How to Start a Home Health Agency in Kansas: KDHE Skilled Services License, Fees and Medicare Steps

Starting a home health agency in Kansas is mostly a licensing project. The Secretary of State will form your company in a few minutes, but the license that lets you provide care comes from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), and it has to be in place before you serve a patient. This guide covers how to start a home health agency business in Kansas, in the order you should take the steps: forming the entity, checking local rules, registering for taxes, getting the KDHE Skilled Services license, and then enrolling in Medicare and Kansas Medicaid. The figures below are the ones we could verify as of October 23, 2026.

This article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Home health is heavily regulated, so talk with a Kansas healthcare attorney and a CPA before you sign a lease, hire staff, or file anything with a government agency.

What Kansas Requires Before You Open

Kansas does not issue a general statewide business license. Registering your company with the Secretary of State is a filing, not a license. Licensing in Kansas is handled by agency or by trade. For a home health agency, the license that matters is the KDHE Skilled Services license. You will also deal with city and county rules, which vary by location. Kansas has 105 counties and 624 cities, and every incorporated place is legally a city, so there are no towns or villages to check separately.

Materials and Information You Will Need

• A Kansas street address for your office. Your registered office must be a physical Kansas street address, not a PO box.
• A resident agent. Kansas calls this role the resident agent. It must be an individual, a business registered in Kansas, or the entity itself.
• A business name that meets Kansas rules. An LLC name must include L.L.C., L.C., LLC, LC, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY or LIMITED COMPANY.
• Your formation document: Articles of Organization, Domestic (Kansas) Limited Liability Company (Form DL), or Articles of Incorporation, Domestic (Kansas) Corporation (Form AI).
• Ownership and management details for every person with an interest in the company.
• A projected unique patient count for your first years of operation. KDHE uses this figure to set your fee tier.
• A staffing plan that lists each clinical and administrative role, with the credentials you expect each person to hold.
• A criminal record check plan for staff who will have direct access to patients, because criminal record checks apply under K.S.A. 65-5117.
• Startup funding for application fees, insurance, the office, equipment, and operating costs until revenue arrives.
• A bank account and a payment method for PayIt, the online system KDHE uses for Skilled Services fees since July 1, 2025.

Step 1: Form Your Business Entity

Most owners form an LLC, though a corporation is also an option. Either way, you file with the Kansas Secretary of State through its Business Services online portal, which you can reach at https://www.sos.ks.gov/eforms/user_login.aspx?frm=BS. Online filings process within minutes, and you can print the certified copy immediately.

The filing fee for both an LLC and a corporation is $85. For an LLC, you file the Articles of Organization (Form DL). For a corporation, you file the Articles of Incorporation (Form AI). Before you file, search the name in the Secretary of State's business entity search at https://www.sos.ks.gov/eforms/BusinessEntity/Search.aspx. Under K.S.A. 17-7920, your name is checked against entities already registered. If a similar name is in use, you must include a Consent to Use of Similar Business Name (Form CN) under K.S.A. 17-7918 with your formation document. If you need time to finish the paperwork, you can reserve a name for 120 days for $35 using the name reservation form (Form NR).

Compare the tax treatment before you choose a structure. An LLC is a pass-through entity for Kansas income tax, so members report Kansas income on their individual returns at 5.2% on the first $23,000 of Kansas taxable income for single filers or $46,000 for married filing jointly, and 5.58% above those thresholds. A corporation taxed as a corporation pays the 3.5% corporate normal tax plus a 3% surtax on Kansas taxable income over $50,000. Kansas has no LLC franchise tax. An LLC also has a recurring filing: the biennial Information Report, which costs $90 and is due every two years by April 15. Kansas does not register DBA or trade names at the state level, so if you operate under a trade name, check your city and county requirements instead.

Step 2: Check Local Zoning and City or County Rules

Because Kansas has no statewide general business license, your location matters. Call the city or county planning and zoning office where you plan to lease space and ask three questions: whether medical or care offices are allowed in that zone, whether a home office is permitted if you start there, and whether the city or county requires a local business license or registration. Rules vary from one city to the next, so do not assume that a neighboring town has the same answer.

Be careful with the two Kansas Cities. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are different cities in different states. Only Kansas City, Missouri has a city earnings tax, so an agency located in Kansas City, Kansas does not face that tax. If you renovate your office, note that Kansas does not issue a statewide general contractor, electrician, plumber or HVAC license. Cities and counties license those trades, so check the local requirements for every contractor you hire.

Step 3: Register for Kansas Taxes With KDOR

Business tax registration with the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) is free. Register only for the taxes that apply to you. If you will have employees, you will need to set up withholding. Ask KDOR whether any sales tax permit applies to the services you provide. The state sales tax rate is 6.5%, but whether any of your revenue is subject to it is a question for KDOR and your CPA. Start at https://www.ksrevenue.gov/business.html, where you can also reach the Customer Service Center for registration help.

Step 4: Get the Current KDHE Skilled Services Application

The KDHE Bureau of Facilities and Licensing issues one Skilled Services license. That license covers skilled nursing, HCBS waiver services and non-medical supportive care. The licensing agency is KDHE, not KDADS. Find the current application and instructions at https://kdhe.ks.gov/2173.

