CalWORKs childcare payment rates for family babysitters in LA County?
I just got approved for CalWORKs last month and will be starting a new job next week (yay!). My mom is going to watch my 10-month-old while I work since I don't really trust daycare centers. My CalWORKs worker said something about Alternative Payment Programs for childcare but didn't explain how much my mom would get paid. Does anyone know the current rates LA County pays for family members who provide childcare? Is it different if the person is a grandparent vs aunt/uncle? My mom lives with me if that makes any difference. Need to know asap since I start Monday!
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Ellie Lopez
Congrats on your new job! Yes, LA County does pay family members through CalWORKs childcare assistance. The payment rates for license-exempt providers (like family members) are 70% of the Regional Market Rate (RMR) for licensed providers. For a baby under 2 years in LA County, that's roughly $45-55 per day for full-time care, depending on your exact zip code. Your mom needs to get approved as a license-exempt provider and complete a TrustLine background check unless she's the child's grandparent, aunt, or uncle (those relatives are exempt from TrustLine).
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Lauren Wood
AuthorThanks! Since my mom is the grandmother, she doesn't need the background check? That's good news. Do I need to do anything special to get this set up or will my caseworker handle it?
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Chad Winthrope
they dont pay as much for family members as real daycares. my sister watches my kids and she only gets like 75% of what a daycare would get. but its still decent money. just make sure ur mom fills out the provider forms they give u and return them QUICK or the payments will be delayed.
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Paige Cantoni
True! The exact percentage is 70% of the licensed rate for license-exempt providers, which most family members fall under. And OP, make sure your mom completes the Health and Safety Self-Certification form too - that's required even for grandparents. Your childcare benefits won't start until all paperwork is processed, and they won't backdate payments if paperwork is submitted late!
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Kylo Ren
DONT WASTE UR TIME w/ calling the regular county number for childcare questions!!!! I spent 3 weeks trying to get answers about this exact question when my cousin started babysitting for me. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real person at the childcare office and got everything sorted in one call. There's a video of how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Worth it to get this figured out before you start work.
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Lauren Wood
AuthorThank you! I've been calling all week with no luck - I'll check this out. Did your cousin get paid right away or was there a waiting period?
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Kylo Ren
There was about a 2-week processing time after all the paperwork was submitted. My cousin got the first payment like 3 weeks after I started work. But they paid for all the days from when I started working, not just from when the paperwork was approved.
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Nina Fitzgerald
If your mom lives in your home, that might complicate things. When I applied for my sister to get paid, they told me the provider can't live in the same household as the child. But maybe that rule is different now? This was back in 2023 so things might have changed.
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Paige Cantoni
This is partially correct. The rules about in-home providers have some exceptions. Generally, someone living in the same home can't be paid as a childcare provider UNLESS they're not part of the same CalWORKs assistance unit. So if the grandmother isn't included in the cash aid calculation and has her own separate income, she might still qualify as a provider even living in the same home. OP should definitely clarify this with her worker though!
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Jason Brewer
my mom watches my kids and she gets paid by calworks but I had to switch her to my aunty cause my mom got a job lol but ya they do pay family for babysitting but u have to work or be in school or welfare to work for them to pay
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Kiara Fisherman
Just to clarify for the original poster - you have to be participating in an approved Welfare to Work activity (employment, job search, education/training, etc.) to be eligible for CalWORKs childcare payments. Since you mentioned starting a job, you definitely qualify! Make sure your Employment Services worker knows your start date so your childcare authorization can begin on that date.
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Liam Cortez
This is totally wrong info everyone is giving you!!!!! They don't pay grandparents in LA County anymore!!!! My friend tried to get her mom paid and they denied it and said grandparents have to babysit for free now!!!!
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Paige Cantoni
This is incorrect information. LA County absolutely does still pay license-exempt providers including grandparents. Your friend may have been denied for a different reason - perhaps the grandmother was part of the same assistance unit, had a disqualifying criminal history, or there was an issue with the paperwork. But the CalWORKs childcare program definitely does pay grandparents who provide childcare while parents work or participate in WTW activities.
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Kiara Fisherman
One thing no one mentioned - the payments go directly to your childcare provider (your mom), not to you. Also, they don't withhold taxes, so your mom will need to report that income and possibly pay taxes on it depending on her total income. Make sure she knows this ahead of time so she can set aside some money if needed!
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Lauren Wood
AuthorThat's super helpful, thank you! I'll make sure she knows about the tax situation. Do you know if these payments affect her eligibility for other benefits she might get? She's on Medicare but I don't think she gets anything else.
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Kiara Fisherman
For Medicare, it shouldn't be an issue unless she's on Extra Help or a Medicare Savings Program with income limits. The childcare income does count as earned income for most benefit programs. If she's concerned, she should check with a benefits counselor about her specific situation.
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Ellie Lopez
As a follow-up to my earlier comment, I want to clarify about the payment rates. For LA County in 2025, a license-exempt provider (like your mom) caring for an infant full-time would receive approximately $1,080-1,300 per month, depending on how many hours you work and your exact location within LA County. The payments are based on your approved work hours plus reasonable travel time. Make sure your mom tracks her hours carefully using the attendance sheet they'll provide.
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Lauren Wood
AuthorThis is exactly what I needed to know - thank you! That amount will help my mom a lot since she had to reduce her own work hours to help me with the baby. I appreciate all the specific information!
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Amina Sow
Hey Lauren! Just wanted to add something that might help - make sure you get the childcare authorization form (CF 777) from your worker ASAP. I made the mistake of waiting until after I started work to request it and ended up losing 2 weeks of potential payments. The form needs to be submitted before your mom can start getting paid, even if she's already approved as a provider. Also, keep copies of everything - they sometimes "lose" paperwork and you'll need to resubmit. Good luck with the new job!
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Genevieve Cavalier
Hey Lauren! I went through this exact same process about 6 months ago when my mom started watching my daughter. One thing I wish someone had told me - make sure your mom understands she needs to submit the monthly attendance sheets by the 5th of each month or the payment gets delayed to the following month. Also, if your work schedule changes at all (like you get overtime or your hours shift), you need to notify your childcare worker immediately so they can update the authorization. The system is pretty rigid about only paying for pre-approved hours. And definitely take advantage of that Claimyr service someone mentioned - it seriously saved me so much time and frustration trying to get through to the right people. Best of luck with everything!
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Paolo Rizzo
Thank you Genevieve! The monthly deadline tip is super important - I definitely would have missed that and been frustrated wondering why payments were delayed. I'm writing all of this down so I don't forget anything. It's amazing how many little details there are to keep track of, but everyone here has been so helpful in sharing the things that aren't obvious from just talking to the caseworker. I'll definitely look into Claimyr too since it sounds like it could save me a lot of headaches. Really grateful for this community - you all are making this transition so much less stressful!
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