IHSS Contra Costa County: phone numbers, the $20.03 wage and the Public Authority

What IHSS Contra Costa County can pay for

EHSD describes IHSS as a way for older adults, people who are blind and people with long-lasting disabilities to remain at home rather than entering a nursing home or assisted living. Disabled children may qualify as well. Once a case is approved, the program can pay a caregiver for everyday tasks such as:

• housekeeping, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning up after meals;
• going to doctor's appointments;
• help with eating, bathing, hygiene and dressing;
• bowel and bladder care;
• care of breathing equipment;
• help with medicines; and
• care of teeth, nails and hair.

EHSD's eligibility test has five parts. You have to be 65 or over, blind, or permanently disabled; live in California; be eligible for Medi-Cal; live in your own home or another place you choose rather than a nursing facility or hospital; and turn in a health certification form.

Contra Costa County IHSS phone number and how applying works

To apply, call the county IHSS office on (925) 229-8434. EHSD says you do not need to visit an office, because a social worker comes to you.

1. Phone application. Call the number above to start the case.
2. Health Care Certification. Your doctor completes the Health Care Certification, form SOC 873. The home visit is scheduled once it is done.
3. Home visit. A social worker talks with you, and with family or doctors if needed, to work out what help you need.
4. Decision. You are told whether you are approved and, if so, which services you get and how many hours a month. A denial comes with the reason.

Once approved, you choose the caregiver. It can be a friend or a family member. If you do not know anyone, the Public Authority's registry can send a list of three to six workers who match what you need; you call them and decide who to hire. After that, your social worker's number is on your Notice of Action. Call them to understand your approved hours, ask for a case review if things change, update your details, sort out a problem with your provider, or restart services after a hospital stay.

IHSS pay in Contra Costa County: $20.03 an hour

Contra Costa's row in the CDSS wage spreadsheet (the "IP Effective 10-1-2026" sheet, saved by us on October 15, 2026) shows $20.03 an hour, effective January 1, 2026, and the Public Authority's registry recruitment page quotes the same figure. Every individual provider in the county is paid that rate, whether the client lives in Richmond, Concord or Brentwood.

Next to the neighbors. In the same table, 13 of the 58 counties pay more than Contra Costa. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, Alameda pays $22.10, San Francisco $25.00, San Mateo $21.70, Santa Clara $20.44 and Marin $20.40. Solano ($18.10), San Joaquin ($18.97) and Sacramento ($19.15) all pay less.

The Public Authority lists overtime and travel time as available to providers, within the hours each client is authorized. From July 1, 2026, CDSS allows 40 paid sick hours per provider for the 2026/27 year; it accrues after your first 100 hours of work, becomes usable after another 200 hours or 60 calendar days, and lapses each June 30. Use form SOC 2302, or the online portal, to claim hours. The IHSS pay by county guide covers every county.

Enrolling as an IHSS provider in Contra Costa County

Every provider has to finish enrollment and pass a background check before IHSS can pay them. In Contra Costa, the first part is done online through the Public Authority's enrollment site:

1. Create an account. Write down your username, password and security questions; they are case sensitive, and you need the security questions to watch the videos.
2. Watch the videos. The mandatory state videos and a union video.
3. E-sign the documents. Review and sign the enrollment paperwork on the site.
4. Book an in-person orientation. Schedule it on the same site, and use the Return & Continue button there if you need to cancel or move it.
5. Live Scan. Print the Live Scan form from the enrollment site and take it to a fingerprinting service. You pay, the fee is not reimbursed, and the Public Authority puts the cost at $48 to $80. Keep your copy and receipt; the Public Authority does not need them.

What to bring to orientation. A current driver's license or other U.S. government photo ID, plus the original of your Social Security card (a photocopy is not accepted). The names on both must match exactly. If your card says "Not valid for employment" or "valid only with INS authorization", also bring your unexpired employment authorization card. Arrive on time, since latecomers are rescheduled, and come alone, without friends, children, pets or the person you care for.

When orientation is done, the background check has cleared and you are linked to a recipient, payroll is set up and timesheets are issued through the state Electronic Services Portal. Enrollment questions go to (800) 333-1081. Our statewide IHSS provider guide covers the same ground, and relatives should also read family caregivers getting paid.

IHSS Public Authority Contra Costa: registry, training and forms

The Board of Supervisors set up the Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority in 1998 under Welfare and Institutions Code section 12301.6. It is a public entity separate from the county that works alongside the IHSS program. Its jobs are to run a registry of providers for IHSS consumers, give providers and consumers access to training, and keep provider records for wage and benefit bargaining with the provider union. The office is at 500 Ellinwood Way, Suite 110, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Joining the registry. Registry work is a separate step from basic enrollment. The Public Authority lists six stages: submit the registry application; pass a face-to-face interview with registry staff; have your work history and personal references checked; clear the Department of Justice Live Scan (not repeated if you already did it for Contra Costa IHSS); attend New Provider Orientation (skipped if you attended within the last year); and attend a registry orientation. After that, consumers interview you and both sides decide. The registry does not guarantee work. Registry specialists cover Central, East and West County, with a separate contact for Spanish-speaking providers; at the time we checked, the West County post was listed as vacant.

