IHSS Protective Supervision: 195 vs 283 Hours

1. 1

   Your hours times your hourly rate

   Your current authorized hours a month × the hourly rate you enter = the pay for a month at those hours, before taxes and deductions.
2. 2

   The same for 195 and for 283 hours

   195 × your rate and 283 × your rate show what each monthly maximum would be worth at your rate.
3. 3

   The difference is the pay for the extra hours

   The calculator subtracts your current hours from 195 or 283 and multiplies by your rate. It only shows a comparison for a maximum that is above your current hours.

They are the monthly maximums set by how the county assesses the recipient. In the individual provider mode, a recipient determined to be severely impaired may receive up to 283 hours a month and one who is not severely impaired up to 195 (CDSS Manual of Policies and Procedures §30-765). The CDSS letter that lists the Notice of Action messages (ACL 13-66) gives the same two figures for the IPO and IHSS-R programs, and 283 for both in the PCSP program. They are not two “levels” of Protective Supervision. When the county approves Protective Supervision, it usually fills the remaining hours up to the maximum (see below). According to Disability Rights California, a non-severely impaired recipient who is authorized Protective Supervision receives at least 195 hours a month.

How Protective Supervision fits under the maximum. Protective Supervision is treated as a 24-hour need, but IHSS pays only up to the monthly maximum. The state’s IHSS case system (CMIPS) counts the other authorized services first and gives Protective Supervision the hours that are left (CDSS All County Letter 17-95; CDSS IHSS 102 training). “Usually” is deliberate: no CDSS document states it as a fixed rule, and school or day-program hours can reduce the time that is left.

Protective Supervision does not make a recipient severely impaired. The definition counts 20 or more hours a week of need in personal care, meal preparation, meal clean-up with feeding, or paramedical services; Protective Supervision is not in that list (MPP §30-701(s)(1)). A recipient’s other needs decide which maximum applies.

One exception. For a recipient who is not severely impaired, the cap depends on the program: in some programs (PCSP and CFCO) up to 195 hours can be Protective Supervision and other services can bring the total up to 283, and in IHSS-Residual everything stays within 195 (CDSS ACIN I-27-11 and ACL 14-60, guidance from 2011 and 2014). Ask the county which program applies.

The 283-hour maximum applies when the county determines the recipient needs at least 20 hours a week of certain services listed in WIC §12304; otherwise the maximum is 195 hours a month (WIC §12303.4(a), (b)).

Your county IHSS social worker decides which maximum applies, after an assessment in the home, and sends a Notice of Action with the authorized hours (the assessment step is from Disability Rights California). More in the 195 vs 283 hours guide and the Protective Supervision guide.

Our full Protective Supervision guide covers who qualifies, what the SOC 821 assessment looks at, how to prepare, and how to appeal a denial.

Full guide: IHSS Protective Supervision →Guide: 195 vs 283 hours explained →PS Readiness Estimator →

The free IHSS Planner handles 283-hour authorizations and keeps each week within its limit.

Every rule on this page comes from one of these documents.

• CDSS Manual of Policies and Procedures, Division 30, Section 30-765 (Cost Limitations) In the individual provider mode, a recipient determined to be severely impaired may receive no more than 283 hours of service a month (30-765.111) and a recipient who is not severely impaired no more than 195 hours a month (30-765.121); the amounts follow Welfare and Institutions Code §12303.4 “or as otherwise provided by law.” (read October 31, 2026)
• CDSS All County Letter 13-66, Documented Unmet Need (September 30, 2013) The Notice of Action messages: in the IPO and IHSS-R programs the maximum is 195 hours a month for a recipient determined non-severely impaired and 283 for one determined severely impaired; in the PCSP program it is 283 for both. (read October 31, 2026)
• Disability Rights California, Understanding the Maximum Amount of Hours Available & Calculating Hours Secondary source. The most IHSS hours a person can get is 283 a month; the county IHSS worker assesses the recipient in the home and sends the Notice of Action; a non-severely impaired recipient who is authorized Protective Supervision receives at least 195 hours. (read October 31, 2026)
• CDSS All County Letter 17-95 (September 12, 2017), Protective Supervision clarifications CMIPS looks at all other authorized non-PS service categories before it calculates the remaining PS hours; the calculation includes alternative resources. (read November 4, 2026, by the IHSS Program Analyst)
• CDSS IHSS Training Academy, IHSS 102 course materials (Protective Supervision calculation activity, PDF p. 84) Training material, not a regulation: Protective Supervision is a 24-hour need, other services are counted first, and the authorization stops at the monthly maximum. (read November 4, 2026, by the IHSS Program Analyst)
• CDSS All County Letter 16-01 (January 7, 2016) The weekly maximum for one recipient is the monthly authorized hours divided by four. (read October 30, 2026)