Across California, families are already caring for the people they love: a mom helping her son with his morning routine, a grandson making sure his grandmother takes her medications, a wife helping her husband bathe and dress. Through In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), many of these relatives can be paid for that care.
Every county runs IHSS a little differently, but the basics are the same statewide. Here’s who can be a paid provider, the steps to get set up, and how to avoid the mistakes that delay a first paycheck.
Who can be a paid provider
In IHSS, the person receiving care (the recipient) is the employer. They choose who to hire: a relative, a friend, a neighbor, or a caregiver from their county’s registry. If they don’t have IHSS yet, start with What Is IHSS? The rules differ a little depending on how the provider is related.
Who are you hiring?
Tap the person’s relationship to the IHSS recipient to see what they can be paid for.
- Can be paid for personal care, paramedical services, going with the child to medical appointments, and Protective Supervision if it’s authorized.
- Children don’t get household services like cleaning or laundry, so no one is paid for those.
- Both parents can enroll. Together, their hours can’t go over the child’s authorized hours.
- The parent must be authorized to work in the U.S. If not, the family can still hire someone else for the child’s hours.
- The county may need to move the child to a different IHSS program first. Ask before you switch, and confirm the hours won’t change.
- Can be paid for personal care and paramedical services.
- Generally isn’t paid for household tasks like cleaning, laundry, shopping, and meals, which a spouse is expected to share.
- Can be paid for going to medical appointments or for Protective Supervision only if they had to leave full-time work, or can’t take it, because no other suitable provider is available.
- Ask your social worker how these rules apply to your case.
- Follows the same rules as any other provider.
- If you live together, some household tasks may be shared, so hours for them can be lower.
- If you live in the same home, you may be able to self-certify as a live-in provider on form SOC 2298, which can make your IHSS pay exempt from income tax.
- Follows the same rules as any other provider.
- If you live in the same home, you may be able to self-certify as a live-in provider on form SOC 2298.
- Follows the same rules as any other provider.
- Needs to be someone the recipient trusts. The recipient is the employer and can hire or let go of any provider.
For everyone: the provider must finish enrollment, pass a background check, and be authorized to work in the U.S. A family provider is paid only for the recipient’s authorized hours; hiring family doesn’t add hours.
For a deeper look at the rules, read Can a Family Member Be an IHSS Provider?.
Every county does it a little differently
The state sets the requirements, but each county runs enrollment and orientation its own way, usually through the county IHSS office and its Public Authority. Before you start, find out how your county does it. If you’re in Los Angeles County, our LA guide has the local phone numbers and steps.
County guides
Get the steps for your county
Los Angeles CountyHow to Set Up a Relative as an IHSS Provider in LA CountyLA phone numbers, a step-by-step tracker, and 2026 LA pay.Read the LA County guide → Sacramento County: how to apply and what providers earnAnywhere in California
- How to Set Up a Relative as an IHSS Provider in Los Angeles County
- IHSS in Sacramento County
- CDSS county office list: Find your county IHSS office. Start here for enrollment, orientation, and your county’s Public Authority.
- IHSS Service Desk: Timesheet or portal (ESP) help. (866) 376-7066 · statewide.
- Telephone Timesheet System: Send timesheets by phone. (833) 342-5388 · statewide.
Step by step
My IHSS enrollment tracker
Check off each step as you finish it. Enter the day you started, and we’ll show your 90-day finish-by date. Your progress stays on this device only.
To save or print, open this page in your phone’s regular browser. Tap the ••• or share menu, then choose “Open in browser.”
Steps and timelines vary by county. Your county IHSS office has the final word on your case.
FlagCounties give you a limited window to finish every step, often 90 days. Miss it, and you may have to start over, including fingerprints. Hours worked before you’re fully enrolled can sometimes be paid back once you finish, but only within limits. Don’t count on it. The safest plan is to finish enrollment before you start working paid hours.
Curious what orientation covers? See IHSS Provider Orientation: How to Enroll.
The background check
Every IHSS provider, including family, gets fingerprinted through Live Scan for a California Department of Justice background check, even if they’ve been fingerprinted for another job. Most delays happen here, so get fingerprinted as soon as you have the form. Ask your county whether you’ll pay the fingerprinting fee.
Worth knowingCertain convictions can keep someone from being an IHSS provider. The most serious group, which includes child or elder abuse and fraud against a government health program, can’t be waived. For a second group, which includes certain serious or violent felonies, the recipient can sign a waiver to hire that person anyway. If this applies to your relative, ask your county IHSS office before you start.
What a relative gets paid
A relative is paid the same as any other IHSS provider in the county, for the hours the county authorized for the recipient. Hiring family doesn’t add hours. If the recipient has more than one provider, they split those hours. To see what those hours can cover, read What Does IHSS Cover?.
