Illinois · personal care aide (PCA)
Illinois training depends on where you work. Licensed home services agencies require 10 hours at the start and 10 hours a year, Department on Aging Community Care Program aides need 24 hours before starting, and Home Services Program personal assistants have no set hours. Workers are tracked on the Illinois Health Care Worker Registry.
At a glance
What the state asks of PCAs who work for licensed agencies or Medicaid programs.
| Job titles | Home services worker, homecare aide, personal assistant, individual provider |
| Training | Agencies: 10 hours, 5 before your first assignment and 5 within 30 days. Community Care Program: 24 hours before starting. Home Services Program: no set hours. |
| Exam | Agency competency evaluation before your first assignment and again after the remaining hours |
| Certification | Health Care Worker Registry, run by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) |
| Background check | Fingerprint check under the Health Care Worker Background Check Act, plus a registry check before hire |
| Yearly training | 10 hours a year at licensed agencies; 12 hours a year, including 2 on dementia, in the Community Care Program |
| Minimum age | Not confirmed for agency workers. Home Services Program assistants can be 16, or 14 with conditions. |
| Agency licensing | Illinois Department of Public Health (home services agency license) |
Training
At IDPH-licensed home services agencies, you complete 5 hours of training and a competency test before your first assignment, then 5 more hours within 30 days and another competency check. After that, you need 10 hours each year. Placement agencies require 8 hours before the first assignment.
Homecare aides in the Department on Aging Community Care Program (CCP) need 24 hours of training before they start and 12 hours each year, 2 of them on dementia. Personal assistants in the Department of Human Services (DHS) Home Services Program (HSP) have no set training hours; they need experience or training that fits the tasks.
The steps
The usual path for a new aide.
Family caregivers
Yes. In the Home Services Program, customers hire their own personal assistants, and family members can be paid.
Some relatives cannot be paid: a spouse, a parent, stepparent, foster parent, or guardian of a minor customer, or the customer’s own child under 18.
Read our full guide: how to get paid to care for a family member.
Compare
All three help people with daily care. Training, tasks, and pay differ.
| Personal care aide | Home health aide | CNA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training | 10 hours at agencies; 24 in Community Care | 75 hours federal minimum, including 16 hands-on | State-approved program, 75 hours or more |
| Medical tasks | Mostly not. Help with daily living, like bathing, dressing, meals, and housework | Some, like vital signs, under nurse supervision | Yes, under nurse supervision |
| Where you work | Clients' homes, group homes, assisted living | Clients' homes, through home health agencies | Nursing homes and hospitals |
| Median pay (IL) | $18.30 an hour* | $18.30 an hour* | $22.10 an hour |
*Federal pay data groups personal care aides with home health aides. Many PCAs later become CNAs, which opens more jobs and higher pay.
FAQ
Short answers to what people ask most.
No license, but agency workers must pass a fingerprint background check and are tracked on the Illinois Health Care Worker Registry. Training hours depend on your program.
Licensed home services agencies require 10 hours to start and 10 a year. Community Care Program aides need 24 hours to start and 12 a year.
Yes, if she is in the Home Services Program. Customers can hire family members as personal assistants, and adult children can be paid.
Not in the Home Services Program. Spouses cannot be paid as personal assistants.
Home health and personal care aides in Illinois earn a median of $18.30 an hour, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey.