more depends on the agency’s wage and how much you value not handling CHAMPS, EVV problems, and payment delays yourself. Through Supportive Solutions Homecare you receive a regular paycheck with taxes withheld, and our office resolves state payment issues. Details on both paths are on our get paid to care for a family member in Michigan page.
How and when are Home Help caregivers paid?
MDHHS pays individual providers directly. Payment depends on three things:
- Approved case. The care recipient’s Home Help case is open with approved hours and a start date.
- CHAMPS enrollment. You are enrolled as a provider in CHAMPS and linked to the case. Our CHAMPS enrollment guide explains each step.
- Verified visits. Michigan requires electronic visit verification. You clock in and out of each visit in the state’s EVV app, and only verified time is paid.
MDHHS issues individual provider payments on a twice-monthly schedule by direct deposit or payment card. Your first payment arrives after your approval date and first verified visits, so plan for a gap at the start. Missed clock-ins are the most common reason a payment is short.
Is Home Help pay taxable?
Michigan caregiver pay may be tax-free depending on where you live. Under IRS Notice 2014-7, Medicaid payments to a caregiver for care provided in the caregiver’s own home, where the care recipient also lives, are treated as difficulty-of-care payments and can be excluded from federal gross income.
In practice:
- If you live with the person you care for, you may be able to exclude Home Help income from federal tax.
- If you live separately, the income is generally taxable.
- Excluded income may still count for the Earned Income Tax Credit under current IRS rules.
- Michigan state tax follows the federal treatment in most cases.
Talk to a tax professional before filing. Our post on whether Home Help payments are taxable in Michigan explains the forms involved.
Michigan caregiver pay support in your city
Supportive Solutions Homecare helps caregivers in Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing, and Grand Rapids get hours approved and get paid on time, in English, Arabic and Spanish. Not enrolled yet? Start at become a paid caregiver.
About these figures: Pay rates, income and asset limits, costs, office details and timelines on this page are averages or estimates based on publicly available program information. They change over time and depend on your situation, and they are not a guarantee of pay, eligibility or approval. Call us at (313) 977-6888 for current rates and to check your specific case.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Michigan Home Help program pay?
Home Help pays an hourly rate set by MDHHS multiplied by the hours approved in the care recipient’s assessment. Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Monthly pay ranges from a few hundred dollars for light needs to over $2,000 for daily hands-on help with most tasks.
How much do family members get paid for caregiving in Michigan?
Family caregivers are paid the same as any other caregiver we work with. Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Your monthly total is that rate times your loved one’s approved hours, which are set by the MDHHS assessment based on the tasks they need help with.
How much does Medicaid pay for a caregiver in Michigan?
Michigan Medicaid pays for caregivers through the Home Help program. Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Under the MI Choice Waiver, self-directed caregivers are paid from an individual budget managed by a fiscal intermediary, with rates set in the care plan.
What is the family caregiver pay rate per hour in Michigan?
Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. The minimum is the same in every county. MI Choice self-directed caregivers are paid according to their care plan budget.
How many hours per month will Home Help pay for?
Hours are set task by task in the MDHHS in-home assessment, so there is no single number. Light needs may be approved for a few hours a week, while daily help with bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, and transfers may earn a full-time schedule. Needs above the standard monthly maximum go through Expanded Home Help Services review.
How much does a live-in caregiver get paid in Michigan?
The same hourly rate as any Home Help provider, applied to the approved task hours. Home Help does not pay for 24-hour supervision or sleep hours. The main financial difference for a live-in caregiver is tax treatment: payments to a caregiver who lives with the care recipient may be excluded from federal income under IRS Notice 2014-7.
Is Home Help pay taxable?
If you live in the same home as the person you care for, your Home Help payments may be excluded from federal gross income as difficulty-of-care payments under IRS Notice 2014-7. If you live separately, the income is generally taxable. Confirm your situation with a tax professional, since eligibility for the exclusion and its effect on credits depends on your household.
How and when are Home Help caregivers paid?
MDHHS pays individual providers directly on a twice-monthly schedule by direct deposit or payment card, based on approved hours and visits verified through the EVV app. You must be enrolled in CHAMPS and linked to the case first. Agency caregivers are paid by their agency on its regular payroll cycle.
Find out how many hours your loved one may qualify for
Tell us about your loved one’s needs and we will estimate their likely hours, explain the current rate, and start the enrollment.
Check your eligibility or call (313) 977-6888.
What Supportive Solutions handles for you
We help families of people with disabilities covered by Michigan Medicaid get paid for the care they already give, or we find and place a trained caregiver in the home. We are an enrolled MI Choice Waiver provider and we serve all of Michigan.
-
Eligibility and Medicaid
We check eligibility and, if your loved one is not on Medicaid yet, help you apply.
-
Assessment
We prepare you for the Home Help or MI Choice assessment so the real level of need is recorded.
-
Caregiver enrollment
We enroll the caregiver in CHAMPS and set up EVV (electronic visit verification).
-
Paying the caregiver
We pay the caregiver. The first paycheck typically arrives about 30 days after approval.
-
Or we place a caregiver
No one in the family available? We place a background-verified, CHAMPS-enrolled caregiver with training that matches your loved one's needs.
-
Ongoing support
Reassessments, changes in hours and appeals, with one team you can call every day from 8 AM to 8 PM.
- We reply to new inquiries within 24 hours
- Our team is available every day from 8 AM to 8 PM
- We speak English, Arabic and Spanish
What Michigan families say
5.0 27 Google reviewsI cannot speak highly enough of Supportive Solutions Homecare. From the very beginning, their team demonstrated genuine compassion, professionalism, and dedication to providing high-quality care. They took the time to understand our specific needs and matched us with a caregiver who was not only skilled, but also kind, respectful, and dependable.
Great company quick and easy application process to get you qualified! Highly recommend! They walk you through the steps and help you every step of the way! I got approved for my parents!
The caregiver they matched us with was not only skilled but also incredibly compassionate, making a real connection with my grandma. The team was responsive and professional, ensuring that we felt comfortable every step of the way.