Home Care in Manitoba (2027): How to Get It, What It Covers, and When to Go Private
Home care in Manitoba, explained: how to request an assessment from your regional health authority (Winnipeg intake 204-788-8330), what the Manitoba Home Care Program covers, Self and Family Managed Care, the $1,400 Primary Caregiver Tax Credit, and private home care.
By Jonathan Kennedy · Last reviewed November 2026
On this page (6 sections)
In Manitoba, home care is provided by the regional health authorities to any eligible resident, of any age, after an assessment by a case coordinator. You can request the assessment yourself; in Winnipeg, call the home care intake line at 204-788-8330.
Families usually call after a change: a fall, a hospital stay at HSC or St. Boniface, or a parent who isn't managing the stairs any more. The public program covers personal care, home support and nursing based on need. Private home care fills the hours it doesn't.
Do this next:
- Call your parent's regional health authority to request an assessment (Winnipeg: 204-788-8330).
- If you're the main unpaid caregiver, register for the $1,400 Primary Caregiver Tax Credit.
- Compare private home care in Winnipeg, ranked by Confidence Score, for the hours public care won't cover.
How do you get home care in Manitoba?
Ask for an assessment. Manitoba's home care guide says people "may contact, or refer a Manitoba resident to their RHA to request an eligibility assessment." A case coordinator, a health care professional, assesses your parent's needs, the support they already have and community resources, and decides what services they're eligible for.
Your parent must be a Manitoba resident registered with Manitoba Health. Outside Winnipeg, the Manitoba home care page lists each regional health authority's line. If you disagree with a decision, you can appeal to the Manitoba Health Appeal Board (204-945-5408 or 1-866-744-3257).
Our take: request the assessment before a crisis, not after. The case coordinator becomes your parent's point of contact, and that relationship is what gets services moving quickly when needs change.
What does Manitoba home care cover?
The provincial guide lists:
- Personal care: help with walking, transfers, bathing, dressing and toileting
- Home support: meals, light housekeeping and laundry
- Health care: nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, home oxygen, IV therapy and other treatments at home
- Respite: short periods of in-home relief for the family caregiver
- Self or Family Managed Care: funding, based on the assessment, for your parent or a family manager to hire and schedule their own care staff
- Adult day programs and respite in another setting, which carry a fee
The case coordinator sets the type and amount of service. Supplies and equipment may also be available. In some cases a family member can be paid to provide home care services; the regional health authority decides eligibility (home care FAQ).
What does home care cost in Manitoba?
Ask the case coordinator what your parent will pay. Manitoba has long described its Home Care Program as providing health care and home support services free of charge, but the current provincial guide doesn't set out fees, and it does say there's a fee for adult day programs and for respite in another setting.
What helps families pay for care at home?
- Primary Caregiver Tax Credit: a refundable $1,400 a year for an unpaid caregiver of someone assessed at care level 2 or higher, for care lasting more than 90 days. It isn't income-tested, and registration lasts up to three years (Primary Caregiver Tax Credit).
- Self and Family Managed Care: lets your parent choose and manage their own caregivers with public funding.
- Provincial seniors benefits: 55 PLUS, the Seniors' School Tax Rebate and others, in our Manitoba seniors benefits guide.
When does private home care make sense in Manitoba?
When your parent needs more hours than the public program provides, overnight or live-in care, companionship, or help while waiting for a personal care home. Private agency care runs roughly $28 to $40 an hour across Canada in 2026 (our estimate), and you pay the full cost.
Manitoba Health says plainly that it "does not license private Home Care companies or agencies." So ask any agency how it screens and trains caregivers, whether it's insured, its rate and minimum visit, and who comes if the regular caregiver is sick, and get it in writing.
How do you manage home care from a distance?
Ask your parent to name you as a contact with the case coordinator. Keep a shared calendar of visits, and ask a private agency to text you when a visit is missed or late. If you're out of province, a weekly call with the coordinator and a neighbour who can check in go a long way.
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply for home care in Manitoba?
Contact your parent's regional health authority to request an eligibility assessment; you can refer yourself or a family member. In Winnipeg, call the home care intake line at 204-788-8330. A case coordinator then assesses what's needed.
Is home care free in Manitoba?
Manitoba has long described its Home Care Program as free of charge for health care and home support, but the current guide doesn't set out fees, and there is a fee for adult day programs and respite in another setting. Ask the case coordinator what your parent will pay.
Can family members be paid for home care in Manitoba?
In some cases. Manitoba says residents may be eligible to be paid for home care they provide to family members, with eligibility decided by the regional health authority. Self or Family Managed Care also funds families to hire and manage care staff.
What is the Manitoba Primary Caregiver Tax Credit?
A refundable $1,400 a year for an unpaid primary caregiver of someone assessed at care level 2 or higher, for more than 90 days of care. It isn't income-tested; register online with Manitoba Finance.
Are private home care agencies licensed in Manitoba?
No. Manitoba Health doesn't license private home care companies or agencies; they follow the same business and labour rules as any other company. Check screening, insurance and references yourself.
Last reviewed November 2026. We keep our guides current as costs, programs, and options change.
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