The Provider Edition
A special issue for IHSS care providers: the January raise, 40 hours of paid sick leave you can lose if unclaimed, and free tools.
The Provider Edition
A special issue of the quarterly newsletter · November 2026
A special edition, just for IHSS care providers. Our quarterly issue covers the whole program. This one is for the people doing the work: what happens to your pay on January 1, the paid sick leave that expires if you don’t use it, how to keep a timesheet from stalling, and the free tools on our two sites that make the paperwork easier. It’s a one-off between quarterly issues; the regular Winter issue still arrives as usual.
Thanks for the work you do — IHSSHours.com
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1 · Your pay in 2027
The state floor rises to $17.40 on January 1, 2027
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$16.90
state minimum wage now | $17.40
from January 1, 2027: the lowest any IHSS rate can be | +$0.50
an hour more at the floor |
No county’s IHSS wage can be lower than the state minimum wage. Above that floor, each county sets its own rate, and many agreements are written as the minimum wage plus a county supplement, so the rate rises when the floor does. Not every agreement works that way, which is why the rate that counts is the one your county publishes.
What counties have published so far (6 of 58):
| San Francisco | $25.50 an hour from January 2027 |
| Alameda | minimum wage + $5.20 now; + $5.62 from July 1, 2027 |
| Stanislaus | minimum wage + $1.95 from January 1, 2027 |
| San Diego | minimum wage + $3.50; + $4.50 no sooner than March 1, 2027 |
| Ventura | minimum wage + $4.07, subject to state approval |
| Riverside | $3.00 above the minimum wage |
Only what an official county, Public Authority or state page states, checked Oct 7, 2026. Source for the minimum wage: California Department of Industrial Relations, News Release 2026-66. The full list, updated as counties publish →
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2 · 40 hours of paid sick leave
Paid sick leave you lose if you don’t use it
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| 40 hours of paid sick leave each year, July 1 to June 30, for eligible providers. You don’t apply for it; it comes with the job once you qualify. |
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Unused hours expire on June 30 and don’t carry over; a fresh 40 hours starts on July 1. |
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Your claim must be received by the end of the next month. Leave used in May has to be received by June 30. |
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Claim it in the sick leave section of ESP, or on paper with the SOC 2302. Mail the paper form by itself, to the address printed on the form, not with your timesheet. |
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You don’t have to give a reason. It is paid separately from your regular pay (by direct deposit if you’re enrolled), so don’t look for it in your usual paycheck. |
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To qualify: the hours start after your first 100 hours of IHSS work, and you can use them after another 200 hours or 60 calendar days, whichever comes first. |
How IHSS providers get paid, including sick leave →
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3 · Getting paid on time
Keep a timesheet from stalling
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Paper timesheets go to the state’s Timesheet Processing Facility in Chico. CDSS says you should be paid within 10 working days after the facility receives a correct timesheet. A few habits help avoid delays:
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Pay periods are the 1st–15th and the 16th–last day of the month. A timesheet can’t be submitted before the last day of the pay period. |
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Submit through the ESP website or the phone system instead of paper. Nothing to mail, and nothing for a scanner to reject. |
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On paper: black ink, nothing outside the boxes, no correction fluid, no folding. |
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Set up direct deposit in ESP under the Financial tab. It takes about 30 days to start; until then you are paid the old way. |
Registering for ESP, step by step →
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4 · Workweek limits
The weekly limits that cause violations
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| 66 hours a week, combined, if you work for two or more recipients. Working for one recipient, you can work up to that recipient’s maximum weekly hours. |
The IHSS workweek runs Sunday 12:00 a.m. to Saturday 11:59 p.m., not by pay period. Overtime pay at time-and-a-half starts after 40 hours and is normal. Going over the weekly limit without an approved exemption still gets you paid, but adds a violation: the first is a notice, the second comes with a one-time option to clear it with a CDSS training, the third suspends you for 90 days, and the fourth for a year. Claiming more than 7 hours of travel time in a week counts the same way.
Overtime and the two exemptions that allow more hours →
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5 · Free tools for providers
Free, no signup
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Free IHSS Timesheet Generator & Overtime Tools
Fill in a sample timesheet, plan your month, and catch overtime and workweek problems before you submit. |
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Timesheet reminders by email
One short email on the last day of each pay period, with one tip. From IHSSProviderReady.com. |
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Sample timesheets
Filled-in examples for live-in and non-live-in providers. |
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IHSS Provider Orientation: How to Schedule It, by County
How new IHSS providers schedule orientation: who books it, whether it is online or in person, and the number each of California’s 58 counties gives. |
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Paid IHSS Provider Training: Stipends and Wage-Rate Pay
Which IHSS provider training programs pay, how Career Pathways stipends work, and what completing training does to your wage rate. |
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6 · The readiness certification
Show families you know the job
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The Care Provider Readiness Certification for IHSS Providers, on our sister site IHSSProviderReady.com, is for providers who run their work like a business. It covers ESP and timesheets, EVV, how hours are ranked, spotting care needs, and good record-keeping.
| The quiz | free, 15 questions, about 10 minutes |
| To pass | 12 correct; retakes are free |
| The certificate | $20, only after you pass |
| Each year after | $10 to renew, your choice, never automatic |
Families can check a certificate on the site’s verification page. Try the quiz →
An independent credential. Not issued by or affiliated with CDSS or any county, and it does not replace county enrollment, orientation or a background check.
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7 · Numbers to call
Statewide help lines for providers
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IHSS Service Desk
ESP, electronic timesheets and payment questions · Mon–Fri 8–5 |
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Timesheet phone system (TTS)
submit or approve timesheets by phone (833-DIAL-EVV) |
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Accessible TTS for blind or low-vision providers
set up through your county IHSS social worker |
Provider enrollment goes through your county IHSS office or Public Authority, depending on the county. Every county’s numbers are in the county guides →
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8 · Tell us what you need
What should the next one cover?
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Just reply to this email and tell us: a question you keep running into, a rule nobody explained, or something that held up your pay. We read every reply, and the most common questions become guides on the site.
More provider guides: the Provider Hub →
This is the web version of the November 2026 Provider Edition, a special issue as it went out by email. Pay figures are as of the date stated in the issue and are not updated after publication — for the current list, see IHSS provider pay in 2027. All issues →