IHSS Riverside County: phone number, pay rate, offices and provider enrollment

Who runs IHSS in Riverside County

Three bodies are involved, and knowing which does what saves phone calls:

• Riverside County DPSS, Adult Services Division. It takes applications, assesses need, authorizes hours and sends the decision. The DPSS home page still carried the name "Riverside County Department of Public Social Services" and an "Adult Services" section in an archived copy dated April 14, 2026, and the Adult Services page (archived December 5, 2025) lists IHSS among its division programs alongside Adult Protective Services and CAPI.
• The IHSS Public Authority. It recruits, screens and trains caregivers, keeps a registry that matches clients with caregivers, and handles enrollment questions, workers' compensation reports and employment verification. The county describes its matching service as free.
• The California Department of Social Services (CDSS). It sets the statewide rules and issues provider pay. Under CDSS rules the person receiving care is legally the employer and decides who to hire, how the work is done and when to let a provider go.

The archived Public Authority page also says the authority works with the United Domestic Workers (UDW) union on wages and benefits, and that an 11-member Advisory Committee works with DPSS on how IHSS is run in the county.

Who qualifies for IHSS in Riverside

The county's Adult Services page (archived December 5, 2025) describes IHSS as home care that keeps older adults, dependent adults and minors safe in their own homes, and lists three conditions:

• you meet Medi-Cal eligibility requirements in California;
• you have a disability expected to last longer than 12 months;
• a physician or other medical professional finds that you cannot stay safely at home without IHSS.

The state adds that you must be a California resident, live at home or in a place of your own choosing, and return a completed Health Care Certification (form SOC 873). No hours can be authorized until that certificate reaches the county, according to CDSS, so ask your doctor's office to complete it promptly.

Riverside County IHSS phone number and how to apply

The number to remember is the IHSS HOME line, (888) 960-4477. The archived county pages give it as the place to apply over the phone and as the Public Authority's number, answered Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time, except county holidays. The same pages point applicants to the county's IHSS website, RiversideIHSS.org, where you can apply online, upload documents and check on a request without traveling to an office.

After you apply, expect the standard IHSS sequence set by the state: a social worker visits your home to assess which tasks you need help with and for how long, your medical professional returns the SOC 873, and you receive a written decision listing the services and hours authorized. Neither the archived county pages nor CDSS publish a fixed processing time for Riverside, so ask the HOME line where your case stands rather than relying on a figure you heard elsewhere.

If you suspect an older or dependent adult is being abused or neglected, that is a separate line: the county's Adult Protective Services hotline, (800) 491-7123, open 24 hours a day.

IHSS Riverside pay rate: $19.90 an hour

The state's county wage workbook (its "IP Effective 10-1-2026" tab, which we downloaded on October 14, 2026) puts the Riverside County individual provider rate at $19.90 an hour from May 1, 2026. One rate covers Riverside, Temecula, Hemet, Palm Springs and the rest of the county, since each county bargains its own IHSS wage. Older county pages still show $18.50 (the archived Public Authority page from August 2025 does), which predates the May 2026 increase.

Hours rules. SOC 846, the agreement every provider signs, adds 50% to the hourly rate once you pass 40 hours between Sunday midnight and Saturday 11:59 p.m. With two or more clients your combined weekly ceiling is 66 hours, and you may log at most seven hours a week driving from one client's home to another's. Every hour, overtime included, comes from the recipient's authorized monthly total, so the assessment, not your availability, sets your IHSS income.

Sick leave. For fiscal year 2026/27 CDSS gives providers 40 hours of paid sick leave from July 1, 2026, which you earn once you have worked 100 hours and can start using once you log 200 additional hours or reach 60 days on the job, if that comes sooner. Unused hours lapse on June 30. Claim them on form SOC 2302 or in the Electronic Services Portal.

Health coverage. The archived Public Authority page says Riverside IHSS caregivers can get health coverage through Walker Insurance Solutions, LLC if they keep working at least 80 paid hours a month; its benefits line is (800) 883-0902. To compare Riverside with San Bernardino, Orange and other counties, open our county-by-county IHSS wage table.

How to become an IHSS provider in Riverside County

All new providers, family members included, start by calling IHSS HOME on (888) 960-4477. When you call, say which kind of provider you are:

• Individual Provider: you already have an IHSS client who has received a Notice of Action approving services, often a parent, spouse or neighbor.
• Registry Provider: you have no client yet, or you want to be referred to new ones through the Public Authority registry.

