The SOC 840 IHSS change of address form is a one-page California document that providers and recipients use to report a new home address, mailing address, or phone number to their county IHSS office. It is not used to request additional service hours or protective supervision. Its only job is to keep your contact information current so paychecks, timesheets, and county notices reach you.
What the Form Covers and Who Files It
The full title is “In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program Provider or Recipient Change of Address and/or Telephone.”1California Department of Social Services. Forms and Publications Q – T Either the provider (the person delivering care) or the recipient (the person receiving care) can file it. If a provider and a recipient live at the same address and both need to update their records, each person submits a separate SOC 840.
The form captures your old address and phone number, your new ones, and ties the change to your provider number or recipient case number. You sign it, and you must include a photocopy of a government-issued ID (California driver’s license, state ID card, or passport). Without the ID copy, the county may not process the change.2Public Authority Services Council. Update Your ESP Account
Filling Out the Nine Fields
The form has nine numbered fields plus a signature block.3California Department of Social Services. SOC 840 – In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program Provider or Recipient Change of Address and/or Telephone
- Field 1 asks whether you are a provider or a recipient. Check one box only.
- Field 2 is your provider number or recipient case number. Providers can find this on enrollment paperwork or pay stubs; recipients can find it on a Notice of Action or authorization letter.
- Field 3 is your full legal name (first, middle, last) and the county where your IHSS case is active.
- Field 4 is your current home address on file, meaning the old one you are changing from.
- Field 5 is your current mailing address if it differs from the home address.
- Field 6 is the new home address.
- Field 7 is the new mailing address if it differs from the new home.
- Field 8 is your current phone numbers (home, work, cell).
- Field 9 is your new phone numbers.
Sign and date the bottom. Attach the ID photocopy before you send it.
Where to Download and Where to Send It
Download the SOC 840 from the California Department of Social Services website, under the alphabetical forms list for letters Q through T.1California Department of Social Services. Forms and Publications Q – T It is a fillable PDF, so you can type the information before printing or print it blank and complete it by hand.
Send the completed form and ID copy to your local county IHSS office. You can deliver it in person or mail it. If you mail it, use a method that gives you delivery confirmation. Each county has its own IHSS office; the address appears on your most recent Notice of Action or on your county social services department website.
Phone Number Only? Use the Online Portal Instead
The IHSS Electronic Services Portal accepts phone number updates online, but it does not accept address changes.2Public Authority Services Council. Update Your ESP Account If a phone number is all you need to change and you are already registered on the portal, you can skip the paper form. Any address change still requires the SOC 840 with an ID copy.
If You Are Moving to a Different County
The SOC 840 handles address changes within the same county. Moving to a different county triggers an intercounty transfer, which shifts responsibility for your case to the new county. California policy requires no interruption in services during the move: the transferring county keeps authorizing services until the transfer completes, no later than the first day of the month following 30 calendar days after the old county notifies the new one.4California Department of Social Services. IHSS Intercounty Transfers
Notify your current county IHSS office as soon as you know your move date, and contact the office in the new county as well. The new county may require its own intake paperwork and will schedule a reassessment at your new home. If your provider is moving with you, that provider may need to re-enroll or be recertified in the new county.
Why Filing Promptly Matters
IHSS paychecks are not forwarded by the post office. If the payroll system has the wrong address, the check goes back to the State Controller’s Office as undeliverable, and getting it reissued usually means contacting both the county and the Controller’s Office.5California Department of Social Services. Completing Your Timesheet Providers on direct deposit are less exposed to that specific problem, but an outdated address can still cause missed Notices of Action and reassessment appointment letters.
For recipients, counties must reassess the need for services at least once every 12 months.6California Legislative Information. California Welfare and Institutions Code 12301.1 If the county cannot reach you to schedule that visit, your services could lapse.
Forms People Confuse With the SOC 840
Several IHSS forms have similar numbers and get mixed up with the address change form:
- SOC 821 is a physician certification for protective supervision, completed by a doctor to document that a recipient is non-self-directing due to a mental impairment.7California Department of Social Services. SOC 821 – Assessment of Need for Protective Supervision for In-Home Supportive Services Program
- SOC 426 is the provider enrollment form used when someone first signs up as an IHSS provider.8California Department of Social Services. IHSS Provider Orientation
- SOC 846 is the provider enrollment agreement all IHSS providers must sign.8California Department of Social Services. IHSS Provider Orientation
If you need more authorized hours, a change in service type, or a review because of a new medical condition, the SOC 840 will not accomplish any of that. Call your county IHSS office, describe what has changed, and ask for the right form or a reassessment.