IHSS Shasta County: phone numbers, Monday orientation in Redding and the $18.50 wage

Who can get IHSS in Shasta County

Shasta County presents IHSS as a state program that offers an alternative to out-of-home care such as a nursing home: instead of paying a facility, it pays a caregiver to help with daily activities in the person's own home. Examples on the county page include bathing, dressing, cooking, cleaning, grooming and feeding.

According to the county IHSS page, the person must be:

• unable to stay safely at home without help with daily activities;
• a California resident who rents or owns their home;
• age 60 or over, blind, or disabled, in the county's wording (the CDSS program page says only "aged, blind, and disabled" and gives no age, so ask the county how the age test applies to you);
• receiving Medi-Cal; and
• living on a low income.

CDSS will not authorize hours until a licensed health care professional has completed form SOC 873, the Health Care Certification. The county posts that form and the IHSS application on its IHSS page so you can print them in advance. Once approved, the recipient does the hiring and, in CDSS terms, is the caregiver's employer, with the duties of training, supervising and, if necessary, dismissing them.

Shasta County IHSS phone number and how to apply

The number to start with is (530) 225-5507, the IHSS line, answered 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on county holidays. Anyone can make a referral for someone else, and people can refer themselves. A social worker then meets the applicant and decides whether they qualify.

You have two ways to begin:

1. Phone (530) 225-5507 and ask for an IHSS referral; or
2. Download the IHSS application and the Health Care Certification form from the Supporting Documents list on the county IHSS page, complete them and return them to the office at 2640 Breslauer Way, Redding, CA 96001.

If you are applying for a parent who lives elsewhere in the county, such as Anderson, Shasta Lake, Palo Cedro, Cottonwood or Burney, the same Redding office and phone line handle the case.

Recipients who do not have someone in mind can ask the Public Authority for help finding a caregiver, or a family member or friend can enroll to provide the care. The county links to CDSS training videos on interviewing, hiring and supervising a caregiver. The interview questions and written agreement in how to hire a private caregiver work for an IHSS hire too.

How to become an IHSS caregiver in Shasta County

Shasta County Public Authority recruits, screens and gives orientation to every new caregiver before they start. Once enrolled and eligible, caregivers are added to the Public Authority Registry. The county page lists five things you must do:

1. Book a place at orientation by calling (530) 225-5507.
2. Complete the two-hour orientation.
3. Sign an agreement confirming you understand a care provider's rights and responsibilities.
4. Clear a background check within 90 days of orientation.
5. Complete form 426-A, Recipient Designation of Provider, and return it to the Public Authority for each person you serve. This is how the recipient confirms you work for them and tells the office your start date. You receive a W-4 and a DE-4 for tax withholding with each 426-A.

What to bring to orientation

Orientation is by appointment only, held every Monday, and lasts about two hours. Arrive early to register: the doors close at the start time and latecomers are not let in. Bring your Social Security card and a valid photo ID, with the name matching exactly on both. The county accepts an unexpired California DMV driver's license or ID card, a military ID, a passport, a federal tribal ID or a permanent resident card.

The county's "Enrollment Process" handout, in an Internet Archive copy captured January 29, 2026, adds detail: orientation then started at 2 p.m. in the Mae Helene Bacon Boggs Building, 2420 Breslauer Way, Redding; the office asked people to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early; and photocopies of identity documents were not accepted. Confirm the time and room when you book, since the live page does not repeat them.

If you cannot attend your slot, call (530) 225-5507 so someone else can take it; you may rebook whenever you like. The statewide rules behind each step are explained in our IHSS provider guide.

Background check, start date and retroactive timecards

The background check has to be done within 90 days of orientation. When every step is finished and the results pass, you receive a letter. If you do not pass, the letter explains why and sets out the steps to ask for a waiver or appeal.

The county page also covers starting early. Because caregivers are employees of the IHSS recipient, a caregiver who is confident of passing can begin working before the check comes back, and timecards will be made retroactive to the start date the recipient gave. The risk sits with the household: if the caregiver does not finish the process, or the results show they may be ineligible, IHSS payroll will not issue timecards and the recipient becomes responsible for paying for the work.

The archived January 2026 enrollment handout put the whole process at roughly three to four weeks, allowed retroactive timecards for up to 90 days before the eligibility letter, and told new providers to call the office for a 426A once that letter arrived. Only eligible providers with a signed 426A receive timesheets.

IHSS pay in Shasta County: $18.50 an hour

For Shasta County IHSS work the hourly rate is $18.50, in force since January 1, 2026, per the state's county-by-county wage spreadsheet (October 2026 tab, read October 15). CDSS says rates differ because each county's rate is bargained locally, and the northern counties around Shasta show the spread:

No Shasta city, Redding, Anderson and Shasta Lake included, shows up in the UC Berkeley Labor Center list of local wage ordinances as of July 1, 2026, which leaves $16.90, the state rate, as the floor. Shasta's IHSS rate is $1.60 higher (our arithmetic, for illustration).