The archived Public Authority page (August 5, 2025) lists the enrollment activities:

1. Complete a provider enrollment packet.
2. Submit an unexpired government-issued photo ID and your Social Security card.
3. Get Live Scan fingerprints on the Riverside County Live Scan form and clear the state Department of Justice background screening.
4. Watch the state-mandated orientation video online.
5. Attend the in-person orientation that every new Riverside County provider must complete.
6. Register for electronic timesheets and direct deposit.

Registry applicants have one extra requirement: they must take and pass a drug and alcohol test. Returning providers can log in to the county's Provider Enrollment Automated Registry System (PEARS) portal to see where their file stands.

Once linked to a client, you submit timesheets through the state Electronic Services Portal at etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov. There are two pay periods each month (days 1 to 15, then day 16 through the last day), direct deposit is set up on CDSS form SOC 829, and no income tax comes out of your pay unless you hand in a W-4 (federal) and DE 4 (state). The background-check tiers and waivers are explained in our IHSS provider walkthrough.

The IHSS Public Authority registry in Riverside County

The Public Authority runs a public registry that matches Adult Services clients with caregivers who have already been recruited, screened and trained, and the client makes the final choice of who to hire. A recipient who has no relative or friend lined up should ask about the registry on the HOME line; the county describes the service as free.

For caregivers, the registry is the route to IHSS work when you do not know a recipient. Expect the extra drug and alcohol test on top of the standard enrollment steps. The archived page also says the Public Authority offers free training to IHSS caregivers every month, with registration through its website.

Other Public Authority services listed on the same page: verification of employment (VOE) for a mortgage, loan, housing or benefits application; help with workweek and travel-time rules, violation disputes and overtime exemption requests on (888) 960-4477; and workers' compensation. If you are hurt while caring for your client, report it to the Public Authority straight away on 888-960-4477, which opens the claim and authorizes initial treatment.

IHSS offices: western Riverside County and the Coachella Valley

The county's IHSS office page (archived October 10, 2025) lists three locations, each open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The county asks you to call the HOME line first to book an appointment, either at one of these offices or at another DPSS site, so staff are available when you arrive.

• Western county: Moreno Valley and Hemet are the listed IHSS offices. See caregiver jobs in Riverside, Moreno Valley jobs, Corona jobs, Hemet jobs and Temecula jobs; families can browse caregivers in Riverside or caregivers in Temecula.
• Coachella Valley: the Indio office serves the desert cities. See the Coachella Valley hub (for families), Palm Springs jobs and Indio jobs.

For the whole county, start at Riverside County caregiver jobs or Riverside County caregivers.

IHSS Riverside phone numbers at a glance

These lines were taken from archived county pages, so double-check hours or extensions on your first call.

Adding private hours alongside IHSS

The Notice of Action caps IHSS at certain tasks and hours. When a Riverside family needs someone overnight, on weekends, or to give a relative-provider a day off, that time has to be paid privately. CaregiverConnect is one way to arrange it: posting a job costs nothing, caregivers near you send applications themselves, and you hire the person you choose and act as their household employer, paying a rate you both accept that meets minimum wage. We take no cut of the pay. We do not screen or background-check caregivers, though a caregiver can add proof of a check to their profile. Paid premium plans are optional.

If one IHSS client leaves gaps in your week, a caregiver profile, which is free, lets families from Corona to the Coachella Valley contact you. Private and agency prices sit side by side in our California home care pricing guide, and other paid options for looking after a relative are listed under paid family caregiving in California.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Riverside County DPSS, IHSS Public Authority (archived copy dated August 5, 2025: IHSS HOME line, provider types, enrollment steps, drug and alcohol test, PEARS, UDW, Walker Insurance, training, workers' compensation)
2. Riverside County DPSS, Adult Services (archived copy dated December 5, 2025: Adult Services Division, IHSS eligibility, RiversideIHSS.org, Public Authority, APS hotline)
3. Riverside County DPSS, Office Locations, In-Home Supportive Services (archived copy dated October 10, 2025: Hemet, Moreno Valley, Indio)
4. Riverside County DPSS, home page (archived copy dated April 14, 2026: department name, Adult Services, APS line)
5. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026")
6. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 873, recipient as employer, State issues pay)
7. CDSS, SOC 846 Provider Enrollment Agreement (overtime, 66-hour cap, travel time, W-4/DE 4)
8. CDSS, IHSS Provider Resources (pay periods, ESP, SOC 829, family members as providers)
9. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (FY 2026/27, SOC 2302, Service Desk)
10. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)