IHSS Provider Toolkit Free
Provider Toolkit
12 free planning tools for California IHSS providers. Tap one to open it — nothing to sign up for, and everything you type stays on your device.
Free. No account, no sign-up, no limit. We don't collect what you type.
Weekly max & overtime show here as you type
Other tools
Tool
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. When you're done, you can print
a copy for your own records.
IHSSHours.com
Personal Timesheet Record
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.
The Electronic Services Portal (ESP) at etimesheets.ihss.ca.gov is where you submit
timesheets, check payment status, and manage direct deposit. You and your recipient each need your
own registration — one signing up doesn't cover the other.
Want to see what the timesheet looks like once you're in? See sample IHSS timesheets →
What you'll need
- Your first and last name, exactly as it appears in IHSS records
- Your provider number (on your paper timesheet or pay stub)
- Your date of birth
- Your Social Security number
- A valid email address
Recipients use their 7-digit recipient number instead of a provider number — everything else is the same. More on our sources and method: How we calculate estimates.
The 4 registration steps
1 — Identity verification. Entered exactly as it's on file with the state. A mismatch here (a nickname instead of your legal name) is the most common reason registration fails at this step.
2 — Email address. Used for login and for the verification step below.
3 — Security questions. Choose three from the drop-down list.
4 — Email verification. Click the link in the confirmation email to finish setup.
No smartphone or computer?
The Telephone Timesheet System (TTS) needs no email or device at all. Call 1-833-342-5388 to enroll and get a PIN — after that, the system calls you each time a timesheet is submitted, and you approve it right from your phone.
Common snag: "Matching consumer/provider not found" almost always means something
entered doesn't exactly match your paperwork — double-check against your actual documents rather
than re-entering from memory.
Stuck? The statewide IHSS Service Desk handles ESP registration and technical
issues directly: (866) 376-7066, select Option 4, Monday–Friday 8am–5pm. This is
separate from your county IHSS office, which handles your actual case and hours.
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.
Sources
- WIC 12300.4 — the workweek limits these tools check: 66 hours a week across two or more recipients, 70 hours 45 minutes for a single recipient, no more than 12 hours in a workday, and a maximum of 7 hours of travel time a week
- WIC 12300.4(b)(3) — a provider may not work more than the recipient's authorized weekly hours without county approval
- ACL 16-01 and ACL 15-45 — the violation framework: written notice, a one-time chance to clear a second violation with instructional materials within 14 days, a 90-day suspension on the third, termination and one year of ineligibility on the fourth
- SOC 2272 — the form for requesting county review of a violation, due within 10 calendar days of the notice date
- ACL 18-31 and ACL 18-58 — Exemption 2 criteria and the State Administrative Review process; SOC 2279 for the Exemption 1 request
- SB 616 (2023) — paid sick leave raised from 24 to 40 hours a year, effective 1 July 2024
- CDSS, IHSS Provider Paid Sick Leave — 100 hours worked to accrue, then a further 200 hours or 60 calendar days before claiming; unused hours expire 30 June; claimed through the Electronic Services Portal or SOC 2302
- 21st Century Cures Act and CDSS Electronic Visit Verification guidance — check-in and check-out required of non-live-in providers since 1 July 2023
- Wage figures: CDSS county wage sheet, the same source the county guides use
These tools are planning aids. Your county and the Timesheet Processing Facility determine what is actually paid. Educational information, not legal advice.