The crystal structure, magnetic properties and magnetocaloric performances of rare earth rich RE₁₁Co₄In₉ (RE = Gd, Dy and Ho) intermetallic compounds are investigated systematically in this work. All compounds in this system crystallize in the orthorhombic Nd₁₁Pd₄In₉-type structure with the Cmmm space group. The stacks of alternate RE and Co/In atomic layers with z = 0, 1 and z = 1/2 along the z-axis constitute the crystal structure. These compounds belong to the RE_x+yM_2yX_x family with x = 9 and y = 2, and the ratio of the AlB₂-type and CsCl-type fragments in a unit cell is y : x, i.e. 2 : 9. The characteristic of multiple magnetic phase transition is revealed with a low magnetic flux density μ₀H of 0.1 T for the present compounds. The ferromagnetic (FM) to paramagnetic (PM) phase transitions of the present compounds around their respective Curie temperatures (T_C) are all second order phase transitions (SOPTs). Around the T_C of 86, 37 and 20 K for Gd₁₁Co₄In₉, Dy₁₁Co₄In₉, and Ho₁₁Co₄In₉ with a magnetic flux density change Δμ₀H of 0–7 T, the values of the maximum magnetic entropy change (−ΔS^max_M) and temperature averaged entropy change (TEC) with 3 K span are 10.95 and 10.93 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ for Gd₁₁Co₄In₉, 4.66 and 4.64 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ for Dy₁₁Co₄In₉, and 12.29 and 12.09 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ for Ho₁₁Co₄In₉, respectively. The corresponding values of relative cooling power (RCP) and refrigerant capacity (RC) are 538.1 and 405.9 J kg⁻¹ for Gd₁₁Co₄In₉, 213.9 and 165.9 J kg⁻¹ for Dy₁₁Co₄In₉, and 475.2 and 357.4 J kg⁻¹ for Ho₁₁Co₄In₉, respectively.