IHSS in Kern County and Bakersfield: pay rate, how to apply and how providers enroll

What IHSS is and who qualifies in Kern County

IHSS pays for in-home help so that people who are aged, blind or disabled can stay safely in their own homes instead of moving to a nursing home or board and care. Kern County's IHSS page (archived copy dated 24 September 2026) lists the services that can be authorised: housecleaning, meal preparation, laundry and grocery shopping; personal care such as bathing, dressing, feeding, bowel and bladder care, transfers and paramedical care; protective supervision; and accompaniment to medical appointments.

To qualify you must be a US citizen or qualified alien and a California resident, live in your own home or a home of your choosing (hospitals, long-term care and licensed community care facilities do not count), and be eligible for or receiving Medi-Cal. The county page explains that people who receive SSI/SSP qualify on that basis; people who do not receive SSI/SSP apply for Medi-Cal at the same time, and some will have a share of cost to pay towards their care. The state adds that a completed Health Care Certification (SOC 873) is required.

IHSS Bakersfield pay rate: $17.90 an hour

Kern County individual providers are paid $17.90 an hour, effective 1 July 2026, according to the CDSS county wage workbook (sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026", downloaded 14 October 2026). That is $1.00 above the California minimum wage of $16.90, in force since 1 January 2026. The rate is the same in Bakersfield, Delano, Tehachapi and every other part of the county, because IHSS wages are set county by county; the IHSS pay by county guide compares Kern with neighbouring counties.

Every provider signs the IHSS Provider Enrollment Agreement (SOC 846), which is the agreement CDSS requires of all providers; it is where you accept these hour and overtime rules. Your weekly hours are limited by what the recipient was authorised, so IHSS income depends on the assessment, not on how many hours you are willing to work.

How to apply for IHSS in Kern County

1. Call Information and Referral on (661) 868-1000 or toll free (800) 510-2020. The county FAQ says the worker completes a referral form and assigns it to an IHSS intake social worker. Have ready the person's name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, household members, income, doctors, medical conditions and the help needed. CDSS also publishes the IHSS application, SOC 295, in English and nine other languages.
2. Phone interview and home visit. The intake social worker interviews by phone and, if appropriate, visits the home to assess which tasks the person can safely do and how many hours each service needs.
3. Health Care Certification (SOC 873). A doctor or other licensed professional completes it, and the county must receive it before services are authorised. Under CDSS All-County Letter 11-76 the applicant has 45 calendar days from the county's request to return it.
4. Notice of Action. The county sends approval with the services and hours authorised, or a denial with the reason.
5. Hire a provider. The recipient is the employer and hires, trains, supervises and, if necessary, dismisses the provider. If you have no one in mind, the Public Authority can help you find a provider.

Become an IHSS provider in Bakersfield: the five Kern steps

Kern County's Become a Provider page (archived copy dated 8 June 2026) sets out five steps and asks you to read them all before starting. The state requires the same core elements everywhere: a county orientation, the SOC 426 enrollment form, the SOC 846 agreement and a Department of Justice fingerprint check.

1. Set up your account on the county's IHSS enrollment website: create a provider account, watch the mandatory enrollment videos, sign up for a mandatory in-person orientation and print the Live Scan paperwork. Spanish orientations are offered, but the county asks that you only choose one if you read, speak and understand Spanish fluently.
2. Get fingerprinted at any Live Scan location. You pay, and prices vary by location.
3. Attend the in-person orientation with your original signed Social Security card (copies are refused) and a valid driver's license or US government photo ID. The names on both must match exactly. Pets and companions are not admitted. You receive an approval or denial letter in the post after the background check.
4. Return the SIP packet for each client: the W-4 (original wet signature), the I-9 (the original goes to your client) and the SOC 426A designation form, which your client signs and dates. Post it in the envelope provided or hand it in at the IHSS office.
5. Create an Electronic Services Portal (ESP) account for payment notices, sick leave claims, direct deposit and electronic timesheets. Your client must approve timesheets online or by telephone.

Questions about enrollment go to 661-868-0987 and questions about the SIP packet to 661-868-1004; the state helpline for the portal is 866-376-7066. The how to become an IHSS provider guide covers the statewide rules on criminal record tiers and waivers.

