Private Caregiver Opportunities for HHAs and CNAs

Yes. New client opportunities open up every day and every week throughout Southwest Florida. What's available at any time varies with client needs, location, schedule, and the type of help requested.

To see opportunities and be considered for them, you first need your Florida-required documents and a completed registration. It's easy, and you can do it all from your phone. Start your registration here. Registration makes you eligible to receive referral opportunities but doesn't guarantee any particular client, schedule, or hours.

Florida requires caregivers referred by a nurse registry to have:

• A CNA certification or home health aide training
• A current CPR card from the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, or Health & Safety Institute
• A health statement from the past 6 months stating you are free from communicable disease
• HIV training
• Alzheimer's training: the free 1-hour course from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, plus a 2-hour DOEA-approved course
• Medication assistance training
• A photo ID
• A Level 2 background screening

Missing something? C-E-U.com offers HIV, Alzheimer's, and medication assistance training online, and MyHealthForm.com handles your health statement online. Professional liability insurance isn't required by the state, but many clients ask for it.

When you're ready, start your registration here. Your personal link walks you through each item.

No. Abby Services has never charged caregivers to register, and never will. Our referral fee is paid by clients, not caregivers.

Like any self-employed professional, you do pay for your own credentials. That includes Florida-required items such as your CNA or HHA training, Level 2 background screening, CPR card, HIV training, health statement, and any additional training or continuing education you need. One bonus: the 1-hour Alzheimer's course from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs is free.

At a minimum, we recommend a 40-hour home health aide (HHA) course. Forty hours is Florida's minimum training standard for home health aides. Some caregivers choose CNA training instead, which may open up additional opportunities. In Florida, CNAs complete a state-approved training program and pass a competency exam; see the Florida Board of Nursing's CNA requirements.

Locally, caregivers often train with Zeal Technical Institute in North Fort Myers or K&E Medical Training Center in Fort Myers (239-206-1967).

We recommend getting your own training rather than relying on in-house training offered by some agencies. Training provided by an agency may only be accepted there, so if you later want to work elsewhere, including through a nurse registry, you may need to complete training again. A certificate you earn on your own goes with you wherever you work.

Once you're trained, see "What do I need to register as a caregiver in Florida?" for the other required items, then start your registration here.

The rates caregivers typically charge vary with experience, the care a client needs, visit length, location, and season. Our Caregiver Market Rates sheet shows the ranges independent caregivers in Lee, Collier and Charlotte Counties typically charge. It's general market information to use, or ignore, as you see fit.

You set your own rate, and you and each client agree on the final rate. Each referral opportunity includes the rate the client is offering, and you decide whether to accept it, decline, or propose a different rate.

Yes. You can set any rate you choose. Just keep in mind that each client decides what fits their budget, and the client pays both your rate and Abby's referral fee. When several caregivers are interested in the same opportunity, clients often choose the one whose rate fits best, so a higher rate may mean fewer clients choose to work with you, especially for longer schedules.

A rate works when it works for both you and your client, and many caregivers revisit their rate with a client as the relationship grows.

When a client's needs match your credentials, availability, and preferences, we let you know about the opportunity. That includes the client's needs, schedule, location, and the rate the client is offering. You decide whether it's a fit. You can accept, decline, or propose a different rate, and if you'd like, we'll pass your response along to the client. The client makes the final choice.

Keeping your CareLink profile complete and up to date, including your availability, location, and the services you offer, helps you see the opportunities that fit you best.

Abby Services has a streamlined registration process you can complete from your phone, at your own pace, without visiting the office. Start your registration here with your name, cell number, and email, and we'll text and email you a personal registration link.

From there, you take a photo of each Florida-required document and sign your registration online. Your progress is saved, so you can stop anytime and pick up where you left off. With your documents on hand, the whole process takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Questions along the way? Call us at 239-590-0861.

It depends on client requests and how well your credentials, location, and availability match them. Some caregivers register and have an opportunity right away. Others wait for a specific type of opportunity, such as a certain schedule or area, and pursue it when it becomes available. It's truly up to you.

Once your registration is complete, keeping your CareLink profile up to date with your availability, location, and the services you offer helps you see the opportunities that fit you best.

No. You're free to accept or decline any opportunity, and there's no minimum. You decide whether the client, schedule, location, services, and overall arrangement are a good fit for you.

You can also register with other registries and find clients on your own. Referrals aren't guaranteed, so many caregivers use more than one source of clients. We encourage you to find work wherever it makes sense for you, and we hope the opportunities we share are among the best fits for what you're looking for.

Yes. You choose which opportunities to pursue, so you can fit referrals around school, another job, or family. Some caregivers want a few hours a week, while others prefer full-time or live-in schedules.

Keep your availability current in CareLink so you see the opportunities that fit your schedule. Many caregivers also work for a facility or agency, or with other registries. Just be sure to honor the commitments you make to each client.

You and the client coordinate the schedule directly. You decide whether the requested days, hours, and location work for you, and you may decline opportunities that do not fit your availability.

Abby Services shares the client's initial schedule request when presenting a referral opportunity. After services begin, caregivers and clients are asked to notify Abby Services of schedule changes so billing, service records, and payment processing remain accurate. Abby Services does not approve or direct those changes.

