IHSS San Francisco: phone numbers, the $25.00 pay rate and the Public Authority

How IHSS San Francisco is organized

IHSS pays a caregiver, called a provider, to help an older adult or a person with a disability with daily tasks at home: bathing, dressing, grooming, bowel and bladder care, meal preparation and cleanup, light housekeeping, shopping and errands. The person receiving help is the recipient, and in San Francisco recipients find, hire and manage their own providers.

San Francisco splits the work among three organizations, and knowing which one to call saves time:

The city calls this three-way arrangement the IHSS system. Homebridge is there for recipients who have difficulty coordinating their own care; everyone else works with IHSS and the Public Authority directly.

San Francisco IHSS phone number and applying for services

The main San Francisco IHSS phone number is (415) 355-6700. You can apply by calling it, or by faxing or mailing the city's IHSS Referral Form (linked from the SFHSA "Become an IHSS Recipient" page). Hospital discharge planners and community agencies submit referrals online through SFGetCare. You can also walk in at the DAS Benefits and Resources Hub at 2 Gough Street, which keeps weekday hours from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

To be eligible, the city says you must live at home or in a shelter (not a board and care, nursing home or hospital) and receive or qualify for Medi-Cal. The steps after that:

1. Health care certification. The SOC 873 must be completed by a licensed health care professional, and it has to reach IHSS no later than 45 days after you apply, so request it early.
2. Medi-Cal, if needed. If you do not already have Medi-Cal or SSI, an IHSS Eligibility Worker contacts you for an interview and reviews your income. The Hub lists a separate Medi-Cal eligibility line for IHSS, (844) 551-4320.
3. Home visit. Once Medi-Cal is in place, an IHSS social worker is assigned and visits to assess which tasks you need help with.
4. Notice of action. A letter tells you whether services were approved. If you disagree with the assessment you can appeal at a state hearing.

If you turn out not to qualify, SFHSA points to two other in-home options in the city: Support at Home from the Institute on Aging, and Self-Help for the Elderly.

IHSS pay rate in San Francisco: $25.00 an hour

Since September 1, 2026, San Francisco IHSS providers earn $25.00 an hour. We downloaded the CDSS wage workbook on October 15, 2026 and ranked all 58 county rows on the sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026": San Francisco is first, with Alameda second at $22.10 and San Mateo third at $21.70; no other county reaches $21.50. SFHSA publishes a negotiated schedule with one more step already set:

Against other wage floors. The California minimum wage is $16.90 in 2026 (DIR), and the UC Berkeley Labor Center inventory lists San Francisco's own minimum wage at $19.61 from July 1, 2026. The IHSS rate is $8.10 above the state figure and $5.39 above the city figure (our arithmetic, illustrative).

Hours limits. Pay covers only the hours on the recipient's notice, and SFHSA warns providers not to exceed weekly authorized hours. If a recipient needs more than their weekly maximum, they must ask their social worker to request overtime. Providers with several recipients can claim travel time between them on the same day, capped at seven hours a week, after filing form SOC 2255.

Sick leave. From July 1, 2026, the state gives each provider 40 hours of paid sick leave for the 2026/27 year. CDSS says the hours accrue once you have worked 100 hours, become usable after another 200 hours or 60 days of work, and lapse on June 30. Request them with form SOC 2302, or online through ESP. For every county's rate, compare our county-by-county IHSS wage table.

Becoming an IHSS provider in San Francisco: enrollment and orientation

San Francisco moved most of enrollment online. The SFHSA "Become an IHSS Provider" page sets out three stages:

1. Online enrollment. Create an account (the username, password and security answers are case-sensitive and you will need them again), watch the mandatory videos, sign forms SOC 426 and SOC 846 electronically, then book an orientation. Orientations run in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian.
2. Two-hour group orientation at 77 Otis Street. This is the IHSS Provider Orientation Center, and it sees people by appointment only. Arrive 15 minutes early with a valid state or U.S. government photo ID, your original Social Security card, a work authorization document if your card says it is valid for work only with DHS authorization, and the completed IHSS Provider Packet, including the SOC 426A. If a recipient has already chosen you, fill in the packet together with that recipient. The packet is posted in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Filipino and Vietnamese.
3. Background check. At orientation you receive a Live Scan request form (BCIA 8016). Book a fingerprint appointment with the Public Authority, keep a copy of the form as proof, and note that the booking page asks for the 9-digit provider number you are given at orientation. Appointments are by booking only, with no walk-ins.

For help scheduling or with enrollment, call (415) 557-6200; former providers can use the same number, or email ihsspaymentunits@sfgov.org, to check whether their status is still active. The statewide process is explained in our IHSS provider walkthrough, and family caregivers should read our guide to family caregiver pay in California.

IHSS Public Authority San Francisco: registry, back-up care and mentorship

The Public Authority's office is at 1155 Market Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103, and its main line is (415) 243-4477 (fax (415) 243-4407). Call before visiting, since some in-office services, such as fingerprinting, run by appointment.

