IHSS Alameda County: phone numbers, the $22.10 wage and the Public Authority

What IHSS in Alameda County covers and who qualifies

Adult & Aging Services lists the day-to-day help a recipient can be authorized for: laundry, housecleaning, grocery shopping, meal preparation, personal care, help getting to and from medical appointments, and protective supervision to guard against injury, hazard or accident. A provider can only be paid for the tasks on the recipient's authorization.

To receive IHSS, the county says you must:

• live in California;
• have a valid Social Security number;
• qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal;
• live at home or another place you choose, which cannot be a board and care facility, a nursing home or a hospital;
• show that you need help with activities of daily living; and
• hand in your doctor's completed and signed Health Care Certification (SOC 873).

Get the SOC 873 to your doctor early: the social worker's decision draws on it alongside the home visit and your Medi-Cal status.

Alameda County IHSS phone number and five ways to apply

The intake number is (510) 577-1800, where a staff member completes the application with you on the phone. You, an authorized representative, or someone making a referral on your behalf can apply; if a third party refers you, the county contacts you or your representative to finish it. The other four routes all use the state application, SOC 295:

• Email: IHSSSOC295Apps@acgov.org
• Fax: (510) 577-1803
• Mail: Alameda County Adult & Aging Services, In-Home Supportive Services, 6955 Foothill Blvd, Ste. 300, Oakland, CA 94605
• In person: the Adult & Aging Services lobby, 6955 Foothill Blvd, Ste. 143, Oakland, CA 94605

After you apply, a social worker calls to set up a home visit. Expect an interview and some observation of what you can and cannot do safely, and have a list of your medications, doctors and upcoming appointments ready. You learn the outcome from a Notice of Action sent by mail, based on the visit, the SOC 873 and your Medi-Cal status.

Staying on the program means being available for a yearly reassessment, reporting changes such as a hospital stay, a new address or a change in your health to your social worker within 10 days, keeping up with the yearly Medi-Cal redetermination, and meeting your duties as your provider's employer. Existing recipients reach their social worker through (510) 577-1900.

IHSS pay in Alameda County: $22.10 an hour from July 1, 2026

In the state's county-by-county wage file (CDSS, sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026", which we pulled on October 15, 2026), Alameda's figure is $22.10 an hour, effective July 1, 2026. One rate applies to every individual provider in the county, from Berkeley to Livermore. Of the 58 counties in that table, only San Francisco pays more ($25.00). The neighbors come next: San Mateo $21.70, Santa Clara $20.44 and Contra Costa $20.03.

The registry recruitment page on the Public Authority site still quotes an older, lower hourly figure, so go by the CDSS table. Hours stay within the recipient's monthly authorization. If a recipient needs you beyond their maximum weekly hours, the county says the recipient must first get an exception from their social worker. A provider with several clients can be paid for up to seven hours a week of travel between clients on the same workday after filing the SOC 2255, with travel claimed on a separate claim form mailed to the IHSS Timesheet Processing Facility, PO Box 989780, West Sacramento, CA 95798-9780. For the 2026/27 fiscal year, providers get 40 hours of paid sick leave from CDSS; request it with form SOC 2302 or in the online portal. Rates for every county sit side by side in the statewide IHSS wage comparison.

Becoming a paid IHSS caregiver in Alameda County

A recipient can hire anyone, including a relative, a friend or a referral, who meets the enrollment rules. Providers picked by a family and people who plan to join the registry go through the same county steps:

1. Enrollment packet. The recipient asks for it on (510) 577-1900 or at the IHSS office. The recipient and the provider both fill in and sign the forms and return them in person or by mail.
2. Orientation. New providers attend a one-and-a-half-hour IHSS orientation at the Eastmont office, which the Public Authority says runs daily. You watch the state video and show staff an original, unexpired government photo ID and your signed Social Security card. A provider who has not been paid by IHSS for more than a year has to attend again.
3. Live Scan. Pick up the "Request for Live Scan Service" form at orientation or at the office on weekdays, take it to any Live Scan vendor and pay the fee yourself. The Public Authority's summary says you must not have been convicted of, or jailed within the last ten years for, elder abuse, child abuse, fraud or other violent offenses.

The Public Authority warns that enrollment can take a month or more. The orientation is the only class IHSS requires; Public Authority classes are voluntary. Payroll, on (510) 577-1877, handles missing timesheets, lost checks, address changes, workers' compensation claims and employment verification (ask at least 10 business days ahead). Timesheets, direct deposit and sick leave claims all run through the state Electronic Services Portal. For the statewide steps, see how to become an IHSS provider; for relatives, paying relatives through IHSS.

IHSS Public Authority Alameda County: registry and training

The Public Authority for IHSS has served Alameda County since 1993. It is a public agency separate from the county IHSS program, governed by the Board of Supervisors, and the state requires it to run a registry, act as employer of record for bargaining with the providers' union, administer provider health benefits, offer training and keep an advisory committee. Its services are free to recipients and providers, and interpreters are available on request.

For families. A recipient already on IHSS can call the registry on (510) 577-1980. Registry staff ask about your needs and preferences and send a list of up to eight providers who have passed the Department of Justice background check; you call and interview them yourself, and you can ask for further lists. The recipient remains the employer and makes the hiring decision. The same office runs the state Back-Up Provider System, which can send a temporary provider when a regular one cannot cover urgent personal care; ask on (510) 577-5694.

