IHSS San Joaquin County and Stockton: phone numbers, $18.97 pay and the Public Authority

Who qualifies for IHSS in San Joaquin County

HSA calls IHSS a federal, state and locally funded program for aged, blind and disabled people who would otherwise be at risk of going into a care facility. The help it can authorize includes housecleaning, cooking, laundry, grocery shopping, personal care, going with the person to doctor's appointments, and protective supervision for someone whose mental impairment requires it.

The agency lists these conditions:

• disabled, blind, or 65 or older; children may also qualify;
• physically living in San Joaquin County;
• unable to live safely at home without help; a hospital bed, nursing facility or licensed care home is not treated as home;
• meeting the financial need test and having Medi-Cal;
• a doctor-signed SOC 873, the state's health care certification.

Per CDSS, an approved recipient becomes the employer of whoever they pick as provider: they recruit, train and oversee that person and can let them go. Wages are paid by the State, not the recipient.

San Joaquin County IHSS phone number and application

The HSA number for applications is (209) 468-1119; staff there can take you through the process by phone. Who starts the referral depends on who is applying:

• An adult referring someone else (a son, daughter, neighbor or doctor's office, say) uses the online referral form HSA hosts on SimpliGov.
• A parent or custodial adult applying for a child downloads the forms or calls (209) 468-1119.
• Applying yourself on paper: complete the application, SOC 295 (English and Spanish versions are linked, plus large-font forms), and have your doctor complete the SOC 873.

Send both forms by any of these routes. The county cannot authorize services until it has both.

Have the applicant's name, home and mailing addresses, phone, date of birth, Social Security number and primary language to hand, along with the household size, the name and birth date of anyone in the home who already receives IHSS, the doctor's name and number, medical conditions, recent hospital stays and the areas where help is needed.

What follows. Next, a county social worker visits the applicant at home for an interview, judging which tasks the person can still do safely and setting hours for each service; family, friends and the doctor can contribute. HSA then sends a notice. A denial explains the reason and how to appeal; an approval lists the services and the monthly hours. The provider can be a relative or friend, but every provider must register with IHSS.

IHSS pay rate in Stockton and San Joaquin County

San Joaquin County pays individual IHSS providers $18.97 an hour, effective January 1, 2026. We read it from the San Joaquin line of the state's wage spreadsheet, tab "IP Effective 10-1-2026", on October 15, 2026. It is a countywide rate, so an IHSS provider in Stockton earns the same as one in Lodi, Tracy or Manteca.

The weekly rules. Every provider signs SOC 846. It defines the workweek as starting at 12:00 a.m. Sunday and closing at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, and hours beyond 40 in that week earn 150 percent of the wage. A provider who works for two or more recipients has a combined ceiling of 66 hours per workweek, and travel between their homes counts separately, up to seven hours. A recipient's weekly guideline is the monthly authorization divided by four, and the monthly total cannot be exceeded.

Sick leave. For fiscal year 2026/27 providers receive 40 hours from July 1, 2026, per CDSS. You accrue it after 100 hours of IHSS work and it becomes usable when you reach either 60 calendar days or 200 additional hours, whichever arrives first. The Public Authority's sick leave page still shows last year's dates, so rely on CDSS for the current year. To compare counties, see IHSS pay by county.

Becoming an IHSS provider in San Joaquin County

The county's version of the recipient designation form, SOC 426A, spells out what a new provider has to finish before IHSS money can be paid:

1. complete the Provider Enrollment Form, SOC 426, and return it in person;
2. submit fingerprints and clear the criminal background check;
3. attend a provider orientation;
4. sign and return the Provider Enrollment Agreement, SOC 846.

The same form warns recipients that if they let someone start before enrollment is finished and the county then finds that person ineligible, the recipient pays for that work from their own money. The Public Authority's home page also says people already caring for an IHSS recipient can now sign up online and lists upcoming orientation dates.

Designating the provider. The recipient can collect a blank SOC 426A from their social worker or the HSA lobby at 102 S. San Joaquin St., Stockton, and return it to the social worker or the drop box inside that lobby. If the provider is already active, the recipient can hire them in the Electronic Services Portal in four steps, using the nine-digit provider number: find, select, enter a start date, then confirm by signing the electronic SOC 426A.

