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Who can be paid
When a Parent Can Be Paid to Care for a Minor on IHSS
Updated September 16, 2026. Reviewed September 16, 2026 against public CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, VA, and CareScout 2025 California tables. County wages, hours, and wait times still change. Official .gov pages decide.
After ACL 23-106, a parent who finishes enrollment may be paid when the minor is in CFCO, IPO, or IHSS-Residual. PCSP generally leaves that unpaid.
About 4 minutes to read. Based on CDSS and DHCS public program pages retrieved 2026-09-16. County offices apply these rules. Hourly rates, hour totals, and wait times are local and change.
Short answer
A parent of a child under 18 is generally unpaid when the minor’s IHSS case is PCSP. After ACL 23-106, that parent may be paid if they finish provider enrollment and the minor is in CFCO, IPO, or IHSS-Residual. WIC 12300(e) still limits what any provider may be paid to do for a minor.
Who decides
The county IHSS office and Medi-Cal decide the child’s eligibility, the IHSS sub-program, authorized tasks, and whether a parent who enrolled can be paid.
What to do next
Ask the county which sub-program is on the child’s case, then complete parent-provider enrollment if CFCO, IPO, or IHSS-Residual applies.
Parent-of-minor rules are a children’s IHSS question
IHSS serves some children. The child must be able to live at home, and a licensed health professional still documents the need. The person who wants to be paid is often the parent already giving the care. That is not the same legal path as an adult child paid to help a parent. CDSS publishes the children’s rules on its IHSS for children page, including the four funding sub-programs and the parent-provider limits.
Start with the sub-program on the case. Then enroll if that program can pay a parent. Then read what WIC 12300(e) still withholds even after enrollment. Those three layers are easy to flatten into “parents can be paid now.” Flattening them is how families plan around a paycheck the file cannot support.
PCSP generally leaves the parent unpaid
Personal Care Services Program does not allow a parent to be the paid provider for a minor. That is a federal rule CDSS repeats (WIC 14132.95(f), 42 CFR 440.167, and the children’s program page). If the county says the child is in PCSP, treat parent pay as generally unavailable. Another enrolled provider, when the recipient’s representative hires one, is a different question from paying the parent.
CFCO, IPO, or IHSS-Residual can allow parent pay after enrollment. ACL 23-106 is the letter counties use for that change. “May be paid” still requires the parent to finish orientation, SOC 426, SOC 846, and a background check where required, and to be authorized to work in the United States. The child’s Notice of Action still sets the authorized tasks.
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Questions people ask
- Is this the same as an adult child caring for a parent?
- No. An adult child of an adult recipient is commonly allowed after ordinary enrollment. A parent of a minor is unpaid under PCSP and only payable under the other named sub-programs after enrollment.
- What is ACL 23-106?
- It is the CDSS All County Letter that describes when a parent who finishes provider enrollment may be paid for a minor in CFCO, IPO, or IHSS-Residual. Ask the county how they apply that letter to the file.
- Can another relative be paid if the parent cannot?
- The recipient’s authorized representative can hire another enrolled individual provider when the program allows it. Another relative still completes their own enrollment. Protective supervision and other children’s services follow the assessment, not a family preference alone.
- Does SOC 873 still apply to children?
- Yes. CDSS says children use the same core eligibility idea, including SOC 873 or acceptable alternative documentation, before services are authorized.
Official sources for this guide
Related pages on California Home Help
Reviewed against CDSS, DHCS, Medicare.gov, and CareScout public pages. We do not quote IHSS wages. County IHSS offices and Medi-Cal decide eligibility, hours, and pay. For current county wage rates, use the official CDSS wage page. CDSS county IHSS wage rates.
Official program pages: CDSS: In-Home Supportive Services, CDSS: IHSS for children, County IHSS offices, CDSS: IHSS providers, CDSS: county IHSS wage rates, CDSS: provider orientation, CDSS: Electronic Visit Verification, CDSS: Electronic Services Portal, DHCS: Medi-Cal, Apply for Medi-Cal, BenefitsCal, CDSS: hearing requests, CDSS: forms catalog, CDSS: IHSS overtime and workweek, DDS: regional centers.