How to become an IHSS provider in California: enrolment, forms and county contacts

What IHSS is, and who employs the provider

In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is the California programme that, in the state's words, "provides in-home assistance to eligible aged, blind, and disabled individuals" so they can stay at home rather than move into a facility. The county assesses how many hours of help a person needs each month, and the person hires someone to deliver them: the IHSS provider.

The recipient is the employer: CDSS says "You are considered your provider's employer" and makes them responsible for hiring, training, supervising and, if needed, dismissing you. The state issues the paycheque, and the hourly rate is bargained county by county (Orange County's Public Authority names United Domestic Workers of America as the union it bargains with). You work for one person, are paid by Sacramento and are enrolled by your county. No agency, no commission.

How a recipient applies for IHSS

Many "apply for IHSS" searches come from the person who needs care, or their family. The recipient side, per CDSS:

1. The applicant must be a California resident with a Medi-Cal eligibility determination, living "at home or an abode of your own choosing" (not a hospital, nursing facility or licensed care home).
2. They submit the SOC 295, Application for In-Home Supportive Services, to the county IHSS office; translations include Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog.
3. A health professional completes the SOC 873 Health Care Certification, which the county needs before authorising services.
4. A county social worker assesses needs at home, and the applicant is told their approved services and monthly hours, or the reason for denial.

A provider can only be paid for an approved case, so if your relative has not applied, that comes first; your enrolment can run in parallel.

Who can be an IHSS provider

There is no licence, certificate or minimum experience for an individual IHSS provider. The state's requirements, from forms SOC 426, SOC 847 and SOC 846:

• Identity and the right to work. You return the SOC 426 in person with a valid federal, state or tribal photo ID and your original Social Security card, which the form uses to verify identity and "authorization to work in the United States"; the SOC 846 adds a Form I-9, kept by the recipient.
• Age. No stated minimum; the SOC 426 says applicants under 18 must submit a valid work permit.
• A clear DOJ fingerprint check (Live Scan), paid for by you.
• Provider orientation and the signed SOC 846 Provider Enrollment Agreement.
• A recipient who designates you on the SOC 426A. You can enrol first and be designated later (Riverside calls that a "Registry Provider").

Once approved you stay eligible "for any IHSS recipient" while active and clear (SOC 847), though another county means a fresh check.

How to become an IHSS provider, step by step

CDSS sets four steps and a deadline: all must be completed within 90 days of starting, or you begin again. They "do not need to be done in any particular order"; anyone with an arrest or conviction in the past ten years is told to get fingerprinted first, because the DOJ review takes longest.

1. Complete and sign the SOC 426 Provider Enrollment Form and return it in person with your ID and Social Security card. Orange and Kern start on online portals (videos, e-signed forms, then an appointment), Riverside has its own portal and online video orientation, and San Diego has you request a packet by phone or web form. The ID check is always in person.
2. Get fingerprinted at any Live Scan location, using the county's own form. SOC 847 puts the cost at "$40 to $90"; San Diego lists $47.00.
3. Attend the Provider Orientation, in person or by video depending on the county; Orange County says to allow "about 2 hours on average".
4. Sign the SOC 846 at the end of orientation (San Diego sends it for e-signature after the video session). It commits you to the timesheet, overtime and travel rules below.

The recipient then returns the SOC 426A naming you with a start date, and you complete the I-9 and, optionally, a W-4 and DE 4 for withholding. The county mails an approval or denial letter; nothing is paid for hours before approval.

Does IHSS do a background check? Tier 1 and Tier 2 crimes and waivers

Yes. The DOJ check covers the past ten years, and the SOC 426 asks you to disclose convictions. Two tiers disqualify:

• Tier 1 (Welfare and Institutions Code 12305.81): specified child abuse (Penal Code 273a(a)), abuse of an elder or dependent adult (PC 368), and fraud against a government health care or supportive services programme. An absolute bar: "There are no waivers or exceptions allowed for Tier 1 crimes", even if expunged.
• Tier 2 (WIC 12305.87): a violent or serious felony (PC 667.5(c), 1192.7(c)), a felony requiring sex-offender registration (PC 290(c)), and felony fraud against a public social services programme (WIC 10980). The county holds the full list.

A Tier 2 conviction can be overcome three ways: a certificate of rehabilitation or expungement (PC 1203.4); an SOC 862 individual waiver filed by the recipient who wants you, who is told of the conviction and covers only themselves in that county; or a general exception (SOC 863) from CDSS, backed by employment history and references. Errors in the record can be disputed through the DOJ record review process.

This check is the state's, for IHSS only. CaregiverConnect does not run background checks; caregivers may upload proof of one, and families hiring privately do their own screening.

IHSS provider enrolment by county

Checked on each Public Authority or county page on 13 October 2026. Blank cells could not be verified that day; call the county IHSS office or the IHSS Service Desk, (866) 376-7066, and ask to be routed.