Weekly limits. If you care for more than one recipient, CDSS limits your combined total to 66 hours per workweek, apart from a few exemptions. Splitting a week between clients means filling in form SOC 2255, the provider's workweek and travel time agreement.

Sick leave. Shasta providers, like all IHSS workers, get 40 paid sick hours for July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. You qualify after 100 hours worked, may draw on the hours after 200 more, and lose whatever is left at the end of June. Claims go in through the Electronic Services Portal or on paper with SOC 2302, and questions about your balance go to the state IHSS Service Desk, (866) 376-7066. See every county side by side on IHSS pay by county.

Timecards, direct deposit and changes of address

Questions about timecards or payroll go to IHSS@shastacounty.gov or (530) 225-5507. A few county rules are worth knowing from the start:

• Direct deposit. To have pay go straight to your bank, fill in the county's Direct Deposit form, one for each recipient you work for. It is in the Supporting Documents list on the IHSS page.
• Monthly check-in. At the start of each month you get an email or text with a link to confirm or update your employment details through the Nexus portal. Keep it current.
• Moving house. File a change of address form straight away. The Postal Service will not forward an IHSS check; it goes back to the state, and the county warns of an 8 to 10 week wait for payment. Send the form to Shasta County Public Authority/IHSS, P.O. Box 496005, Redding, CA 96049.
• Retirement savings. CalSavers, the optional state retirement program, is open to IHSS caregivers; its help desk is (855) 650-6918.

The county says it offers additional caregiver training from time to time and posts sessions on the IHSS page.

IHSS Public Authority Shasta County and the registry

The Public Authority shares the Breslauer Way office with IHSS but has its own number, (530) 229-8330. It keeps the registry: a list of caregivers who have enrolled, passed screening and been found eligible. Anyone eligible for IHSS can work with the Public Authority to be matched with a caregiver who suits their needs, and caregivers can use the same registry to find work. The archived enrollment handout describes it as matching recipients with care providers and tells caregivers who want more clients to call (530) 229-8330 to get registered.

Shasta also has an IHSS Advisory Committee, formed in March 2001 under Assembly Bill 1682. Its members include IHSS recipients and caregivers, community leaders and county staff, and it makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and the Health and Human Services Agency. The county IHSS page links to details on how to join.

Adult Protective Services and IHSS in Redding and Anderson

Shasta County Adult Protective Services helps seniors aged 60 or over and dependent adults from 18 through 59. Its main office and 24-hour abuse hotline is (530) 225-5798. A written Report of Suspected Dependent Adult/Elder Abuse can be faxed to (530) 245-7693 or mailed to Adult Protective Services, P.O. Box 496005, Redding, CA 96049-6005.

Our pages for the county: caregiver jobs in Redding and in-home caregivers in Redding; Anderson caregiver jobs and caregivers in Anderson; and countywide, Shasta County caregiver jobs and find caregivers in Shasta County. Neighboring guides: IHSS Butte County and IHSS Humboldt County.

Paying for care beyond the IHSS hours

IHSS covers only the tasks and monthly hours the social worker authorizes. When a family in Shasta needs more, for example overnight cover or help while the usual caregiver is away, those hours are a private arrangement outside the program.

Families can post such a job on CaregiverConnect without charge, hear from caregivers who apply, and hire the person they choose, becoming the employer themselves. Caregivers pay no commission. Background checks are not something CaregiverConnect performs; a caregiver can add evidence of a check they paid for. Optional paid plans are available. For what families pay privately, see our California in-home care cost breakdown. Any IHSS provider in Shasta with room in the week can start a caregiver profile without charge.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Shasta County HHSA, In-Home Care (IHSS) (eligibility, (530) 225-5507, five enrollment steps, Monday orientation, IDs, background check, retroactive timecards, payroll, Public Authority (530) 229-8330, 2640 Breslauer Way, Advisory Committee)
2. Shasta County, For Caregivers: Enrollment Process (Internet Archive copy captured January 29, 2026: 2 p.m. Monday orientation, 2420 Breslauer Way, 3-4 weeks, 90-day retroactive timecards)
3. Shasta County HHSA, Adult Protective Services (ages covered, 24-hour hotline, fax and mailing address)
4. Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency (department index linking IHSS and APS)
5. CDSS, IHSS wages by county (workbook sheet "IP Effective 10-1-2026"; Shasta $18.50 from January 1, 2026)
6. CDSS, In-Home Supportive Services (SOC 873 before authorization, recipient as employer, county wage bargaining)
7. CDSS, IHSS Program Requirements (66-hour maximum, SOC 2255)
8. CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave (40 hours for FY 2026/27, SOC 2302, IHSS Service Desk)
9. California DIR, minimum wage FAQ ($16.90 from January 1, 2026)
10. UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of local minimum wage ordinances (no Shasta County locality listed, July 1, 2026 table)