AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
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The short answer
A private-pay home care business in Ontario starts as an ordinary business: register a name ($60) or incorporate ($300) with the Ontario Business Registry, then register with WSIB within 10 calendar days of hiring your first worker. For staff, the main checks are a police criminal record and judicial matters check and, for personal support workers, the HSCPOA registry, which is voluntary but which employers may require for PSWs hired after 1 January 2026.
What a "home care agency" is in Ontario
Many Nigerians in Ontario who trained as nurses, carers or personal support workers (PSWs) see the same gap: families who want help at home for an elderly parent and cannot wait for publicly funded hours. A private home care agency fills that gap by employing or contracting carers and placing them in clients' homes for companionship, bathing, meal preparation, mobility help, respite and similar personal support.
Two points shape everything that follows. First, privately paid personal support is run as a normal business; the Ontario pages we checked for this guide describe no separate provincial licence for a private agency offering non-medical personal support. Second, anything that is a controlled health act, such as nursing procedures or medication administration beyond simple help, has to be done by the right regulated professional, whose own college sets the rules. Before you write your service list, confirm with a lawyer or the Ministry of Health which of your services cross that line, and whether you want to bid later for publicly funded work, which is contracted separately.
Registering the business
Ontario's fee schedule, updated 29 September 2026, sets out the government charges through the Ontario Business Registry:
| Filing | Online | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Register a business name (sole proprietorship) | immediate | $60 |
| Renew a sole proprietorship business name | immediate | $60 |
| Incorporate an Ontario business corporation | immediate | $300 |
A sole proprietorship is cheaper to start but leaves you personally exposed to claims from clients, which matters in a business where staff are in vulnerable people's homes. Many owners incorporate for that reason and because hospitals, retirement residences and families often prefer to contract with a company. If you go the sole-trader route first, our guide to registering a sole proprietorship in Ontario walks through the form, and getting a CRA business number covers the payroll and GST/HST accounts that follow.
WSIB and insurance
WSIB's own guidance, updated 30 July 2026, says most Ontario businesses with employees must register and that you have 10 calendar days from the day you hire your first employee to do so. Its list of industries that must register includes "sales and services", and you can confirm your own position by answering the questions on the WSIB site and selecting your business activity. Owners who are sole proprietors, partners or executive officers outside construction are not automatically covered, but can ask for optional insurance.
Carers you treat as independent contractors are a risk area. If you set their hours, assign clients and supply the work, WSIB and the CRA may see them as workers, and you would owe premiums and payroll deductions. Decide the model before you hire.
Insurance is not set by statute for private agencies, but clients and referral partners routinely ask for proof of it. Typical cover to price with a broker:
- commercial general liability, including abuse and molestation cover, which some insurers exclude unless asked;
- professional liability for care errors;
- non-owned auto cover where carers drive their own cars between clients; and
- a fidelity or crime bond for theft by staff in a client's home.
Checking staff
Police checks
Most agencies ask every carer for a police check before the first shift. The check suited to people working with seniors and others in a position of trust is the vulnerable sector level, run by the local police service where the applicant lives. Build its cost and waiting time into hiring, and re-check on a fixed cycle.
PSW registration with HSCPOA
The Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority (HSCPOA) was created under the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority Act, 2021, and runs a public register of PSWs. As set out by OPSEU/SEFPO in June 2026, registration is voluntary and free to the worker, it involves a criminal records and judicial matters check that the worker pays for at their local police service, and under O.Reg 246/22 employers can require registration as a qualification for PSWs hired after 1 January 2026. Checking the public register before hiring is a quick way to confirm what a candidate tells you.
Nurses and other regulated staff
If you employ nurses, confirm their status on their college's public register before each placement. Nigerian-trained nurses still completing Ontario registration cannot work as nurses until registered; see Ontario registration costs for Nigerian nurses.
Steps to open
- Write your service list and confirm which tasks need a regulated professional.
- Register a name or incorporate through the Ontario Business Registry.
- Get a CRA business number and payroll account before the first pay run.
- Register with WSIB within 10 calendar days of the first hire.
- Place insurance and get written certificates you can show clients.
- Set your screening policy: police check level, HSCPOA register check, references and right-to-work check.
- Use written client agreements that state services, rates, cancellation terms and how complaints are handled.
Worked example
Example: an owner incorporates online ($300), hires two PSWs on 3 March and registers with WSIB on 10 March, inside the 10-day window that ran to 13 March. Each PSW pays for their own police check and joins the HSCPOA register free. The agency's main recurring costs are then payroll, WSIB premiums based on its classification, and insurance.
Where Pryme fits
Many owners also support relatives in Nigeria or pay a Lagos-based assistant for scheduling. A Pryme Business Account can be opened from Canada and holds naira, dollars, pounds and euros with local details for each; payroll and the Finance agent prepare payments that a person approves. Your Canadian payroll and WSIB stay with your Canadian bank and the CRA.
Questions people ask
Do I need a licence to open a home care agency in Ontario?
The Ontario pages checked for this guide describe no separate provincial licence for private-pay, non-medical personal support. You still register the business, register with WSIB once you hire, and use regulated professionals for health care tasks. Confirm your service list with a lawyer.
How soon must a home care business register with WSIB?
Within 10 calendar days of hiring your first employee, according to WSIB's page updated 30 July 2026.
Is PSW registration with HSCPOA mandatory?
Not by law at present. It is voluntary and free to the worker, but employers may require it for PSWs hired after 1 January 2026.
Can I run a home care agency as a sole proprietor?
Yes. Registering a name costs $60. Many owners incorporate ($300) to limit personal exposure and because referral partners prefer contracting with a company.
Sources
- Ontario: Cost and time required to register, change or search for a business name, corporation or not-for-profit (updated 29 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- WSIB: Do you need to register with us? (updated 30 Jul 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- OPSEU/SEFPO: HSCPOA, the PSW registry (19 Jun 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.