KDHE sets fees by tier, based on your projected unique patient count: 100 or more patients, or fewer than 100. Since July 1, 2025, you pay fees online through PayIt. The exact initial and renewal amounts appear on the current Skilled Services application form. Check that form before you budget, and do not rely on fee figures from forums, older guides or other states. If your patient projections change during planning, your fee tier may change with them, so confirm the tier with KDHE before you submit.

Step 5: Complete the Criminal Record Checks

Criminal record checks apply under K.S.A. 65-5117. Plan for them before you make job offers, not after. Build the check into your hiring process for each applicant who will have direct access to patients or their records, and ask KDHE whether it also applies to owners and managers. Ask KDHE to confirm the current check procedure and any cost, because this article does not state a fee for those checks.

Step 6: Prepare for the On-Site Survey

A Kansas Skilled Services license is not a one-time approval. Under K.S.A. 65-5104, KDHE must survey your agency on site at least every 36 months. Before you submit your application, build the written policies, clinical record system, staff files and administrative records that a surveyor will expect to see. Review the current licensing rules and the application packet so your documents match what KDHE asks for, and keep copies organized so you can produce them quickly.

Step 7: Submit the Application, Pay, and Keep the License Active

Submit the completed application and pay the fee through PayIt. Once licensed, you keep the license in effect by filing the annual report and paying the annual fee under K.S.A. 65-5104. If you do not file and pay within 30 days of the renewal date, the license is cancelled automatically. Calendar the renewal date as soon as you receive the license, and set a reminder well before the 30-day window closes.

The license is not transferable. A sale of the agency or a change in ownership requires a new license for the new owner, so do not assume that a buyer can take over your existing license. Build that into any purchase, partnership or ownership restructuring plan, and check the timing with KDHE and your attorney before the change takes effect.

Step 8: Enroll in Medicare and Kansas Medicaid

Medicare certification and enrollment in the Kansas Medicaid program (KMAP) and KanCare come after state licensure. They are separate steps with their own applications and reviews. Plan for them as a second phase, not as a part of the state application. Ask each program for its current processing times and documentation requirements, and do not build your cash flow around an assumed approval date. Many agencies find that their first revenue arrives later than they expected, so keep reserves that can carry operating costs through this period.

Costs at a Glance

Item	Amount	Agency	Notes
LLC Articles of Organization (Form DL)	$85	Kansas Secretary of State	Filing fee, online filings process within minutes
Corporation Articles of Incorporation (Form AI)	$85	Kansas Secretary of State	Filing fee
Name reservation (Form NR)	$35	Kansas Secretary of State	Holds the name for 120 days
Biennial Information Report	$90	Kansas Secretary of State	Due every two years by April 15
KDOR business tax registration	Free	Kansas Department of Revenue	Register only for taxes that apply
KDHE Skilled Services license, initial and renewal	Check the current application form	KDHE	Tiered by projected unique patient count, paid through PayIt
Criminal record checks	Check with KDHE	KDHE	Required under K.S.A. 65-5117
Medicare and KMAP or KanCare enrollment	Confirm with each program	Federal and state program offices	Separate steps after state licensure

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming Kansas has a general business license. Your Secretary of State filing is not a license. The license that matters for you is the KDHE Skilled Services license.
• Budgeting from old fee numbers. Use the current KDHE application form and confirm the patient-count tier before you submit.
• Using a PO box as your registered office. Kansas requires a physical Kansas street address where the resident agent can be regularly present.
• Forgetting the biennial Information Report. An LLC files it every two years by April 15 at a cost of $90, and missing it creates avoidable problems.
• Treating the license as permanent. The annual report and fee keep it active, and the agency must pass an on-site survey at least every 36 months.
• Assuming the license transfers. It is not transferable, so a sale or ownership change requires a new license.
• Confusing the two Kansas Cities. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are different cities, and only Kansas City, Missouri has a city earnings tax.
• Skipping the local check. Zoning and local registration vary by city and county, so ask before you sign a lease.
• Starting out of order. Hiring and billing decisions should follow licensure, and Medicare and Medicaid enrollment comes after the state license.

Expected Results

Working through these steps in order can help you build a clean paper trail for KDHE, the Secretary of State, KDOR and the federal and state payers you will deal with later. Agencies that prepare their policies, records and staffing plans before they apply may be better positioned for a smooth survey, but no outcome is guaranteed. Approval timing, survey findings, enrollment decisions and revenue depend on your application, your staffing, your local market and the agency's compliance record. Treat this guide as a starting checklist, and confirm each figure and deadline with the agency that controls it before you rely on it.

Official Kansas Resources

• Kansas Secretary of State, business services
• Kansas Secretary of State, business entity search
• Kansas Department of Revenue, business tax registration
• KDHE Skilled Services licensing
• Kansas Small Business Development Center
• SBA Wichita District Office

Reminder: this article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Work with a Kansas healthcare attorney and a CPA for your specific situation, and confirm current fees and forms with the agency before you file or pay.