For caregivers. To join the registry, send the PA12 application by email to RegistryApps@acgov.org, by mail to Suite 300, or drop it at Suite 143; attend the New Provider Registry Workshop; and finish the county enrollment steps above unless you are already an active IHSS provider. The registry also keeps a list of providers willing to work fragrance-free, for recipients with scent sensitivities. Registry questions go to (510) 577-5694.

Training. Free classes are open to current Alameda County providers and active registry members: IHSS Basics with a health and safety guide written for local providers, First Aid and CPR with certification, and a four-week, 24-hour provider class run with community agencies. Schedules for October 2026 are posted in English, Chinese and Spanish; call (510) 577-3554 or email patraining@acgov.org.

Health benefits and the union for Alameda County providers

Alameda County is one of the counties where IHSS providers can get a group health plan through the Public Authority. It bundles medical coverage through Alameda Alliance for Health, Delta Dental (HMO or PPO style) and EyeMed vision; the three are not sold separately, and spouses and dependents are not covered.

• Who qualifies: providers consistently paid for 80 or more hours a month. Advance-pay workers are eligible too.
• Getting in: return the enrollment packet (English, Chinese or Spanish) first, then be issued checks for 160 hours over two consecutive months with at least one hour in each. Coverage can take up to 90 days, and a packet must arrive by the 10th to start the wait that month.
• Cost: $20.00 a month with HMO-style dental or $45.00 a month with PPO-style dental, deducted from the first check each month.
• Keeping it: one month under 80 paid hours brings a warning letter; a second month in a row ends coverage until you requalify. COBRA continuation of 18 to 36 months may be offered.

Eligibility counts paid hours by check issue date, so late timesheets can cost you coverage. Ask for a packet on (510) 577-3551.

Union. Providers are represented by SEIU 2015, whose Member Action Center is on 1-855-810-2015 (weekdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.); its listed mailing address is 333 Hegenberger, Suite 400, Oakland 94621.

IHSS in Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley and elsewhere in Alameda County

There is one public IHSS office for the whole county: Eastmont Town Center, 6955 Foothill Blvd., first floor, Suite 143, in Oakland, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Public Authority's mailing address is Suite 300 in the same building. Most families never need to visit, because applications go by phone, email or fax and the assessment happens at home.

• IHSS Oakland: the office is in East Oakland, on Foothill Boulevard. See caregiver jobs in Oakland and Oakland caregivers.
• Fremont: the phone, email and fax routes work the same from southern Alameda County. See Fremont caregiver jobs and caregivers in Fremont.
• Hayward and San Leandro: residents use the same intake line and Eastmont lobby. See Hayward jobs, Hayward caregivers and San Leandro caregiver jobs.
• Berkeley: same county program and wage. See Berkeley caregiver jobs and Berkeley caregivers.
• Livermore and Pleasanton: the Tri-Valley has no IHSS office of its own, so most families apply by phone or email. See Livermore jobs and Pleasanton caregiver jobs.

Countywide: Alameda County caregiver jobs and caregivers across Alameda County.

Alameda County IHSS contact list: phones, emails, addresses

Paying privately when IHSS hours run short

Many households need more help than the Notice of Action covers: a second person for weekends, overnight cover, or a break for the relative who is already the IHSS provider. Those hours are private care, paid by the family at a rate the two sides agree, at no less than the state minimum wage of $16.90 or any higher local rate that applies.

Families can list those extra hours on CaregiverConnect at no cost, and caregivers respond to the listing themselves. The family interviews, hires directly and becomes the household employer, and there is no commission on the hire. CaregiverConnect itself does not run background checks, although a caregiver may add proof of a check they arranged. Families who want extra tools can look at our optional premium plans.

If you are an Alameda County IHSS provider with open hours, a free caregiver profile lets families from Oakland to Fremont find you. For private rates across the state, read the cost of private in-home care in California.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Alameda County Social Services Agency, Receive IHSS: overview and eligibility (services, SOC 873)
2. Alameda County SSA, IHSS for Recipients, How to Apply tab ((510) 577-1800, SOC 295 by email, mail, in person, fax (510) 577-1803)
3. Alameda County SSA, IHSS for Recipients, Receiving Support tab (home visit, Notice of Action, hiring a provider)
4. Alameda County SSA, IHSS for Recipients, Maintaining Support tab (yearly reassessment, 10-day change reporting)
5. Alameda County SSA, Provide IHSS, Getting Paid tab (payroll (510) 577-1877, overtime exception, seven-hour travel time, SOC 2255, travel claim address)
6. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, home page (phone lines, fax, mailing and visiting addresses, free services, interpretation)
7. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, About Us (since 1993, separate public agency, state mandates)
8. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, IHSS Programs (enrollment packet, 1.5-hour orientation, Live Scan, payroll tasks, office hours)
9. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, Recipient Registry (lists of up to 8 providers, Back-Up Provider System)
10. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, Provider Registry (PA12 application, workshop, fragrance-free list)
11. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, Provider Health Benefits (80 hours, 160 hours over two months, $20/$45 premiums, COBRA)
12. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, Provider Training (classes, October 2026 schedules, only orientation required)
13. Public Authority for IHSS in Alameda County, Providers (SEIU 2015 contact, county fraud line, re-orientation after a year unpaid)
14. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026": Alameda $22.10 from July 1, 2026, and other counties)
15. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (40 hours for FY 2026/27, SOC 2302, fraud hotline 888-717-8302)
16. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)