ESP Registration

The Electronic Services Portal (ESP) — accessed at etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov — is where IHSS providers submit timesheets, check payment status, and manage direct deposit, and where recipients review and approve those timesheets. Both sides need their own separate registration; one person signing up doesn't cover the other.

Prefer an interactive version? Open the free ESP guide in the Provider Toolkit →

The most important thing to know before you start: a provider registering for ESP can submit timesheets right away — but the recipient can't approve them until the recipient also registers, either in ESP or through the phone-based alternative (TTS, covered below). If only one side signs up, timesheets can sit unapproved.

What You'll Need to Register

As a provider, have these ready before you start:

Your first and last name, exactly as it appears in IHSS records
Your provider number (found on your paper timesheet or pay stub)
Your date of birth
Your Social Security number
A valid email address

As a recipient, you'll need the same basic information, but your 7-digit recipient number instead of a provider number — it's on any recipient paperwork you've received from the county.

The Registration Steps

Once you're at etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov and select "Register Here," the process runs through a few clearly marked steps:

Step 1 — Identity verification: enter your information exactly as it's recorded in the IHSS system. This is checked against state records, so small mismatches (a nickname instead of your legal name, for example) can cause the registration to fail here
Step 2 — Email address: used both for login and for a required verification step
Step 3 — Security questions: you'll choose three from a drop-down list
Step 4 — Email verification: a confirmation email is sent to the address you provided; you'll need to click the link in it to finish setting up your account

The portal is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Armenian — a language option appears at the bottom of the screen.

Don't Have a Smartphone or Computer?

You don't need one. The Telephone Timesheet System (TTS) lets recipients approve timesheets entirely by phone, with no email address required:

Call 1-833-342-5388 to enroll and receive a PIN or registration code
Once enrolled, the system calls you each time your provider submits a timesheet electronically, and you approve it using your phone and PIN
If you don't have your own phone to use, contact your local IHSS office — some counties can help arrange access

Common Registration Problems

A few error messages come up often enough to be worth knowing about in advance, rather than assuming something's wrong on your end specifically:

"Matching IHSS consumer/provider not found": usually means the name, date of birth, or number entered doesn't exactly match state records — double-check against your paperwork rather than re-entering from memory
No confirmation email received: check spam/junk folders first; if it's genuinely not arriving, the Service Desk (below) can help
Wrong email address entered during registration: this can be corrected — contact the Service Desk rather than trying to re-register from scratch

If You Get Stuck

IHSS Service Desk (Statewide)

Role: Technical help with ESP registration, password resets, and general Electronic Services Portal questions — for both providers and recipients
Phone: (866) 376-7066, select Option 4
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm, excluding major state holidays

This is a statewide number for the ESP website itself — it's separate from your county's own IHSS office or Public Authority, which handles your actual case, hours, and provider relationship. For questions about your assessment or authorized hours specifically, contact your county office instead.

Educational information, not legal advice. Only your county can authorize IHSS services, and only after an assessment. IHSSHours.com is an independent resource and is not affiliated with CDSS or any county IHSS office. · More IHSS guides