Training. The registry page mentions free classes on topics such as mental health and grief and Alzheimer's and dementia. The training page links to state webinars on Electronic Visit Verification, the federal rule that has providers record start time, end time and where services took place, and to consumer guides on hiring, supervising, boundaries and recognizing abusive behavior.

Forms that go by mail. Federal W-4 and state DE-4 withholding forms go to IHSS Payroll Management Unit, P.O. Box 1660, West Sacramento, CA 95691-6660. The SOC 2298 live-in certification, which excludes IHSS wages for a provider who lives with the recipient from federal and state income tax, goes to P.O. Box 1677, West Sacramento, CA 95691-6677. The SOC 840 change of address goes to the Public Authority in Pleasant Hill; address changes must be in writing.

Advisory committee. Eleven members, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, who live or work in the county. It meets in person on the third Tuesday of the month from 1:30 to 3 p.m., except in August and December, and has been recruiting for consumer and district seats.

IHSS in Concord, Richmond, Antioch, Walnut Creek and across the county

Applications start by phone, but EHSD lists three Aging and Adult Services locations if you need to go in person, and the Public Authority keeps a list of Live Scan businesses in towns including Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Pittsburg, Concord, Danville, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon and Walnut Creek.

• Concord and Walnut Creek: the Pleasant Hill offices on Ellinwood Way are the closest, with Aging and Adult Services at 400 Ellinwood Way and the Public Authority at 500. See caregiver jobs in Concord, Concord caregivers and Walnut Creek caregiver jobs.
• Richmond and West County: EHSD's Workforce Services and Aging & Adult Services office is at 1305 Macdonald Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801. See Richmond caregiver jobs and caregivers in Richmond.
• Antioch and East County: the Children & Family Services and Aging & Adult/IHSS office is at 4549 Delta Fair Blvd., Antioch, CA 94509. See Antioch caregiver jobs and Antioch caregivers.

Countywide: Contra Costa County caregiver jobs and caregivers across Contra Costa County.

Contra Costa IHSS phone directory and office addresses

Which line to call: providers and would-be providers start with the Public Authority for anything about enrollment or timesheets and with payroll for anything about a check. Recipients call the Public Authority about finding or changing a provider, and their social worker about hours.

Private help on top of IHSS hours

An IHSS authorization rarely covers everything a household needs. Night shifts, weekend cover, companionship and breaks for a relative already serving as the IHSS provider are paid privately, at an hourly rate agreed between the family and the caregiver and never below the state minimum wage of $16.90 or a higher local minimum that applies.

CaregiverConnect lets a family post that job for free. Caregivers apply directly, and the family chooses whom to hire and employs them directly; we take no commission. We do not carry out background checks, though caregivers are free to attach evidence of one to their profiles. Premium plans are optional.

Contra Costa IHSS providers who have open hours can sign up for a caregiver profile at no charge so families in Richmond, Concord, Antioch and Walnut Creek can reach them. For private-pay rates, see the California home care cost guide, and for the neighboring county, IHSS in Alameda County.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Contra Costa EHSD, In-Home Supportive Services (services, eligibility, (925) 229-8434, SOC 873, registry lists of 3-6, Public Authority, payroll and social worker lines)
2. Contra Costa EHSD, Find an Office (Pleasant Hill, Richmond and Antioch Aging and Adult Services locations)
3. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, home page (address, (800) 333-1081)
4. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Contact Us (hours Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
5. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Mission and History (established 1998, WIC 12301.6, separate public entity)
6. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, I Need a Provider (registry, regional registry specialists)
7. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Online Enrollment (steps, orientation documents, Live Scan $48-$80)
8. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, How to Become a Registry Provider ($20.03 per hour, application process, training topics)
9. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Forms (W-4, DE-4, SOC 2298, SOC 840 mailing addresses)
10. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Fingerprinting Locations
11. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Timesheet/Payroll Processing (Electronic Timesheet System, (866) 376-7066)
12. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Training (EVV webinars, provider and consumer resources)
13. Contra Costa IHSS Public Authority, Advisory Committee (11 members, third-Tuesday meetings)
14. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026": Contra Costa $20.03 from January 1, 2026, and other counties)
15. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (40 hours for FY 2026/27, accrual rules, SOC 2302, fraud hotline 888-717-8302)
16. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)