How to Start a Home Care Agency in Oklahoma: OSDH License, $1,000 to Start and $500 to Renew

October 29, 2026

If you want to start a home health care business in Oklahoma that provides personal care, companionship or help with daily living in a client's home, you need a home care agency license from the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). The initial license application fee is $1,000 and the renewal fee is $500. Those are the state fees, not your total startup cost. Insurance, a supervising nurse, staff wages and several months of operating expenses will cost far more. This guide walks through the entity filing, the OSDH license and the steps that come after.

Disclaimer: This article is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Talk with an Oklahoma attorney and a CPA before you sign a lease, hire staff or choose a business structure.

Materials and Information You Need Before You Start

• A business name checked against Secretary of State records
• Your formation document: Articles of Organization for an LLC, or a Certificate of Incorporation for a corporation
• A registered agent with a physical Oklahoma street address (a PO box will not work)
• A federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS
• A Home Care Administrator who holds the certification OSDH requires
• A supervising registered nurse (RN) with an Oklahoma license, plus an alternate RN
• Liability insurance quotes, and workers' compensation quotes for when you hire employees
• Proof of financial solvency and a staffing projection
• A budget that covers the license fee, insurance, payroll and several months of operating costs

Step 1: Choose Your Business Entity

Most home care owners form a limited liability company (LLC). The Articles of Organization cost $100 with the Oklahoma Secretary of State, Business Filing Department. An LLC must file an LLC Annual Certificate for $25 on the anniversary of its formation. The filing has a 60-day grace period and no late fee in the statute. An LLC that misses the 60 days stops being in good standing, and reinstatement requires filing every delinquent annual certificate.

A corporation files a Certificate of Incorporation. The filing fee is one-tenth of 1% of authorized capital stock, with a $50 minimum. Shares without par value count as $50 each, so 10,000 no-par shares carry a $500 fee, while 10,000 shares at $0.001 par pay the $50 minimum. Domestic for-profit corporations file no annual certificate with the Secretary of State.

Oklahoma has no franchise tax for tax year 2024 and later, and LLCs were never subject to one. Your choice of entity still affects personal liability, taxes and how you bring in investors, so review it with an attorney and CPA.

Step 2: Check and Reserve Your Name

An LLC name must contain 'limited liability company,' 'limited company,' 'LLC,' 'LC,' 'L.L.C.' or 'L.C.' ('limited' may be 'Ltd.' and 'company' may be 'Co.'). The name must be distinguishable from other entity, trade and reserved names on file, current or filed within the last three years. Search the Secretary of State's business database at https://www.sos.ok.gov/corp/corpInquiryFind.aspx. You can reserve a name for $10 for 60 days through the name availability page. Reserve it if you need time to finish your lease, insurance and staffing plans.

Step 3: File Your Formation Documents

File online through the Secretary of State's Business Services portal at https://www.sos.ok.gov/business/default.aspx, or file in person. In-person filings must arrive before 4:30 p.m. Central. Same-day service costs $50 per document and is available only for documents presented in person at the Secretary of State office. All other documents are processed in the order received. The Secretary of State publishes no processing-time guarantee for online filings, so call the Business Filing office at 405-522-2520 to confirm current turnaround before you plan your OSDH application around it.

Keep your filed certificate of formation ready. OSDH asks for it as an attachment to your license application.

Step 4: Appoint a Registered Agent and File a Trade Name Report

Your LLC or corporation must keep a registered agent at a physical Oklahoma street address that is open during business hours to accept legal papers. The agent can be your company, an Oklahoma resident, or a domestic or qualified foreign business in good standing. Changing the agent or office costs $25.

If your agency will operate under a name other than its legal name, such as 'Sunrise Home Care' for a company registered as 'Sunrise Care Partners LLC,' file a Trade Name Report with the Secretary of State for $25. Oklahoma handles trade names at the state level, not the county clerk, and no newspaper publication is required. If you use a trade name, OSDH asks for this report with your license application. Trade Name Reports have no annual fee, but amendments, transfers and withdrawals each cost $25.

Step 5: Register for Taxes and Check Local Rules

Get your federal EIN from the IRS before you apply for state tax accounts or hire anyone. If you will withhold income tax from employee wages, register with the Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) through OkTAP at https://oktap.tax.ok.gov/OkTAP/Web?link=BUSREG. Most home care agencies with staff will need this step. A sales tax permit costs $20 for three years. Confirm with the OTC at https://oklahoma.gov/tax.html whether any of your services or products are subject to sales tax before you assume you need one.

Oklahoma has no general state business license. Your local rules depend on your city and county. Oklahoma City and Tulsa issue no general city business license, although they license specific activities. Some cities, including Bartlesville, Yukon, Sapulpa, Bixby, Tahlequah and Mustang, charge a general or occupational license. Counties do not issue business licenses. Only Oklahoma County and Tulsa County run zoning and building permits in unincorporated areas. Ask your city clerk whether a home office, a location in a commercial zone or a staff parking arrangement needs a permit.

