IHSS in California: how a family member can be paid to provide care

The short answer

• Yes, in most cases. Once the person who needs care is approved, they become the employer and can hire an adult child, grandchild, sibling, other relative or friend as their paid "provider." The state issues the paychecks.
• Spouses and parents of children under 18 can be paid too, with limits. A spouse can be paid for hands-on personal care and medical-type tasks, but usually not for housework. Since February 19, 2024, a parent no longer has to show they gave up full-time work to be paid for a minor child's care.
• There are two processes. The person who needs care applies to the county IHSS office. The relative enrolls as a provider within 90 days: an in-person form with ID, fingerprints and a background check, an orientation and a signed agreement.
• Pay is hourly and set by each county, never below the state minimum wage ($16.90 an hour in 2026). A provider who works for more than one recipient may not work more than 66 hours a week without an approved exemption; a provider with one recipient is capped at that person's maximum weekly hours, up to 70 hours and 45 minutes.
• You can appeal. You have 90 days to ask for a state hearing. Ask before a cut takes effect and the current hours usually continue until the judge decides.

Who can get IHSS

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) says the person needing care must live in California, have Medi-Cal (or be found eligible for it), live at home or in a home of their choosing, such as an apartment, a relative's house or a hotel, and turn in a health care certification form. A hospital, nursing home or licensed care facility does not count as home. People 65 or older, blind or disabled, including children, can qualify.

If the person does not have Medi-Cal yet, apply for it through the county at the same time. Since January 1, 2026, most Medi-Cal programs for older adults and people with disabilities again count savings and other assets, with a limit of $130,000 for one person plus $65,000 for each additional household member. Some property is not counted, so ask the county before assuming you are over the limit. The guide to Medi-Cal in plain language explains eligibility and renewal. Return renewal paperwork on time: losing Medi-Cal can stop IHSS and the provider's pay until coverage is restored.

IHSS can pay for housework, meal preparation and cleanup, laundry, shopping and errands, personal care (bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding, help walking and moving), "paramedical" tasks such as injections or wound care done under a licensed health professional's direction, going along to medical appointments, and protective supervision. It does not pay for moving furniture, paying bills, reading mail, pet care, gardening, repairs, social visits, watching TV together, outings or gas.

Which family members can be paid, and for what

Also note:

• When a spouse is away for work, their own health or another unavoidable reason, another provider can be paid for meal preparation, appointments and protective supervision during those hours, and for all authorized tasks if the spouse is gone 24 hours or more at a time.
• Work authorization. Every provider must show an original U.S. government photo ID and Social Security card and complete the federal I-9 work-eligibility form. A relative who is not authorized to work in the United States cannot be enrolled, but the person who needs care can hire someone else.
• Distance. Care must be given in person. CDSS treats claiming hours while living too far away to do the work as fraud.

Step by step: applying for services

1. Contact the county IHSS office and complete the application (form SOC 295, available in several languages). CDSS says the first call covers the disability, the help needed, income and assets, and may take up to 20 minutes. In Fresno County, call (559) 600-6666 (choose a language, then press 1) or use the county's online referral. CDSS lists every county's IHSS office online.
2. Prepare for the home visit. A county social worker visits to see which tasks the person can do safely and how much help they need, and may take information from family and the person's clinician.
3. Get the health care certification (SOC 873) completed by a licensed health care professional, such as a physician, physician assistant, occupational or physical therapist, psychologist or public health nurse. Services generally cannot start until the county has it, except when help is needed to come home safely from a hospital or nursing home, or the county sees a risk of placement. Health care providers may not charge a fee for IHSS eligibility forms.
4. Read the Notice of Action. It lists each approved service, the time for each and the monthly total. Keep it; it is what you would appeal.
5. Hire the provider. The person getting care, or their representative, hires, trains, supervises and can fire the provider, and sets the schedule. They can hire more than one person; county public authorities keep a registry of providers looking for work.