Worth knowingIHSS pay is set county by county, through agreements between each county and the providers’ union, so the hourly rate can differ by a few dollars from one county to the next. It can’t be lower than the state minimum wage. Overtime is paid at time and a half after 40 hours a week. See 2027 raises by county
If you live with the recipient, you may be able to keep IHSS pay out of your taxable income by self-certifying on form SOC 2298. For how overtime works, read How IHSS Overtime Is Calculated.
Family first, and also a job
Being paid to care for someone you love is meaningful work, and it’s also real employment with real rules. Timesheets have to match the hours actually worked and the tasks the county authorized. Providers who don’t live with the recipient check in and out electronically; our guide to IHSS timesheets explains how. And it helps to agree early on schedules, backup care, and what happens if the arrangement stops working.
Our caregiver communication guide has a simple care agreement families can use, and What Every IHSS Caregiver in California Should Know covers the rules of the job. Caring for a child with complex medical needs? Ask about WPCS, which can add hours on top of IHSS.
Mistakes to avoid
Most delays come down to a few small things.
FlagThese are the mistakes we see most:
- Starting paid work before enrollment is finished.
- Using a general Live Scan form instead of the IHSS one.
- Bringing copies instead of an original ID and Social Security card, or names that don’t match.
- Forgetting the recipient has to name you as their provider (SOC 426A).
- Not signing up for the ESP or phone timesheets, so you can’t submit hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get paid to take care of a family member in California?
Yes. Through IHSS, most relatives can be paid caregivers once the person they care for is approved and they finish provider enrollment. The pay is for the recipient’s authorized hours.
Can a parent be paid by IHSS to care for their child?
Yes. Since February 2024, parents of minors don’t need to prove they left a job or that no one else is available. They must finish enrollment and be authorized to work in the U.S.
Can a spouse be an IHSS provider?
Yes, for some services. A spouse can be paid for personal care and paramedical services. Household tasks generally aren’t paid, and other services have extra conditions.
How do I become an IHSS provider for a family member?
Contact your county IHSS office, complete orientation, sign forms SOC 426 and SOC 846, show your original ID and Social Security card, and pass a Live Scan background check. Then the recipient hires you.
How long does IHSS provider enrollment take?
It depends mostly on your county and the background check. Counties give you a limited window to finish all steps, often 90 days.
How much does IHSS pay family caregivers?
Family providers earn the same hourly rate as any IHSS provider in their county. Rates vary by county and can’t be lower than the state minimum wage.
Can I be paid for hours I worked before enrollment was done?
Sometimes, within limits, once you finish every step. It’s safest to finish enrollment before working paid hours.
Do IHSS providers who live with the recipient pay income tax?
Live-in providers may be able to exclude IHSS pay from income tax by self-certifying on form SOC 2298. Ask a tax professional about your situation.
You’ve got this
Setting up a relative as an IHSS provider takes paperwork and patience, but families across California do it every day. Take it one step at a time, keep copies of everything, and call your county when you’re stuck. The result is care from someone who already knows and loves the person they’re caring for.
Need a backup caregiver, or someone outside the family? Search caregivers on IHSS Connect for free, in all 58 counties.
Keep reading
More for family caregivers
- How to Set Up a Relative as an IHSS Provider in LA County
- Can a Family Member Be an IHSS Provider?
- IHSS Provider Orientation: How to Enroll
- What Every IHSS Caregiver in California Should Know
- What Is IHSS? A Plain-Language Guide
- What Does IHSS Cover?
- IHSS Timesheets Explained
- SOC 2298: The Live-In Self-Certification Form
Sources
- CDSS — IHSS Provider OrientationThe four enrollment requirements; counties run orientation
- CDSS — County IHSS OfficesWhere to start enrollment in each county
- Disability Rights California — IHSS Parent Provider Eligibility UpdateParent provider limits removed February 2024; work authorization; services for minors
- Orange County SSA — Able and Available Spouse (PDF)Which services a spouse can be paid for, based on state IHSS regulations
- LA County DPSS — IHSS Provider Enrollment RequirementsOriginal ID and Social Security card; 90-day window; retroactive pay limits; disqualifying crimes
- San Bernardino County IHSS Public Authority — Provider Enrollment FAQ90-day window; starting over if missed; retroactive pay limits
- Undivided — IHSS Provider Requirements: Can a Family Member Be a Provider? (updated April 2026)Both parents as providers; work authorization
- CDSS — Live-In Provider Self-CertificationSOC 2298
CDSS and your county are the authorities on IHSS. County steps, wages, and phone numbers vary and change.
About this article
This guide walks families anywhere in California through setting up a relative as a paid IHSS provider, from the recipient’s application to the first timesheet. It’s the statewide companion to our Los Angeles County guide.
IHSS Connect is an independent, free registry for families and caregivers. We are not part of CDSS, any county, Public Authority, or union, and this article is general information, not legal or tax advice.
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