Yes. Abby Services encourages caregivers to pursue the opportunities that work best for them. Independent caregivers may work privately, register with multiple nurse registries, or work as employees for a home care agency, nursing home, or other organization.

You decide which referral opportunities you wish to consider, provided you meet each registry's registration requirements and honor the commitments you make to clients.

Honestly, many caregivers do both and see what fits them best. The biggest differences:

• You choose and manage your own schedule together with your client. You decide which opportunities fit your life, instead of having hours assigned to you.
• You run your own business. You choose your clients and set your rate. Abby Services won't remove you from a client or interfere in your arrangement. Changes are up to you and your client. (As a licensed nurse registry, we are required by law to let a client know if a caregiver's credentials lapse, but the client still makes the decision.)
• Taxes aren't withheld. An agency employer withholds taxes from your pay. As a self-employed caregiver, you're responsible for your own income and self-employment taxes, which usually means setting money aside and making quarterly estimated payments. Florida has no state income tax.
• You may be able to deduct business expenses. Self-employed caregivers can often deduct costs such as mileage between clients, training and certifications, scrubs, and professional liability insurance. Commuting from home usually doesn't count, so talk with a tax professional about your situation. The IRS Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center is a good place to start.

An agency may suit caregivers who want a steady paycheck with taxes handled for them. A registry suits caregivers who want to choose their own work and build their own client relationships.

Professional liability insurance is an important consideration for independent caregivers. Many clients request proof of coverage before engaging a caregiver, and an individual policy can help protect you wherever you provide caregiver services, not only through referrals from Abby Services. Abby Services encourages caregivers to maintain active coverage and can share information on insurance resources upon request.

Our office is at 6314 Corporate Court, Suite 160, Fort Myers, FL 33919, open for visits Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, by appointment. We serve families throughout Lee, Collier, and Charlotte Counties.

Much of the registration process can be completed electronically, and we'll let you know if an in-person visit is needed. Get directions on Google Maps.

No. Your client pays you. Abby Services makes the process easier by handling the administrative side, including invoicing, payment processing through CareLink (a separate payment service), and following up on client payments.

Payment comes from the client's funds based on the hours the client approves, so it isn't guaranteed by Abby Services.

Caregivers submit service information so Abby Services can provide administrative billing and payment-processing support. The client and caregiver are responsible for reviewing and confirming the hours and services reported. Abby Services may also assist with invoicing and recordkeeping.

Yes, if your payments meet the IRS reporting threshold. When clients pay through CareLink, CareLink issues 1099 forms on the client's behalf. As a self-employed caregiver, you're responsible for your own income and self-employment taxes. The IRS Self-Employed Individuals Tax Center and a tax professional are good resources.

Abby Services collects information about the client's needs, requested schedule, location, and the type of assistance being considered so we can share the referral opportunity with caregivers. You then review the information and decide whether the arrangement fits your qualifications, experience, availability, and interests.

If you accept the referral, you and the client discuss the services directly. Abby Services does not direct how you perform caregiver services or create a care plan for nonlicensed caregiver services.

Discuss the situation directly with your client. You and the client may agree to reschedule the services.

If the client needs additional coverage, the client may contact Abby Services to request referrals to other available caregivers. Abby Services does not assign a replacement caregiver automatically; any additional caregiver is introduced through the referral process.

You and your client manage your working relationship directly. Your client, or an involved family member, is the best person to share preferences and feedback, and many will talk with you directly.

Sometimes a client would rather pass along a comment, request, or compliment through our office. When that happens, we'll share it with you as the client's message, so you know exactly what they said and can decide how you'd like to respond. Abby Services doesn't supervise or evaluate the services you provide, and we're always here for referral and administrative support.

The client and caregiver decide whether their working relationship continues. Abby Services does not direct or interfere with that relationship.

As a Florida-licensed nurse registry, Abby Services must comply with applicable legal, credentialing, screening, and registration requirements. We may communicate with both the client and caregiver, help address administrative concerns, and determine whether a caregiver remains eligible to receive future referral opportunities through the registry.

Abby Services does not provide caregiver training, supplies, or equipment. Independent caregivers are responsible for obtaining and maintaining the training, certifications, insurance, communication tools, supplies, and equipment appropriate for the services they offer.

Clients may provide household items or client-specific supplies as agreed directly between the client and caregiver.

Yes. If your availability, contact information, credentials, insurance, or certifications change, let Abby Services know so your registration stays current. This information becomes part of your caregiver profile and helps us identify referral opportunities that may align with your services, experience, location, and availability.

No. Registration with Abby Services does not provide employee benefits, paid leave, workers' compensation coverage, unemployment coverage, or guaranteed hours. Independent caregivers are responsible for their own business expenses, insurance, taxes, and benefits.

No. Caregivers registered with Abby Services are self-employed independent contractors and are not covered by Abby Services' workers' compensation insurance.

Independent caregivers may choose to purchase occupational accident insurance or other coverage designed for self-employed workers. Any such coverage is the caregiver's responsibility to obtain and maintain.

Caregivers registered with Abby Services are self-employed independent contractors rather than employees. Because Abby Services does not employ caregivers, unemployment eligibility is generally different than it is for traditional employment. If you have questions about your specific situation, contact the Florida Department of Commerce or your tax professional.