Step by step: enrolling as the paid provider

Finish all of these within 90 calendar days, or the process starts over:

• Attend the provider orientation run by the county or its public authority.
• Turn in the enrollment form (SOC 426) in person with your photo ID and Social Security card, answering the conviction questions truthfully.
• Get Live Scan fingerprints for a Department of Justice background check, after the county gives instructions. CDSS's enrollment guide says the applicant pays this fee.
• Sign the provider enrollment agreement (SOC 846).
• Complete an I-9 for each person you work for. W-4 and DE 4 tax withholding forms are optional, but without them no income tax is withheld.
• Register for the online Electronic Services Portal or the Telephone Timesheet System (833-342-5388), and set up direct deposit or a pay card, which CDSS now requires.

Background check. A conviction in the past 10 years for certain child abuse, elder or dependent adult abuse, or fraud against a government health or supportive services program bars enrollment, even if expunged. Certain other serious felonies bar enrollment unless expunged, waived by the person who wants to hire you, or covered by a general exception. A denial based on a conviction can be appealed to CDSS within 60 days. With any arrest or conviction in the past 10 years, get fingerprinted first; CDSS notes the review can take longer.

Working before enrollment is finished. CDSS says those authorized hours may be paid once both of you are found eligible, but not if the provider is found ineligible.

How the county decides the hours

The social worker ranks how much help the person needs with each task, from 1 (independent) to 5 (cannot do it even with help), then applies statewide time guidelines, allowing more or less time when needs call for it. Tasks shared with the household, like cleaning common rooms, may be split so the provider is paid only for the recipient's share. State law caps IHSS at 195 hours a month, or 283 hours for a person who needs at least 20 hours a week of certain personal care, meal and paramedical services. Hours are reassessed at a yearly home visit, and the person can ask for a reassessment whenever needs change.

Before the visit, keep a one- to two-week log of each task, how often it happens and how long it takes, including bad days and nights, and list medicines, equipment and recent falls or hospital stays.

Protective supervision

Protective supervision pays someone to watch a person and step in to keep them from getting hurt. It is for someone with a mental impairment or mental illness who does not understand danger ("non-self-directing") and needs supervision around the clock. It is not for social visits, watching for a medical problem or emergency such as seizures, controlling aggressive behavior, or preventing deliberate self-harm. A child must need more supervision than other children the same age.

The county will ask for a form (SOC 821) from a physician or other medical professional describing memory, orientation and judgment; it is one piece of evidence, not the deciding factor. Write down times the person was hurt or nearly hurt. Hours at school or a supervised day program are subtracted from the need. With protective supervision, total hours can reach the 195- or 283-hour limit.

Pay, schedules and overtime

Wages. CDSS says hourly rates vary by county because unions negotiate them with each county's employer of record. Ask the county IHSS office or public authority for the current rate. The state minimum wage, $16.90 an hour since January 1, 2026, is the floor.

Workweek and overtime. The IHSS workweek runs from 12:00 a.m. Sunday to 11:59 p.m. Saturday. Hours over 40 a week are paid at one and a half times the regular rate. Each provider is capped at 66 hours a week across everyone they work for, so a person authorized for more hours than that needs a second provider. A provider serving two or more people may qualify for an exemption of up to 90 hours a week in limited cases, such as a live-in parent who cared for two or more children on IHSS by January 31, 2016. Breaking the limits brings warnings, then a 90-day suspension on a third violation and a one-year ban on a fourth; each can be disputed with the county.

Sick leave. Providers start earning paid sick leave after 100 hours of work and can use it after 200 more hours or 60 days, whichever comes first. From July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, the amount is 40 hours.

Taxes and benefits. A provider who lives with the person can file a live-in self-certification (SOC 2298) so the wages are treated as exempt from federal and state income tax. CDSS notes some family providers may also be exempt from Social Security and Medicare withholding, and a provider who is the person's parent, spouse or child can choose to pay into State Disability Insurance. Health benefits, where offered, are set locally. CDSS staff cannot give tax advice; ask a tax professional or the IRS (800-829-1040).

Share of cost. If the person's Medi-Cal has an unmet monthly "share of cost," that amount is taken from the provider's paycheck and the person must pay it to the provider directly.

