GuidesProvider enrollment and EVV
Provider enrollment and EVV
The IHSS Provider Agreement (SOC 846)
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.
What the provider agreement is for, how it sits with SOC 426, and why each person signs their own enrollment forms.
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
SOC 846 is the IHSS provider agreement in the enrollment packet. The person who wants to be paid signs it to agree to provider terms. It sits next to SOC 426 and orientation. Each provider signs their own agreement. It does not authorize hours and it does not replace the recipient’s role as employer.
Who decides
The county IHSS office and Public Authority accept the signed agreement as part of enrollment. The county and Medi-Cal still decide the recipient’s hours.
What to do next
Get the current SOC 846 from the county packet, sign it yourself if you will be the provider, and return it with SOC 426 and the rest of enrollment.
SOC 846 is the agreement to be an IHSS provider
CDSS lists a provider agreement among the enrollment pieces, and the form families handle is SOC 846. It is how the person who wants to be paid agrees to the program’s provider terms: claim authorized time, follow enrollment and timesheet rules, and stay inside the role of an individual provider. It is not the Notice of Action. It is not a promise of a certain number of hours. It is not a union contract that sets the local wage. Unions and the county employer of record set the rate separately.
Ask the Public Authority for the current agreement. Read it before you sign. If a line is unclear, ask them, not a group chat. Return the signed page with the rest of the enrollment steps.
How it sits next to SOC 426 and orientation
SOC 426 identifies you and attaches you to the recipient’s case. SOC 846 is the agreement. Orientation is the required briefing. Counties may staple them into one packet. Completing the identity form does not sign the agreement for you. Sitting in orientation does not sign it for you. A background check does not sign it for you.
If you live with the recipient, SOC 2298 may also be in the folder. That is live-in self-certification for EVV. It is a different signature on a different purpose.
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Questions people ask
- Can a parent sign SOC 846 for an adult child who will be the provider?
- No. Each person who wants to be paid signs their own enrollment forms, including the agreement.
- Is SOC 846 an employment contract with the county?
- It is the program’s provider agreement. On the individual-provider model the recipient remains the employer for hiring, training, supervision, and firing. The State issues the check.
- Does signing SOC 846 start pay?
- Signing is one enrollment piece. Pay still waits on the rest of the provider file, authorized hours, and accepted timesheets.
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.