Kern County IHSS Public Authority, registry and union

The Public Authority is the employer of record for collective bargaining. According to its page (archived copy dated 8 June 2026), its executive director is also the director of Kern County Aging and Adult Services, its governing body is the Board of Supervisors, and Kern's individual providers elected the United Domestic Workers of America (UDWA) as their union. The same page says the department runs a registry and referral system for IHSS and screens prospective providers, and gives a county figure of approximately 4,300 individual providers serving over 4,800 IHSS consumers.

The county's Care Providers page (archived copy dated 24 September 2026) divides the work like this: the Public Authority ((661) 868-0987) handles provider orientation, helping a consumer find a provider and workers' compensation questions; the Supported Individual Provider (SIP) unit ((661) 868-1004) adds or removes providers on a case and answers questions on pay, hours, violations and tax withholding; and the CDSS IHSS Provider Help Line ((866) 376-7066) deals with e-timesheets, direct deposit and wage garnishments.

IHSS Bakersfield phone number, office and contacts

Because these numbers come from archived copies, confirm them on the first call; (661) 868-1000 is the general Aging and Adult Services number on the county contact page.

IHSS by city: Bakersfield, Delano, Tehachapi and Oildale

The county pages list a single IHSS office address, on Truxtun Avenue in Bakersfield, and no separate offices in other towns. Wherever you live in Kern County, the application number, the provider enrollment line and the wage are the same; a home visit comes to you.

• IHSS Bakersfield. The office, the orientations and the SIP desk are all here. Caregivers can browse caregiver jobs in Bakersfield; families can find caregivers in Bakersfield.
• IHSS Delano. Apply through the same county numbers; the orientation is booked through the county enrollment website. See caregiver jobs in Delano and caregivers in Delano.
• IHSS Tehachapi. Same office and numbers; plan the trip for the in-person orientation and ID check. See caregiver jobs in Tehachapi and caregivers in Tehachapi.
• Oildale and the rest of the county. Oildale does not have its own page; use caregiver jobs in Kern County and find caregivers in Kern County.

How IHSS fits with private hiring on CaregiverConnect

IHSS covers the hours the county authorises and nothing more. Families often need help in the evenings, overnight or at weekends that the assessment does not cover, or are still waiting for a decision. Posting that need on CaregiverConnect is free: caregivers in Kern County apply directly, you interview and hire, and you become the household employer for those private hours. A personal attendant in a private household is owed overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate after nine hours in a day or 45 in a week under the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, and the $16.90 state minimum wage applies. CaregiverConnect does not run background checks; caregivers may upload proof of one, and the private hiring guide explains what to check yourself.

For caregivers, an IHSS case and private clients can sit side by side. A free profile lets you say that you are an enrolled IHSS provider, list your availability and rate, and apply to Kern County families with no commission taken; optional premium plans are on the pricing page. Keep IHSS and private hours on separate records.

Further reading: getting paid to care for a family member in California, becoming an IHSS provider, IHSS pay by county and what in-home care costs in California.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Kern County Aging and Adult Services, In-Home Supportive Services (archived copy dated 24 September 2026; live site returned HTTP 403)
2. Kern County Aging and Adult Services, Become a Provider (archived copy dated 8 June 2026)
3. Kern County, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Public Authority (archived copy dated 8 June 2026)
4. Kern County Aging and Adult Services, Care Providers (archived copy dated 24 September 2026)
5. Kern County, Supported Individual Provider (SIP) (archived copy dated 24 September 2026)
6. Kern County, Contact Aging and Adult Services (archived copy dated 24 September 2026)
7. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook, sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026")
8. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 295, SOC 873, recipient as employer)
9. CDSS, IHSS Provider Orientation Process (SOC 426, SOC 846, fingerprinting)
10. CDSS, IHSS Provider Resources (pay periods, ESP, Service Desk)
11. CDSS, IHSS Program Requirements: overtime, travel time and wait time (66-hour limit)
12. CDSS, All-County Letter 16-01 (7 January 2016): overtime, workweek, travel time
13. CDSS, All-County Letter 11-76: SOC 873 45-day timeframe and temporary authorization
14. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ
15. California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights FAQ