How to Fill Out and Submit the IHSS Provider Update Form (SOC 840)

To change your home address, mailing address, or phone number as an In-Home Supportive Services worker, fill out and submit the IHSS provider change of address form, officially Form SOC 840. It’s a single-page form from the California Department of Social Services, and you send it to your county IHSS office rather than filing it online.1California Department of Social Services. IHSS Program Provider or Recipient Change of Address and/or Telephone

You can download the PDF from the CDSS website or pick up a paper copy at your county IHSS office. The same form is used by both providers and recipients, so the first thing you do on it is identify which one you are.

How to Fill Out Form SOC 840

The form has nine numbered boxes plus a signature line. Work through them in order.

  • Box 1 asks whether you are a provider or a recipient. Check “Provider.” Marking the wrong box routes your change to the wrong department.
  • Box 2 is your nine-digit IHSS provider number. It appears on your paystubs and on paperwork the county has sent you. Check every digit before you submit. A transposed number can apply your update to someone else’s record.2Riverside County Department of Public Social Services. Electronic Services Portal Registration Frequently Asked Questions
  • Box 3 is your first, middle, and last name plus the county where you work.
  • Boxes 4 and 5 are your current home address and current mailing address. If you use a P.O. box, it goes in Box 5.
  • Boxes 6 and 7 are the new home and new mailing addresses. If only your mailing address is changing, leave Box 6 blank and complete Box 7.
  • Boxes 8 and 9 are your current and new phone numbers, with fields for home, work, and cell. Fill in whichever apply.
  • Sign and date the bottom. An unsigned form comes back unprocessed.

The form does not ask for your Social Security number. Your provider number is the identifier payroll uses to find your account.1California Department of Social Services. IHSS Program Provider or Recipient Change of Address and/or Telephone

Where to Send It

Submit the completed SOC 840 to your county IHSS office. Each county has its own mailing address and drop-off location, listed on the CDSS County IHSS Offices page.3California Department of Social Services. County IHSS Offices Orange County providers, for example, mail theirs to the IHSS Accounting Unit at PO Box 22006, Santa Ana, CA 92702-2006.4Orange County IHSS Public Authority. Existing Provider Updates Some counties also accept fax or in-person delivery; call first to confirm.

You cannot change your address through the IHSS Electronic Services Portal. The ESP handles timesheets, payment history, direct deposit, and sick leave, but address and email updates go through the county office directly.2Riverside County Department of Public Social Services. Electronic Services Portal Registration Frequently Asked Questions Don’t waste time looking for an address field in ESP. Use the paper form or call the county.

If You Are Moving Out of a Shared Home

If you have been living with the recipient you care for, you likely filed Form SOC 2298 to exclude your IHSS wages from federal and state income tax under the live-in provider self-certification.5California Department of Social Services. Live-In Provider Self-Certification Information Moving out ends that eligibility. If you are moving to a separate address but continuing to provide care, file two forms: the SOC 840 to update your address, and Form SOC 2299 (the Live-In Self-Certification Cancellation Form) to end the tax exclusion. Leaving the SOC 2298 in place after you no longer qualify can cause problems at tax time, because your W-2 will show wages as excluded when they should be taxable.6San Diego IHSS Public Authority. Live-In Provider Self-Certification Information

If You Are Also Changing Your Bank Account

An address change on its own does not affect direct deposit. Your payments keep going to the same account. If your bank is changing along with your address, that’s a separate update. You can do it inside the ESP under the Financial tab by clicking Direct Deposit and following the enrollment steps, or you can submit paper Form SOC 829, the Direct Deposit Enrollment/Change/Cancellation form.7California Department of Social Services. Direct Deposit

If you get paper checks instead of direct deposit, filing the SOC 840 quickly matters more. USPS mail forwarding can take up to two weeks to start and only redirects mail; it does not notify agencies of your new address.8USPS. Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address A check classified as non-forwardable will not follow you.

Confirming the Update

CDSS does not publish a specific processing time for SOC 840 changes. For comparison, tax withholding changes run about 10 business days through the Payroll Management Unit, so address updates may move at a similar pace, though county volume varies. Mail delivery adds to the total.

The most reliable way to confirm the change went through is to call your county IHSS office and ask. You can also watch for your next paystub or piece of correspondence to arrive at the new address. If three weeks go by with no sign it took effect, follow up with the county rather than assume it did. Keep a copy of the form you sent, and if you mailed it, hold onto the certified mail receipt or tracking number as proof of submission.