IHSS Colusa County: phone number, Public Authority enrollment and $17.40 pay

Who can get IHSS in Colusa County

The county's IHSS page describes the program as a way to keep aged or disabled people who are at risk of moving into a facility living in their own home instead. An independent provider comes in to handle domestic tasks and personal care.

The statewide rules from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) apply in Colusa County as everywhere else. To qualify, a person must:

• live in California;
• have a Medi-Cal eligibility determination;
• live at home or somewhere they have chosen as home (under the CDSS definition, a hospital, long-term care facility or licensed community care home does not count);
• hand in a Health Care Certification form that has been filled in.

CDSS describes the people served as aged, blind or disabled. The Colusa County Public Authority page adds that the local system is meant to support elderly people, disabled adults and disabled children so they can keep living at home with care brought to them.

How to apply: the IHSS Colusa County phone number

The county IHSS page gives one number for anyone interested in the program: (530) 458-0280. That is the Social Services line, and the department lists a social worker as available on it 24 hours a day. The office is at 251 E. Webster Street, Colusa, CA 95932, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. The fax number is (530) 458-2664.

1. Make contact. Call (530) 458-0280, or mail the state application form (SOC 295) to Social Services. The form is available from CDSS in Spanish and several other languages.
2. Get the health form completed. CDSS rules say a doctor or other licensed professional's Health Care Certification (SOC 873) must reach the county first; until it arrives, nothing is authorized.
3. Home interview. A county social worker visits to judge eligibility and how much help is needed. The assessment can draw on what family, friends, a physician or another licensed health professional say.
4. Decision. You are told whether IHSS is approved or denied. A denial gives the reason. An approval lists the services and the hours authorized each month.

Once approved, the recipient becomes the provider's employer. CDSS says the recipient hires, trains, supervises and, if needed, fires the provider. If no one is lined up, the Public Authority registry described below can suggest providers. First-time employers will find interview questions and a sample work agreement in our private caregiver hiring guide.

IHSS pay in Colusa County: $17.40 an hour

CDSS publishes IHSS individual provider wages for every county in one workbook. The Colusa County row of the "IP Effective 10-1-2026" sheet (we downloaded it on October 16, 2026) shows $17.40 an hour, in force since January 1, 2026. El Dorado County has the same figure. Of the other 56 counties, 55 pay more, and only Siskiyou ($16.90) pays less.

Rates vary from one county to the next, CDSS says, since each county's employer of record negotiates its own wage with the union. The rate is set by the county where the recipient's case sits, not where the provider lives, so a Colusa County provider with a client in Sutter or Yolo County is paid that county's rate. The state issues all IHSS paychecks and, where the provider qualifies, withholds disability insurance and Social Security.

The CDSS collective bargaining workbook lists Colusa County's last negotiated wage increase as January 1, 2021, and the expiration of its existing agreement as December 31, 2025. Its status column reads "MOU has not expired". Neither that workbook nor the county pages name the union, so ask the Public Authority who represents providers.

Steady work matters here. Using California EDD Local Area Unemployment Statistics, about 12.8% of Colusa County's labor force was unemployed, on average, between August 2025 and August 2026, against 5.3% statewide. No Colusa County city, and not the county itself, appears in the local wage ordinance list kept by the UC Berkeley Labor Center (page updated September 30, 2026), so private care work has a floor of the state's $16.90. Every county's rate is in our IHSS pay by county guide.

The Colusa County IHSS Public Authority and registry

According to the county, the Public Authority is a public agency whose purpose is better IHSS for Colusa County. State law says it must work hand in hand with the county's IHSS program, and the Board of Supervisors established it. The county lists four jobs for it:

• recruiting independent providers for its registry;
• matching recipients with providers;
• checking providers' backgrounds and qualifications;
• training providers to build their skills.

A recipient who has no one lined up can ask the Public Authority for a match from the registry. A caregiver who wants IHSS work can approach it too. The Social Services page carries a recruitment notice saying the IHSS Public Authority of Colusa County is looking for caregivers to work with older adults and disabled people who receive IHSS.

The recruitment flyer, dated January 2022, gives 530-458-0292 as the number for more information. It lists the typical tasks as laundry, grocery shopping, cooking and meal preparation, going with the client to appointments, housework and dressing. Its requirements are a valid ID and Social Security card, finishing enrollment and passing a background check. It also mentions flexible hours and paid sick leave. The $15.50 rate printed on that flyer is out of date: the current CDSS figure is $17.40.

How to become an IHSS provider in Colusa County

Since November 1, 2009, the Colusa County IHSS Public Authority has been responsible for enrolling new providers, as required by state law. The county states that you finish every one of these steps through the Public Authority:

1. SOC 426. Fill in the provider enrollment form.
2. Orientation. Attend the mandatory provider orientation. CDSS says orientation is run by the county or Public Authority, not by the state, so contact the Public Authority to book a place. CDSS also posts the orientation training video online in English, Spanish and Chinese.
3. SOC 846. Sign the provider enrollment agreement, which says you understand and accept the IHSS program rules.
4. Identity check in person. Bring your Social Security card and an original photo ID issued by a government agency that has not expired.
5. Background check. Pass a California Department of Justice Live Scan.
6. SOC 426A. Make sure your client completes and signs the receipt form.

