IHSS San Bernardino County: phone numbers, pay, offices and the Public Authority

What IHSS San Bernardino covers and who qualifies

The county describes IHSS as help paying for services that let you stay in your own home, as an alternative to out-of-home care in a nursing home or a board and care facility. The help it lists is housekeeping, meal preparation, laundry, grocery shopping, personal care and accompaniment to medical appointments. It is equally clear about what IHSS does not pay for: moving, paying bills, reading mail, pet care, gardening, repairs and going to social events.

According to DAAS-PG, you may be eligible if you:

• are 65 or older, or are disabled or blind;
• are at risk of leaving your home because of a disability and need IHSS to remain there;
• live in California and are eligible for Medi-Cal;
• live in a home you chose; the county does not treat an acute care hospital, a long-term care facility or a licensed community care facility as your own home;
• submit a completed Health Care Certification, form SOC 873.

The Public Authority adds that disabled children can also be eligible. Whoever qualifies, the recipient is the employer: the county says the client interviews, selects, supervises and, if necessary, fires the provider, while the State of California issues the paychecks.

San Bernardino County IHSS phone number and application steps

To apply, call the IHSS Central Intake Unit on (877) 800-4544, on weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., legal holidays excepted, or apply in person at one of the six DAAS-PG offices listed below. Have the applicant's legal name, date of birth and Social Security number ready, and fill in the application as completely as you can, because gaps slow it down.

What happens next, as the county sets it out:

1. Your case is assigned by ZIP code.
2. An IHSS worker contacts you about your disabilities, your needs and your Medi-Cal eligibility, and your health care provider completes the SOC 873.
3. The worker visits you in person to ask more questions about the help you need.
4. You receive a Notice of Action. An approval lists each service and the hours approved; a denial gives the reason and the steps to appeal.

How long it takes. The county says processing can take up to 90 days, so apply as soon as the need is clear. If a recipient is already approved and the regular provider is unavailable, the Back-Up Provider System (BUPS) offers temporary, immediate help; ask your assigned IHSS social worker about it.

IHSS San Bernardino pay rate in 2026

Since January 1, 2026, an individual IHSS provider in San Bernardino County has earned $19.00 an hour. That is the figure in the CDSS wage workbook (tab "IP Effective 10-1-2026"), which we downloaded on October 14, 2026. The rate does not change between Fontana, Victorville, Ontario or anywhere else in the county; wages are bargained separately in each county, and here the Public Authority sits at that table as employer of record.

Overtime and hour limits. Under the SOC 846 agreement, hours over 40 in a Sunday-to-Saturday workweek are paid at time and a half. Providers with several clients face a combined limit of 66 claimed hours per workweek, and travel between clients counts for no more than seven hours a week. All of it comes out of each recipient's monthly authorized hours.

Deductions and benefits. The Public Authority FAQ explains that union dues are taken according to hours worked and refers questions to SEIU on (877) 698-5829. Providers enrolled in the health plan pay a $60 monthly premium deducted from their pay; the plan's trust answers on (888) 838-5370. Paid sick leave for fiscal year 2026/27 is 40 hours from July 1, 2026, according to CDSS: you start earning it after 100 hours of work, and it becomes available once you have put in 200 more hours or 60 days, whichever is first. See the IHSS pay by county guide for neighboring counties.

How to become an IHSS provider in San Bernardino County

A new provider, or one who has not worked for a client in over a year, first meets in person with the provider union; your client's social worker or the local IHSS office has the meeting schedule. After that meeting you receive a packet with enrollment instructions. The county's enrollment sheet (PA IHSS 400) then sets out the online process, which runs through the BOUNDS Online Provider Enrollment Portal and must be finished within 90 days of starting:

1. Create a BOUNDS account as a "New Application Provider" and log in with the details emailed to you.
2. Fingerprints. Take the Request for Live Scan Service (BCIA 8016) to a Live Scan site, show photo ID, pay the fee, and return a signed copy to an IHSS or Public Authority office. Wait for BOUNDS to confirm the Department of Justice results.
3. Watch the orientation videos in BOUNDS, each one in full.
4. Sign the forms electronically: SOC 426 (provider enrollment), SOC 846 (enrollment agreement) and DAAS DEC 1, the county's own provider declaration.
5. Enroll in electronic timesheets, either the Electronic Services Portal or the Telephone Timesheet System.
6. Once your client's case is approved, return the SOC 426A designation form signed by your client, with copies of your photo ID and Social Security card, and bring the originals for checking. Minors bring a work permit.

