A free, friendly worksheet to help you organize your own Self-Determination Program numbers — then bring them to your regional center team.
Self-Determination Program toolkit
Plan, track & check your SDP spending plan
A free, private worksheet to organize your own Self-Determination Program numbers, plus step-by-step checklists for your first year and every renewal — so you walk into regional center meetings prepared.
Please read first — what this tool does and doesn't do
- It doesn't decide what you get. Your IPP team sets your individual budget, and your regional center certifies your spending plan.
- It doesn't know your budget. You enter the amount on your signed budget (the IBCCT). The tool never estimates one.
- It can't tell you a plan will be approved. Each service has to match an official SDP service definition — your service coordinator confirms that.
- It only adds up what you enter, and checks that required details are filled in. It can't check whether a number or spelling is correct.
- Nothing leaves your device. There's no account and nothing is uploaded. Use “Save my work” to keep a file you control.
Your SDP roadmap
Step-by-step checklists for your first year, every renewal year, and the spending plan itself. Tick items off as you go — your progress is included when you save your work.
Adapted from Alta California Regional Center · Details
These checklists are adapted, with credit, from Alta California Regional Center's Self-Determination Program checklists (Year 1, updated 9/19/2025 · Years 2+, updated 9/1/2026 · Spending Plan Checklist, 7/1/2025). The timelines are ACRC's own. If you're served by a different regional center, its steps and timing may differ — ask your service coordinator. DDS is required to set statewide standard SDP procedures by March 1, 2027, so these may change. See ACRC's original checklists (Spending Plan Checklist in 11 languages).
Build & track your spending plan
Use Plan while you build the plan. Switch to Track during the year to compare what you planned with what you've actually spent.
Step 1
Plan details & budget
These are the details ACRC's Spending Plan Checklist asks for at the top of every plan. Fill in what you have — everything is optional and stays on your device.
Don't have it yet? Your service coordinator sends it once it's generated. You can leave this blank and just total your services.
ACRC's checklist asks that the signer's name and title match what's on the signed budget.
Step 2
Your services & supports
By law your regional center pays the full cost of your FMS, outside your individual budget (W&I Code §4685.8(u)) — but ACRC still asks you to list the FMS, its model, and its monthly fee on the plan. The FMS button sets that up for you.
Where you stand
Enter your budget and services to see where you stand.
Where your money goes
Tap a bar, slice, or legend item to highlight it.
Save, print & share
Your work isn't stored anywhere unless you save it. “Save my work” downloads a small file you can load later on this or another device.
Your saved file and printouts can include a UCI number and other personal details. On a shared phone or computer, keep them somewhere private and delete them when you're done.
Plain-language glossary
Everyday explanations of common SDP terms. Your regional center's guidance is the final word.
+The basics: budget, plan & how they connect
Self-Determination Program (SDP)A voluntary way to receive regional center services where you direct an individual budget and choose your own services and providers. You can choose to leave at any time.W&I Code §4685.8(a), (d)
Individual budget (IBCCT)The yearly amount available to buy your services. For a current regional center client, it starts from the last 12 months of services the regional center authorized for you, minus one-time expenses and services it pays for outside SDP. The IPP team can adjust it for a change in your circumstances, needs, or resources, and must write down why. The budget isn't increased to pay for an independent facilitator. The form is often called the IBCCT (Individual Budget Calculation and Certification Tool).W&I Code §4685.8(m)(1)
Spending planYour plan for using the budget. It lists each service, how often you'll buy it, its SDP service code, and its cost. The total can't be more than the budget, and a copy is attached to your IPP.W&I Code §4685.8(c)(7); DDS Directive D-2025-Self Determination Program-003 (Nov. 25, 2025)
CertificationYour regional center certifies the spending plan by confirming each service addresses an outcome in your IPP, isn't available from a generic resource, and is eligible for federal funding. A plan that adds up correctly still has to be certified.W&I Code §4685.8(r)(6)
IPP (Individual Program Plan)Your overall plan with the regional center. Every service in your spending plan should connect to a goal in your IPP. ACRC notes it can't authorize SDP services until the IPP agreement form is signed.W&I Code §4646; ACRC Year 1 checklist
+The people & required services
Service coordinator (SC)Your main contact at the regional center. Creates your budget request, reviews your spending plan, and holds your IPP meeting.