The registry, for families. IHSS refers you to the Public Authority, a counselor calls to learn about your needs, language and preferences, and you receive a list of five providers matched by location, language, approved tasks and schedule. You call and interview them and decide whom to hire.

The registry, for caregivers. If you are enrolled, cleared and want to be put forward to recipients you do not yet know, call the Public Authority's main line and ask how to join the registry.

Back-up Provider Services. BUPS sends a short-term caregiver when a recipient leaves hospital without home care, the regular provider is unavailable, or no provider has been hired yet. During business hours the request goes through the social worker; after 5:30 p.m., on weekends and on holidays, call the Public Authority directly.

Mentorship. The Public Authority's Mentorship Program advises recipients on how to hire and manage a provider.

Health benefits, workers' compensation and the union

• Health and vision. If you were paid for at least 25 hours a month for the two most recent consecutive months, you can enroll in Healthy Workers through the San Francisco Health Plan, with vision through VSP. The Public Authority lists the premium as $3 a month, deducted from the second paycheck of the month. Coverage is for the provider only.
• Dental. Liberty Dental Plan becomes available after six consecutive months at 25 hours or more. There are two plan options, and the listed monthly premiums run from $1 to $3 depending on the plan and dependents.
• Timing. Applications received by the 12th of a month take effect on the 1st of the next month. Benefits questions go to (415) 593-8125 or benefits@sfihsspa.org.
• Workers' compensation. Report an injury to the recipient's social worker (call (415) 557-6200 for their details), complete employee sections 1 to 9 of the DWC 1, and file with Intercare on (800) 771-5454.
• Union. SEIU Local 2015 represents San Francisco IHSS providers in bargaining over wages, benefits and working conditions: (855) 810-2015, or visit 1645 California Street.
• ID card. An optional IHSS provider ID card is available by appointment from the Public Authority.

Timesheets, check-in and violations

San Francisco pays twice a month: days 1 through 15 form one period, and day 16 through the final day of the month form the other. Send the timesheet on the period's last day, because SFHSA holds early submissions until then. Use the state Electronic Services Portal or the Telephone Timesheet System on (833) 342-5388. Non-live-in providers must check in and out at the start and end of each workday through ESP, TTS or the IHSSEVV app; SFHSA notes your location is not tracked during the day.

Going over weekly authorized hours brings violation notices. An unanswered fourth notice can suspend a provider for 12 months and require re-enrollment with new fingerprints. You can contest a violation on the SOC 2272 within 10 calendar days, and request a state review of a third or fourth violation on the SOC 2273. Payment questions go to (415) 557-6200 or ihsspaymentunits@sfgov.org; the state IHSS Service Desk, (866) 376-7066, takes portal and sick leave questions weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

San Francisco IHSS phone numbers and addresses

Paying privately for care around IHSS hours

IHSS covers the hours on the notice of action and nothing more. Overnight shifts, weekend cover and a break for a family member who already serves as the provider are not included. That care is private employment at a rate the two sides agree on; keep the state and city minimum wages above in mind when you set it.

CaregiverConnect lets a San Francisco family post that kind of job at no cost. Interested caregivers apply to the posting themselves; the family makes its choice, does the hiring itself and from then on is the household employer, and no commission comes out of the caregiver's pay. Background checks are not something we perform, but caregivers are free to attach proof of a check they arranged. For extra features there are optional paid plans. Browse caregiver jobs in San Francisco or San Francisco caregivers, and check California in-home care costs before setting a rate. Just south of the city, see our San Mateo County IHSS guide.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. SFHSA, In-Home Supportive Services (main line, service centers, timesheet support, Homebridge and Public Authority numbers)
2. SFHSA, The IHSS System (roles of IHSS, the Public Authority and Homebridge)
3. SFHSA, Become an IHSS Recipient (eligibility, SOC 873 within 45 days, referral form, Medi-Cal interview, home visit, state hearing)
4. SFHSA, Hire an IHSS Provider (provider packet, registry, Mentorship, Back-up Provider Services)
5. SFHSA, Become an IHSS Provider (online enrollment, SOC 426/846, 77 Otis Street orientation, Live Scan)
6. SFHSA, IHSS Provider Wages (schedule January 2025 to January 2027)
7. SFHSA, Get IHSS Job Benefits and Training (health, dental, workers' compensation, SEIU 2015, ID cards)
8. SFHSA, Submit IHSS Timesheets (pay periods, EVV, travel time, SOC 2255/2272/2273, violations)
9. SFHSA, DAS Benefits and Resources Hub, 2 Gough Street (hours, phone lines)
10. San Francisco IHSS Public Authority, Provider Registry (five-provider matching list, office address, phone and fax)
11. San Francisco IHSS Public Authority, Benefits (Healthy Workers, Liberty Dental, premiums, eligibility)
12. San Francisco IHSS Public Authority, LiveScan fingerprint sign-up (BCIA 8016, 9-digit provider number, no walk-ins)
13. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; San Francisco $25.00 from September 1, 2026)
14. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (FY 2026/27, SOC 2302, Service Desk, fraud hotline)
15. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)
16. UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of local minimum wage ordinances (San Francisco $19.61 from July 1, 2026)