Background check. You can check the status online through the California DOJ applicant status site, or call the Public Authority on (800) 491-1996. Statewide rules on disqualifying convictions are covered in the how to become an IHSS provider article.

IHSS Public Authority San Joaquin County and its registry

San Joaquin's Public Authority dates from 2002, when county supervisors passed ordinance 4147. It opened in January 2003 and started its registry that May. Its stated jobs include running the registry, doing reference and background checks, sending lists of screened providers, helping recipients interview, giving an orientation for new providers, helping settle conflicts between recipients and providers, and acting as employer of record for collective bargaining.

The office is at 24 S. Hunter St., Suite 5, Stockton, CA 95202, phone (800) 491-1996, email ihssPAinfo@sjgov.org. It no longer takes walk-in appointments, so call first; visitors to the Canlis Building pass through weapons screening.

Getting a registry list. If you have an active IHSS case but no provider, call (209) 468-3397 or (800) 491-1996 with your case number or Social Security number. The Public Authority mails about five registry providers matched to your needs, and you interview and hire. Each has completed an application, reference check, background check and registry orientation.

Joining the registry. As of October 15, 2026 the Public Authority's provider page says it is not accepting registry applications, so check back with the office before applying.

Training. The Public Authority helps providers with CPR, First Aid and AED training, timesheets and direct deposit forms, and offers free self-paced Care Academy courses (dementia care, fall prevention, transfers, infection control and more) with certificates; to register, call its training contact on (209) 468-1747.

Help for unpaid family caregivers in San Joaquin

Not every relative who cares for someone is an IHSS provider. HSA's Family Caregiver Support Program serves adults 18 and over who live in the county and give unpaid care at home to a frail person over 60, or to someone of any age with Alzheimer's or a related brain disorder. It offers case management and respite: adult day services through Adventist Health Lodi Memorial, (209) 369-4443, and homemaker and personal care through Catholic Charities, (209) 444-5951. Referrals are online, or by phone on (209) 468-1104, the Older Adult Information and Assistance line.

San Joaquin County IHSS phone numbers

If a recipient could not sign a timesheet because they are in hospital or have died, providers are told to call payroll on (209) 468-1119. Providers can update their address in the online timesheet portal or through the same number.

Paying privately for care beyond IHSS hours

IHSS pays only for the services and monthly hours on the notice. Families in San Joaquin who need more, such as an overnight caregiver, weekend cover or someone to relieve a family member who already works as the paid IHSS provider, can post the job free on CaregiverConnect. Caregivers apply to you directly; you interview, choose, and employ the person yourself as a household employer, paying at least the minimum wage at a rate you agree. CaregiverConnect charges no commission and does not perform background checks; a caregiver can add proof of one to their profile. There are optional premium plans.

See caregiver jobs in San Joaquin County, or by city: Stockton, Tracy, Lodi and Manteca. Families can search caregivers in San Joaquin County or caregivers in Stockton. IHSS providers with open hours can make a free profile, and our family caregiver pay guide covers other ways relatives are paid.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. San Joaquin County HSA, Disability Assistance (IHSS): eligibility, referral routes, SOC 295/SOC 873, fax, mail and in-person drop-off, Public Authority, payroll, union, APS and fraud lines
2. San Joaquin County HSA, Caregiver Support (Family Caregiver Support Program, respite providers, 209-468-1104)
3. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, home page (no walk-ins, online sign-up, CPR/First Aid/AED help)
4. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, Contact Us (24 S Hunter St Ste 5, phone, email, Canlis Building screening)
5. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, About Us (ordinance 4147, 2003 opening, duties, employer of record)
6. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, Referral List Request (registry screening, 209-468-3397)
7. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, Recipient Resources (list of about five registry providers)
8. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, IP Enrollment (SOC 426A pick-up and drop box, ESP four-step hiring)
9. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, SOC 426A (1/16) SJC Version (enrollment requirements, recipient liability, 66 hours)
10. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, Provider Resources (registry applications paused, address changes)
11. San Joaquin County IHSS Public Authority, Trainings (Care Academy, training contact)
12. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026")
13. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (recipient as employer, State issues checks)
14. CDSS, SOC 846 Provider Enrollment Agreement (overtime, 66-hour limit, seven-hour travel cap)
15. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (FY 2026/27)
16. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)