Hours, overtime, sick leave and how much IHSS pays

Your hours are capped by the recipient's authorisation, not your availability. The SOC 846 sets the rules:

• Maximum weekly hours for one recipient are their monthly authorised hours divided by four (125 a month is 31 hours 15 minutes a week); hours can shift between weeks but never exceed the monthly total.
• More than one recipient: at most 66 hours a workweek across all of them, each giving you a schedule.
• Overtime is one and a half times after 40 hours in a workweek (Sunday to Saturday). A recipient authorised 40 hours or less cannot push you past 40 without county approval.
• Travel time between two recipients on the same day is paid, up to seven hours a week, outside the maximum.
• Violations escalate from a notice, to a second notice with a one-time training option, to a three-month suspension, to a one-year termination; one counts per month and each clean year removes one.

Paid sick leave: 40 hours for the state fiscal year from 1 July 2026, accrued after 100 hours worked and usable after a further 200 hours or 60 calendar days; unused hours expire on 30 June. Claim on the SOC 2302 or in the portal.

How much does IHSS pay? Each county sets its wage. In the CDSS table in force from 1 October 2026 the counties above run from $17.50 an hour in Tulare and Merced to $20.40 in San Diego, with Kern at $17.90, Imperial $18.83, Orange $18.90 and Riverside $19.90. The full table with effective dates is in the IHSS pay by county guide; the caregiver pay guide compares them with private rates.

Timesheets, the Electronic Services Portal and Electronic Visit Verification

Pay periods run 1st to 15th and 16th to month end. You and your recipient sign and submit timesheets in the Electronic Services Portal (ESP) at etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov, which also holds payment history, direct deposit, sick leave claims, the live-in certification and your W-2. A timesheet is due within two weeks of the pay period's end and, if correct, paid within 10 days of receipt (SOC 846).

Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) is a federal requirement. Providers who do not live with their recipient check in at the start of the first service each workday and out at the end of the last, marking home or community, through the ESP, the IHSS EVV mobile app or the Telephone Timesheet System on the recipient's landline. You are paid on the hours you report, not the time between check-in and check-out. Live-in providers who have filed the SOC 2298 are exempt.

Taxes, live-in providers, and being the provider for a family member

IHSS wages come on a W-2 and are taxable unless an exemption applies. The main one: if you live with your recipient, file the SOC 2298 Live-In Self-Certification (paper or ESP) and your IHSS wages are excluded from federal and state income tax under IRS Notice 2014-7, which CDSS says a 2016 IRS ruling extended to IHSS. Processing takes up to 30 days, one form is needed per recipient, and the SOC 2299 cancels it if you move out. Social Security and Medicare still apply to non-family live-in providers, and from tax year 2024 the exempt amount shows in Box 12 of the W-2. CDSS and county staff cannot give tax advice; ask the IRS or a tax professional.

Family members enrol as ordinary providers, with one wrinkle for parents of minors: since ACL 23-106 (December 2023, effective 60 days after publication) a minor in the CFCO, IPO or IHSS-Residual programmes "may hire any provider that successfully completes provider enrollment", including a parent, while a minor in the federal PCSP programme still cannot. The CDSS fact sheet adds that "family providers may be exempt" from income tax, Social Security and Medicare withholding. The detail is in getting paid to care for a family member in California.

How to find IHSS recipients, and how IHSS fits with private clients

Without a recipient, the county Public Authority registry is the route: recipients call it when they need a provider. Each registry screens separately. Imperial asks for four references and a workshop and says it "does not directly hire or guarantee hire"; San Diego runs a Zoom workshop and skills test; Orange County adds a phone interview and welcomes applicants without homecare experience. Pay starts only when a recipient designates you.

Because IHSS income is bounded by authorised hours, many providers add private clients for the evenings, weekends and overnights it does not cover. A free CaregiverConnect profile lets you state your IHSS enrolment, availability and rate, and apply directly to families posting in San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, Orange, Kern, Tulare and Merced counties. A family that hires you becomes your household employer for those hours; the platform takes no commission, and optional premium plans are on the pricing page. Keep the two sets of hours on separate records. The private caregiver jobs guide and profile guide cover the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (programme overview, recipient eligibility and application, SOC 295 and SOC 873)
2. CDSS, SOC 847 Important Information for Prospective Providers (four steps, 90 days, fingerprint fees, Tier 2 waiver and general exception)
3. CDSS, SOC 426 IHSS Program Provider Enrollment Form (Tier 1 and Tier 2 crimes, ID and work-permit requirements)
4. CDSS, SOC 846 IHSS Program Provider Enrollment Agreement (timesheets, overtime, 66-hour and travel limits, violations, I-9, W-4/DE 4)
5. CDSS, IHSS Provider Resources (ESP, pay periods, direct deposit, sick leave, live-in certification)
6. CDSS, Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Help
7. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave
8. CDSS, Live-In Provider Self-Certification Information (SOC 2298, SOC 2299, IRS Notice 2014-7)
9. CDSS, IHSS Income Tax Fact Sheet (March 2026)
10. CDSS, IHSS for Children (parent providers, ACL 23-106, PCSP restriction)
11. CDSS, IHSS wages by county
12. San Diego IHSS Public Authority, Steps to Enroll and Join the Registry
13. Imperial County IHSS Public Authority, Join the Registry
14. Orange County IHSS Public Authority, Provider Enrollment and Registry
15. Kern County Aging and Adult Services, Become a Provider (archived copy of 8 June 2026)
16. Riverside County DPSS, IHSS Public Authority (archived copy of 5 August 2025)