Rules that protect you both

• Claim only authorized tasks and hours you actually worked, on a separate timesheet for each person. Pay periods run from the 1st to the 15th and the 16th to month's end.
• Providers who do not live with the person must check in and out electronically and note whether the work was at home or in the community.
• No hours are paid while the person is in a hospital, nursing home or licensed care facility. Tell the county right away about a hospital stay or death.
• Only the person getting care, or their legal representative, may approve a timesheet; a provider who is the legal representative must first complete a Designation of Signatory form. Never use another person's login.
• A recipient may not ask for part of the provider's paycheck; CDSS treats that as fraud. For timesheet or portal problems, call the IHSS Service Desk at 1-866-376-7066.
• Providers are mandated reporters of suspected abuse or neglect.

If you disagree with a decision

• Ask for a state hearing within 90 days of the notice date: online through the CDSS hearings system, by calling the State Hearings Division at 1-800-743-8525, or with the form on the back of the notice.
• Ask before the change takes effect to keep the current hours until the decision. This is called "aid paid pending."
• An administrative law judge hears the case, often by phone. You can bring a representative, witnesses, your care log and clinician letters, and have a free interpreter. Free legal services are listed on county notices, and Disability Rights California (1-800-776-5746) also helps. If the county offers to settle in exchange for withdrawing your request, read the terms before signing.

If you need a break

The person you care for can split hours with a second provider, such as another relative or someone from the public authority registry. See understanding and managing caregiver stress, and, to plan who does what, how to prepare for a difficult conversation about caregiving.

This is general information, not legal or benefits advice; the county decides eligibility and hours.

Sources

1. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program and IHSS for Children — California Department of Social Services; accessed October 22, 2026.
2. Overview of the IHSS Program, Functional Index Rankings and Hourly Task Guidelines and Share-of-Cost fact sheets — California Department of Social Services, November 2020; accessed October 22, 2026.
3. IHSS Health Care Certification Form (SOC 873) and Assessment of Need for Protective Supervision (SOC 821) — California Department of Social Services; accessed October 22, 2026.
4. IHSS Protective Supervision Services for Adults (PUB 521) and for Minor Children (PUB 522) — California Department of Social Services, October 2021; accessed October 22, 2026.
5. How to Become an IHSS Provider, IHSS Provider Orientation and How to Appeal if You are Denied — California Department of Social Services; accessed October 22, 2026.
6. Important Information for Prospective Providers About the IHSS Provider Enrollment Process (SOC 847) — California Department of Social Services, May 2016; accessed October 22, 2026.
7. Provider Orientation Training Video 2026 Script — California Department of Social Services, Adult Programs Division, 2026; accessed October 22, 2026.
8. All County Letter 21-91: Clarification of IHSS Able and Available Spouse Regulations — California Department of Social Services, September 29, 2021; accessed October 22, 2026.
9. All County Letter 23-106: Elimination of Provider Eligibility Requirements for Minor Recipients — California Department of Social Services, December 21, 2023; accessed October 22, 2026.
10. IHSS Exemptions for Provider Violations, Paid Sick Leave Program Information and Electronic Visit Verification for Recipients and Providers — California Department of Social Services; accessed October 22, 2026.
11. IHSS Income Tax Fact Sheet — California Department of Social Services, March 2026; accessed October 22, 2026.
12. State Hearing Requests and IHSS Recipient Right to File a Hearing — California Department of Social Services; accessed October 22, 2026.
13. Welfare and Institutions Code sections 12300, 12300.4, 12301, 12301.21, 12303.4 and 12309.1 — reproduced by California.Public.Law from the official code; accessed October 22, 2026.
14. All County Welfare Directors Letter 25-14: Reinstatement of Asset Limits for Non-MAGI Medi-Cal Programs — California Department of Health Care Services, June 30, 2025; accessed October 22, 2026.
15. Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions — California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor Commissioner's Office; accessed October 22, 2026.
16. The 2026-27 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services — Legislative Analyst's Office, March 18, 2026; accessed October 22, 2026.
17. IHSS Fair Hearings Guide and IHSS Parent Provider Eligibility Update — Disability Rights California; accessed October 22, 2026.
18. In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and Contact In-Home Supportive Services — County of Fresno Department of Social Services; accessed October 22, 2026.
19. Wearing Two Hats: When You Are an IHSS Provider for a Family Member or a Close Friend — California Department of Social Services, IHSS Training Academy; accessed October 22, 2026.