Participant Choice Specialist (PCS)Regional center staff who specialize in SDP. At ACRC, every spending plan — including mid-year revisions — is signed by you (or your legal representative), your SC, and a PCS.ACRC Years 2+ checklist; ACRC Spending Plan Checklist
Financial Management Service (FMS)The required vendor you choose. It pays your providers and workers, handles payroll taxes and paperwork, checks provider qualifications, and sends you and your SC a monthly statement of what's been spent and what's left. Your regional center pays the FMS's full cost — it does not come out of your budget.W&I Code §4685.8(c)(1), (s), (u)
Independent facilitator (IF)Optional. Someone you choose who helps with person-centered planning, your budget, and finding services. The law says an IF is paid from your budget. ACRC says it pays for up to 40 IF hours before you transition into SDP; after that, IF help goes on your spending plan. If you don't use an IF, your SC can help instead.W&I Code §4685.8(c)(2), (d)(3)(F); ACRC Year 1 checklist
Person-centered plan (PCP)A plan built around your own goals that guides your services for the year. ACRC says it pays up to $1,000 for a PCP before you transition into SDP; after that, updating it is paid from your spending plan.ACRC Year 1 and Years 2+ checklists
+Codes, categories & rules for services
SDP service codeEvery service on the plan needs the code from DDS's SDP service code list (for example, 310 Respite, 320 Community Living Supports, 331 Community Integration Supports). The service must match DDS's official SDP Service Definitions — the name alone isn't enough.DDS Directive D-2025-Self Determination Program-003; DDS “SDP Service Codes by Budget Category”
Budget categoriesDDS groups SDP service codes into three budget categories: Living Arrangement (codes 310–330), Employment & Community Participation (331–355), and Health & Safety (356–399). This tool fills in the category from the code you enter, using those ranges. Confirm against DDS's current list.W&I Code §4685.8(m)(3); DDS SDP Service Codes by Budget Category
Generic resourcesSDP funds can only be used when a service isn't available from a generic resource — such as IHSS, Medi-Cal, your school district, or private insurance.W&I Code §4685.8(d)(3)(B), (r)(6)(B); ACRC Spending Plan Checklist
HCBS settings rulesFederal Home and Community-Based Services rules apply to SDP providers. At ACRC, if you'll use disability-specific, group, or site-based services, you complete a Setting Assessment Tool with the provider and send it to your FMS.ACRC Year 1 and Years 2+ checklists
Employer burdenWhen you hire workers through your FMS as a co-employer or sole employer, the cost of employing them — payroll taxes, workers' compensation, paid sick leave — is paid from your spending plan on top of wages. Your FMS gives you its rate. Leaving it out is one of the most common reasons a plan comes up short.DDS FMS employer burden guidance (Apr. 25, 2024); ACRC Spending Plan Checklist
+Changes, renewals & your rights
Moving money mid-yearYou can move funds between service codes and budget categories with approval from your regional center or IPP team. At ACRC, a revised spending plan is certified and signed by you, your SC, and a PCS.W&I Code §4685.8(n); ACRC Years 2+ checklist
Annual budget reviewEach year your IPP team asks whether anything has changed that requires a new budget, and recalculates it if so.W&I Code §4685.8(o)
Spending plan extension & gap budgetAt ACRC, if a renewal won't be ready in time, your SC may suggest extending the current plan 30–60 days using remaining funds, or a short 30- or 60-day “gap budget” with the same services and rates, so services don't stop.ACRC Years 2+ checklist
If something is deniedSDP participants keep the same appeal rights as everyone else in the regional center system. You generally have 60 days from the notice to appeal, and asking within 30 days can keep services already in your IPP going while you appeal. The Office of Clients' Rights Advocacy (OCRA) helps for free: 1-800-390-7032.W&I Code §§4685.8(l), 4710.5(a), 4715
+Mistakes people commonly make
Missing service codesA service without the right SDP code can hold up certification. Look each one up before you submit.
Listing only wagesFor workers you employ, add your FMS's employer burden. The calculator in each service does this for you.
Counting the FMS fee against your budgetIt's listed on the plan, but your regional center pays it separately. Subtracting it from your budget makes your plan look tighter than it is.
Expecting regional-center-paid IF hours after you transitionAt ACRC, the 40 regional-center-paid IF hours are only for the transition. Ongoing IF help must be in your spending plan.
Starting renewal lateACRC's renewal process starts about 120 days before your plan year ends. Use the Years 2+ checklist to put real dates on your calendar.
You're not doing this alone
Self-determination puts you in the driver's seat. Your service coordinator, Participant Choice Specialist, and facilitator are there to help — this worksheet just helps you walk in prepared.
- Find your regional center: ihssconnect.com/regional-centers
- SDP program information & directives: Department of Developmental Services, dds.ca.gov/initiatives/sdp
- FMS providers: DDS FMS contact list
- ACRC's original checklists: altaregional.org
- Free help with a denial: OCRA, 1-800-390-7032 · DDS Ombudsperson, 1-877-658-9731
A free tool from IHSS Connect for California families. Checklists adapted with credit from Alta California Regional Center.
Not an official document · not legal or financial advice · your regional center makes the decisions. Reviewed October 2026.
Read more
More guides from IHSS Connect
- Financial Management Services (FMS): What It Is and How It Works in the Self-Determination Program
- Is California Cutting IHSS? What the 2026-27 Budget Actually Decided
- Regional Centers in California: What They Do and How to Get Help
- What Services Can I Get from a California Regional Center?
- IHSS and Regional Center in 2026: New DDS Data Sharing Explained
- Institutional Deeming Through the Regional Center