Step 6: Apply for the OSDH Home Care Agency License

OSDH licenses home care under the Oklahoma Home Care Act (63 O.S. 1-1960 et seq., OAC 310:662). The Medical Facilities Service, Home Services Division handles applications. Use form ODH-757. The initial fee is $1,000 and it is non-refundable. The statute lets OSDH charge up to $3,000 for an initial license, but the rule sets the fee at $1,000. Confirm the current amount by calling OSDH at (405) 426-8470 before you send payment.

Do not provide home care before you are licensed. Providing care without a license is a violation that can draw an administrative penalty of up to $10,000.

Your application package must include:

1. Your certificate of formation
2. Your trade name report, if you operate under a different name
3. Proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage
4. Your Home Care Administrator certification
5. Your supervising RN license and your alternate RN license
6. Proof of financial solvency
7. A staffing projection

Step 7: Prepare for the Pre-License On-Site Survey

OSDH conducts an on-site survey before it issues the license. Build your policies, client forms, personnel files and clinical records before the survey so that what you show surveyors matches your application. Confirm with OSDH what the survey covers and what documentation it expects. Your administrator and supervising RN should walk through the office and records together so you can answer questions without delay.

Background checks run through OKSCREEN. Ask OSDH which owners, administrators and employees must be screened, and start the process early, because your hiring plan depends on it.

Step 8: Decide Whether to Pursue Medicare Certification

Medicare certification is separate from your state license. Through OSDH, you must be licensed and have served at least 10 patients, with at least 7 active, before the initial survey. You can instead use an accrediting body: the Joint Commission, CHAP or ACHC. Each route has its own requirements, so ask OSDH and your accreditor which applies to you before you commit to a pathway. Ask your advisors how the patient-count requirement fits your business plan.

Step 9: Plan for Employees and Workers' Compensation

Workers' compensation coverage is required once you have employees, subject to statutory exclusions in 85A O.S. 2. Ask your insurer and attorney which workers the exclusions cover, and do not assume that a sole owner or an independent contractor falls outside the requirement without advice. Your staffing projection should match your insurance quote, and your payroll setup should match your OkTAP registration.

Step 10: Know Your Renewal and Related License Fees

Your state costs depend on the license type. The table below lists the OSDH fees in this guide.

License or change	Fee	Notes
Home care agency, initial	$1,000	Non-refundable, form ODH-757
Home care agency, renewal	$500	Confirm the renewal date with OSDH
Prorated renewal	$125 per quarter	Licenses are prorated to expire July 31
Branch office	$25	Each branch
Change of ownership	$500	Confirm the process with OSDH
Companion/sitter agency, initial	$1,000	Separate license, form ODH-1273
Companion/sitter agency, renewal	$500	Separate license, form ODH-1273
Hospice, initial	$2,000	Separate license, form ODH-924, OAC 310:661
Hospice, renewal	$2,000	Separate license, form ODH-924

Because licenses are prorated to expire July 31, your first expiration date may not fall on a full year after issuance. Ask OSDH to confirm your expiration date when you receive the license, and calendar it immediately. Your LLC also owes its $25 annual certificate on the formation anniversary, which is a separate deadline.

Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating $1,000 as your total startup cost. The state fee is one line in a budget that also has insurance, payroll, software, a office lease and working capital.
• Accepting clients before the license issues. Providing care before licensure is a violation with a penalty of up to $10,000.
• Using a PO box for your registered agent. The agent must have a physical Oklahoma street address.
• Missing the 60-day grace period on your LLC annual certificate. Once you miss it, reinstatement requires filing every delinquent annual certificate.
• Forgetting the trade name report. If you operate under a name other than your legal name, OSDH will expect the report with your application.
• Assuming every city licenses businesses the same way. Oklahoma City and Tulsa do not issue a general city business license, but some other cities do. Check your city.
• Hiring staff before your workers' compensation coverage is in place. Coverage is required once you have employees.
• Submitting a thin financial solvency package. Surveyors and reviewers look for proof that your agency can cover its obligations while it builds a client base. Confirm acceptable documentation with OSDH.

What Results to Expect

A complete, accurate application is more likely to move through review without repeated requests for information, and a well-prepared survey may help your agency open on schedule. Confirm current review timing with OSDH at (405) 426-8470. Your agency's revenue, growth and profitability depend on your local market, your staffing, your payer mix and how well you run the business. No outcome is guaranteed, and early results often take longer than the first budget assumes.

Next Steps and Resources

• Oklahoma Secretary of State, Business Filing Department: https://www.sos.ok.gov/business/default.aspx (Business Filing office: 405-522-2520)
• Oklahoma Tax Commission: https://oklahoma.gov/tax.html
• OkTAP business registration: https://oktap.tax.ok.gov/OkTAP/Web?link=BUSREG
• Oklahoma Small Business Development Center network: https://www.oksbdc.org/
• U.S. Small Business Administration, Oklahoma district: https://www.sba.gov/district/oklahoma
• OSDH license and fee questions: (405) 426-8470

Starting a home care agency in Oklahoma is a process with clear state steps, but it requires careful planning around licensure, staffing and money. Build your filing sequence around the OSDH application, confirm every figure in this guide with the agency that sets it, and have an Oklahoma attorney and CPA review your entity, insurance and tax setup before you open your doors.