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Absolutely yes. This is a frequently asked question, but the answer is always unique to your situation.

Here are some general points to help you get started:

You should have a written agreement the explains how much you are being paid and what services your are providing to prevent arguments and misunderstandings among other family members who can't or won't help out.

Without a written agreement, your mother (and others people involved in care such as physicians and health care providers) aren't sure about who is responsible to maintain the needed level of care. A Caregiver Contract includes a written organization of care and other services, that adapts to changing needs.

Without a written agreement, the elder who pays a family member for care could be disqualified from Medicaid coverage if they need nursing home care in the future. Documents the compensation and services in a format that Medicaid can understand and accept.

If you talk to an elder law attorney in your state, you can learn about more resources. Examples: Medicaid home care programs that may reimburse you; and if your mother was married to a wartime veteran, an Aid & Attendance pension could be available to reimburse her for the care she is paying you to provide.

Here's an article on how Personal Care Agreements Can Compensate Family Caregivers

https://www.agingcare.com/articles/personal-care-agreements-compensate-family-caregivers-181562.htm
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If your mom has the money it's fair that she contribute her share to household expenses. I'd sit down and discuss it with her. When my dad moved in with us he paid the mortgage and I paid for everything else. It came out about even and we were both satisfied with the arrangement.
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Yes. To keep it all clear it is best to have a written contract about what she is paying. This will show that the money was for living expenses, and not a gift to you, if she needs to apply for Medicaid down the line.
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JessieBelle is correct about it being best to have a contract so Medicaid can not question it being a gift etc. I had two contracts made up by an attorney and it cost $700 which is absolutely ridiculous as they were basic and just spelled out what we were agreeing on as rent and what would be done. I personally would google the topic and see if you can get an example and just modify it to your specifics and have it signed in front of a notary or maybe a couple of witnesses. The reason mine went through an attorney is we are in the process of the spend down to quality for Medicaid and we are crossing T's and dotting I's so there is no question as to what is being done and it not being gifts. When someone has dementia, can not be left alone ever and is totally incontinent and can not fix their own meals or bath or take care of any hygiene the caregiver earns every penny but if you don't have a contract Medicare gives you monetary credit for nothing unless you have it spelled out in a contract.
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If she pays a stipend for care, you need to make sure that you declare it as income to show that it is not a "gift" as Jessie notes if Medicaid comes into the picture.
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klcmiller, do you think your Mom would entertain the idea of paying for her own way? Would she get upset?

I think a lot depends on her background. If she was an independent women who worked outside the home, she could insist that she does pay.

If your Mom was a stay-at-home Mom, and Dad use to pay all the bills, then she might not even know anything about the cost of maintaining a house. If she did pay the bills from Dad's paycheck, then she would understand.

As the other writers above have mentioned, get everything onto a Contract.
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