After BOUNDS confirms you are linked to the client's case, mail your W-4 and DE 4 if you want tax withheld; the state rejects them if they arrive earlier. The Public Authority says linking can take up to 30 days after you meet every requirement, and retroactive pay is normally limited to 90 days before the application.

Background check timing. The Public Authority says a clean Department of Justice check usually takes 10 to 45 days, while any arrest history can push it to six months or more. Fingerprint fees are not refunded or waived. Waivers exist only for Tier 2 denials and must be requested by the client on (866) 985-6322, option 5. Our guide to becoming an IHSS provider explains the tiers.

Already a provider here? You can add clients by signing the enrollment forms in BOUNDS and returning a SOC 426A from each new client.

IHSS Public Authority San Bernardino registry

The registry recruits and screens caregivers and refers them to IHSS clients. A computer search builds each referral list from location, care needs and schedule, and the client then interviews and hires. Registry services are free.

For caregivers. Ask any IHSS office for a registry application or request one from IHSSPARegistry@hss.sbcounty.gov. Experience is not required. Before you are referred you complete the application review, an informational handbook review, the criminal background check, BOUNDS registration and, where classes are running, CPR and First Aid. A letter then confirms you are "Available". You must update your availability every month or risk removal; providers marked Fully Employed update every three months.

For families. The client must already be in the IHSS program. If you are, call (866) 985-6322, option 3, and ask to join the registry as a consumer. If not, start with Central Intake on (877) 800-4544.

IHSS offices in the valley and High Desert

DAAS-PG lists six offices, each keeping weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on holidays. You can apply in person at any of them and drop off forms such as the SOC 840 change of address.

• San Bernardino and the east valley: the Hospitality Lane office also houses the main Public Authority office. See caregiver jobs in San Bernardino, San Bernardino caregivers and Redlands jobs.
• West valley: Rancho Cucamonga is the nearest office for Ontario, Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga caregivers.
• High Desert: the Victorville office is closest for Victorville and Hesperia; families there can browse caregivers in Victorville.

Countywide listings: San Bernardino County caregiver jobs and caregivers across San Bernardino County.

IHSS San Bernardino phone numbers and contacts

All numbers are from the DAAS-PG IHSS page, the Public Authority's pages and CDSS, checked October 14, 2026.

Private care on top of IHSS

A San Bernardino IHSS case pays only for the services and hours written on the Notice of Action. Night cover, weekend shifts, companionship and respite for a relative who already serves as the IHSS provider all fall outside it and are paid for privately. Families can post that kind of job on CaregiverConnect without charge; local caregivers respond with applications, and the family picks one, hires them directly and is their household employer, at an hourly rate the two agree on that is at or above minimum wage. CaregiverConnect charges no commission and performs no background checks of its own; a caregiver may choose to add evidence of one to their profile. Some members pay for optional premium plans.

Providers with spare hours can set up a caregiver profile at no cost so families from the Inland Empire valleys to the High Desert can reach them. For prices, see California home care prices; for relatives looking after family, see how to get paid as a family caregiver.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. San Bernardino County DAAS-PG, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, Central Intake, up to 90 days, provider enrollment, ESP, paycheck line, fraud line, SOC 840)
2. San Bernardino County DAAS-PG, Contact Us (six office addresses, phones, hours)
3. San Bernardino County IHSS Public Authority, home page (main office, phone, fax, BUPS, registry)
4. San Bernardino County IHSS Public Authority, Providers (registry steps, employer of record, DOJ timing, enrollment linking, employment verification, workers' compensation)
5. San Bernardino County IHSS Public Authority, Contact Us (district offices, health benefits line)
6. San Bernardino County IHSS Public Authority, FAQs (consumer registry, fingerprint fees, waivers, SEIU dues, $60 premium, retro pay)
7. San Bernardino County, PA IHSS 400 (07/22) BOUNDS Online Provider Enrollment Registration Information
8. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026")
9. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (eligibility, SOC 873, recipient as employer)
10. CDSS, SOC 846 Provider Enrollment Agreement (overtime, 66-hour cap, travel time)
11. CDSS, IHSS Provider Resources (pay periods, ESP, family members as providers)
12. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (FY 2026/27)
13. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)