The county passes on a DOJ advisory that the background check can take up to a month to process, and asks you not to put off the other steps while you wait. The Attorney General's list of Live Scan sites shows two in Colusa County. The Colusa County Sheriff's Department at 929 Bridge Street, Colusa, takes weekday appointments only and lists a $10.00 rolling fee. Golden Dispatch, LLC at 653 F Street, Suite A, Williams, lists a $50.00 rolling fee and takes walk-ins on weekdays. The DOJ notes that other fees can apply, so confirm the total cost with the Public Authority before you go.

Enrollment is a one-time process, even if you later take on more IHSS clients. Steps shared by every county are covered in how to become an IHSS provider, while the rules for relatives who give care are in paid family caregiving in California.

Timesheets, ETS and sick leave for Colusa County providers

• Electronic timesheets. The county's IHSS page links a CDSS flyer on the Electronic Timesheet System. Providers submit timesheets online, and recipients review, approve or reject them, seeing the pay period, the provider and the hours reported each day. Recipients and providers both register at www.etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov using the IHSS case number, an email address and a Social Security number.
• Approving by phone. The same flyer tells recipients who would rather approve timesheets by phone to contact their county IHSS office, which in Colusa County means (530) 458-0280.
• Help desk. For portal problems, call the CDSS help line, (866) 376-7066, Monday through Friday from 8 to 5. The portal also shows payment status and history, and handles direct deposit sign-up and sick leave claims.
• Weekly limit. Working for several recipients at once? State statute caps the combined workweek at 66 hours.
• Sick leave. For fiscal 2026/27, providers get 40 paid hours, available from July 1, 2026. New providers earn it once they have logged 100 hours of authorized IHSS work. Requests go through the portal or the paper SOC 2302, and any hours left on June 30 are lost.

The Colusa County pages we read do not mention health or dental benefits for IHSS providers. Ask the Public Authority whether any are offered and who qualifies.

IHSS for Williams, Colusa and the rest of the county

Every IHSS contact the county publishes points to the same Social Services line and the same Public Authority. Families in Williams, in the city of Colusa and elsewhere in the county all start with the same call. Phone intake and a home visit by the social worker mean the first steps can happen without a trip to the office.

In Williams, about 22.0% of the labor force was unemployed, on average, between August 2025 and August 2026, according to EDD estimates. The figure for the city of Colusa was about 13.6%. In both towns, an IHSS provider job pays a set county rate above the state minimum, and the Public Authority registry is one route into that work.

• Caregivers: caregiver jobs across Colusa County, caregiver jobs in Williams and home health aide jobs in Colusa.
• Families: home care in Colusa County, in home caregivers in Williams and senior care in Colusa.

A client whose case is held in another county is served by that county's office and paid at that county's rate. See IHSS in Sutter County, IHSS in Yolo County, IHSS in Yuba County or IHSS in Butte County.

Colusa County IHSS phone numbers, office and APS

The county's Adult Protective Services unit investigates reports of abuse of elders and dependent adults. It works with local law enforcement and refers clients to other community services. You can call in a report at any hour, or file one online through the county's APS intake portal. The APS page also links the state suspected-abuse report form and a separate form for financial institutions. The same page links online mandated reporter training.

Care beyond the authorized IHSS hours

The monthly hours on an IHSS notice are the most the program will pay for. They may not stretch to nights, a hospital discharge, or cover while the regular provider is away. Any time outside those hours is a private job, with the rate and schedule agreed between the family and the caregiver.

On CaregiverConnect, a Colusa County family can post that job for free. Caregivers apply, and the family interviews and hires directly, becoming the employer. We take nothing from a caregiver's pay. CaregiverConnect does not carry out background checks; caregivers may add proof of their own check to a profile. Some features sit behind optional paid plans. To plan a budget, read our guide to in-home care costs in California. Providers who have hours to spare can make a caregiver profile for free, and the postings on the Colusa County pages update as families publish them.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Colusa County, Social Services (251 E. Webster Street office, (530) 458-0280, hours, fax, IHSS caregiver recruitment notice)
2. Colusa County, In Home Supportive Services (program description, (530) 458-0280, timesheet flyers)
3. Colusa County, Public Authority (role, registry, provider enrollment steps since November 1, 2009, DOJ advisory)
4. Colusa County, Adult Protective Services (24-hour reporting line, online report, forms)
5. Colusa County, IHSS Public Authority caregiver recruitment flyer (January 2022; 530-458-0292, tasks, requirements)
6. Colusa County / CDSS, Approving your IHSS timesheet (ETS flyer, revised November 2018)
7. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; Colusa $17.40 from January 1, 2026)
8. CDSS, IHSS collective bargaining status workbook (Colusa row)
9. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 295, SOC 873, recipient as employer, payments, APS hotline)
10. CDSS, IHSS provider orientation process (SOC 426, SOC 846, DOJ background check, orientation videos)
11. CDSS, IHSS program requirements (66-hour weekly maximum)
12. CDSS, IHSS provider paid sick leave (FY 2026/27)
13. CDSS, IHSS Electronic Services Portal (registration, Service Desk hours)
14. California Attorney General, Live Scan locations in Colusa County
15. California EDD, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), sub-county places, 12-month average August 2025 to August 2026
16. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)