IHSS Provider Toolkit Free
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Provider Toolkit

Planning tools for California IHSS providers. Everything runs on your device — nothing is sent anywhere, and your entries are saved locally so they're here when you come back.

These tools are free. No account, no sign-up, no payment, and no limit on how often you use them. We don't collect your information — everything you type stays on your own device.
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How to use this: Enter your setup, then fill in the hours you plan to work each day. The tool groups days into real IHSS workweeks (Sunday–Saturday) — including weeks that run across two pay periods — and flags anything that could cause a violation.
This is a planning tool, not an official timesheet. It's here to help you spot problems before you enter hours in the state's Electronic Services Portal. Rules can vary by county and by your individual authorization, and exemptions change what applies to you. Always confirm with your county IHSS office or social worker before submitting. IHSSHours.com is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with any government agency.
Your weekly maximum is your recipient's monthly authorized hours divided by 4. Overtime is any time over 40 hours in a single Sunday–Saturday workweek. Exceeding your weekly maximum — or working more overtime in a month than you normally do — needs county approval before you submit. Confirm your specific numbers with your county.
Pay periods are the 1st–15th and 16th–end of month. Workweeks run Sunday–Saturday. They don't line up — and that mismatch is the most common reason providers get an accidental violation.
A workweek that starts in one pay period and ends in the next still counts as one workweek for the 40-hour overtime threshold and your weekly maximum. Count the whole Sunday–Saturday week, not just the part on the timesheet in front of you.
Violations are issued for exceeding workweek or travel-time limits. More than one violation in the same calendar month counts as one violation.

What causes a violation

  • Working more than 40 hours in a workweek without county approval, when the recipient's authorization is under 40 hours.
  • Working more than the recipient's maximum weekly hours, causing more monthly overtime than usual, without approval.
  • Working more than 66 hours in a workweek across two or more recipients (without an approved exemption).
  • Claiming more than 7 hours of travel time in a workweek.

What each violation means

1st — Written notice. Stays on your record.
2nd — Notice, plus a one-time chance to clear it by completing instructional materials within 14 days. This option is only offered once, ever.
3rd — 90-day suspension from the IHSS program.
4th — Termination and ineligibility for one year.
Violations do fall off. After one year with no new violation, your count is reduced by one — and continues dropping each additional clean year.

If you get one

You have 10 calendar days from the notice date to request a county review using form SOC 2272, which comes with the violation notice. Violations issued by mistake — scanning errors, timesheets processed out of order — can be overturned in that review. If the county upholds a 3rd or 4th violation, you can request a CDSS review within 10 business days.

This is a plain-English summary for planning purposes, not legal advice. If you've received a violation notice, contact your county IHSS office — and if you were never counseled on proper timesheet completion, say so during your review.
Estimates your gross pay — what you earn before taxes and deductions. Enter your own hourly rate so this always matches what you're actually paid.
Gross pay only. Your actual take-home depends on your withholding elections and your situation. Live-in providers with an approved SOC 2298 may have wages excluded from federal and state income tax under IRS Notice 2014-7, and some providers are exempt from Social Security and Medicare depending on their relationship to the recipient. Check your pay stub for what actually applies to you.
Use it or lose it. Unused paid sick leave expires June 30 every year. It does not carry over and there is no cash-out.

Before you can use it

  • Work 100 hours of authorized services after your hire date to accrue your annual hours.
  • Then work 200 more hours or wait 60 calendar days — whichever comes first — before you can claim any.
  • These are one-time requirements. After that you get your hours automatically each July 1 while you stay active.
Sick leave is stacked on top of your regular pay. Claiming it does not reduce your recipient's authorized hours and does not come out of your own hours. The only daily limit is that work hours plus sick hours can't exceed 24 in one day.
Claim through the Electronic Services Portal (Time Entry → Sick Leave Claim) or by mailing form SOC 2302. Hours shown here are whatever you enter — this tracker doesn't connect to the state system, so check your official balance in the portal.
Some schedule changes need county approval before you submit your timesheet. Answer these and find out whether yours does.
This walks the published rules, but your county makes the final call and individual circumstances vary. When in doubt, call your county IHSS office before you submit — approval after the fact is much harder than approval in advance.
Travel time applies when you travel between two or more recipients on the same day. It's capped at 7 hours per workweek and is claimed on a separate travel claim form — not your regular timesheet.
Travel time does not count toward your weekly hour cap or the 66-hour multi-recipient limit — but claiming more than 7 hours in a workweek is its own violation.
Travel between your home and a recipient doesn't count — only travel between recipients on the same day. Submit travel on your travel claim form, separately from your timesheet.
Under IRS Notice 2014-7, live-in providers can exclude their IHSS wages from federal and California income tax. Answer these to see whether it likely applies to you.
Do you live in the same home as the recipient you care for?
This is a general guide, not tax advice. The exclusion doesn't apply to FICA (Social Security and Medicare) in most cases, and your situation may have wrinkles this doesn't cover. Confirm with a tax professional or your county before relying on it.

WPCS (Waiver Personal Care Services) is a separate program run by DHCS, with its own timesheet and its own monthly hours. But the weekly and daily limits are shared with IHSS — the two are added together. This catches the mistakes that follow from that.

Combined limits come from Welfare & Institutions Code §12300.4 and DHCS WPCS guidance. WPCS is administered by DHCS, not your county IHSS office — questions go to your HCBA Waiver Agency or the WPCS Unit at (916) 552-9214. Planning guide only; confirm with your care manager.
Phone numbers are general county IHSS lines and can change. If a number doesn't work, search for your county's IHSS office directly. Your selection is saved on this device only.