IFSP, IEP, IPP and 504 Plan: What Each One Is

Choose your child’s age to see which plans the law gives at that age.

Four plans in California · birth to age 22

At my child’s age, which plans can apply?

Choose an age. You see which plans the law gives at that age, and who is responsible for each one.

Choose your child’s age

Under 11 years old2 years old3 years old4 years old5 years old6 years old7 years old8 years old9 years old10 years old11 years old12 years old13 years old14 years old15 years old16 years old17 years old18 years old19 years old20 years old21 years old22 years old

Use the age in whole years. A child who has not turned 3 yet is 2.

Example: a child aged 4 Two plans can run side by side, the IEP and IPPIEP + IPP. In a school that gets federal money, the other route is a 504 plan.

Two agencies, two plans. The school district writes the IEP for school. The Regional Center writes the IPP for home and community life. Each agency decides for itself who qualifies. A person can qualify with both, with only one, or with neither. The state says a child who is not eligible for school services can still get Regional Center services.

The four plans, one square for each year of age

The law gives this plan at this age It depends, and the card says on what Not shown at this age

4

1. IFSP Birth to the third birthday

2. IEP 3 to 21, and part of the year a student turns 22

3. IPP 3 and older, with no upper age

4. 504 plan The ages follow the school or program

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At age 4: the plans that can apply

• The law gives this plan at this age

  IEP Individualized education program

  • From 3 to 5, the district serves a child who qualifies. Its duty covers children who are not enrolled in a public school program. At these ages the list of disabilities also includes an established medical disability, which the IEP team decides.

  Who writes it

  Your school district, or another local education agency. The parent is on the team that writes it.

  Which law

  Part B of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 34 CFR Part 300) and California Education Code 56026 and the sections after it.

  Centered on

  Your child’s education. The plan states where your child is now in school, measurable goals for the year, and the services the district will provide.

  How often it is reviewed

  At least once a year. A new assessment at least every three years, unless you and the district agree in writing to skip it. A meeting within 30 days of your written request, not counting school breaks longer than five school days.

  What you sign

  Consent to the assessment plan, then written consent before the first special education services start. You can consent to part of the IEP, and that part must start.

  How to ask for an IEP, step by step →

• The law gives this plan at this age

  IPP Individual program plan

  • For a person with a developmental disability that began before 18, is expected to continue and is substantial. The Regional Center decides who qualifies.
  • A child under 5 can qualify provisionally, without a named diagnosis. The child needs a disability that is not only physical, with significant limits in at least two of five areas of daily life. The Regional Center reassesses the child at least 90 days before age 5. At 5 the child stays eligible only by meeting the full definition, unless an appeal was filed.
  • Since July 1, 2021, a Regional Center may again fund educational services for children aged 3 to 17.

  Who writes it

  The Regional Center. The law says decisions are made by agreement between the Regional Center and the person or, where appropriate, the parents, legal guardian, conservator or authorized representative.

  Which law

  California’s Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Welfare and Institutions Code 4646 and 4646.5).

  Centered on

  The person’s life goals and preferences, and the family’s. The state describes it as support for home and community life.

  How often it is reviewed

  At least every three years under the Lanterman Act. A review you ask for is due within 30 days, or within 7 days when it is needed for health and safety or to keep the person at home. Every year for a person on the Medicaid home and community waiver, under a federal rule. The state’s guide also says every year for a person who lives in a licensed residential care home.

  What you sign

  A release so the Regional Center can collect records for its assessment. Then the plan itself. Services you agree to can start once you sign, and you can sign even if you do not agree to every service.

  How Regional Centers work →

• It depends on the school or program

  504 plan A plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

  • The rule covers preschool, elementary, secondary and adult education programs that get federal money.
  • For these programs, a student is covered at an age when the school serves students without disabilities, at an age when state law requires services for students with disabilities, or at an age when the state must provide a free appropriate public education under IDEA (34 CFR 104.3).
  • A child with an IEP does not need a separate 504 plan. A child who does not qualify for an IEP may still qualify here.

  Who writes it

  The school district. It must evaluate a child who may need help because of a disability. A district with 15 or more employees must name a Section 504 coordinator.

  Which law

  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a civil rights law. The federal Office for Civil Rights enforces it.

  Centered on

  Equal access to school. The district must meet your child’s needs as adequately as it meets other students’ needs.

  How often it is reviewed

  The rule says “periodic” and sets no interval. The district must also evaluate before a significant change in placement.

  What you sign

  The rules we read do not say. Ask the district’s Section 504 coordinator whether the plan will be in writing, and what you will be asked to sign.

Not shown at this age

• IFSP. The IFSP has ended. All Early Start services end when a child turns 3.

These are the ages the law sets. They do not say your child qualifies. Each agency decides that from its own assessment.

See all four plans as a table

Each plan with its ages and what the law says about it. Every age from birth to 22 is covered.

Plan	Ages in the law	Who writes it	Which law	Centered on	How often it is reviewed	What you sign
IFSP: individualized family service plan	Birth to the third birthday. For a child from birth through age 2 whose need for early intervention is documented by assessment. The child must also have a developmental delay, a condition with known harmful effects on development, or a high risk of a substantial developmental disability. The IFSP ends on the third birthday. If your child may qualify for school preschool services, Early Start arranges a conference with you and the school district, with your approval. It is held at least 90 days before the third birthday.	The Regional Center, through California’s Early Start program. A school district writes it in one case. The infant’s only disability is in vision, hearing or a severe orthopedic impairment, or a mix of these. The infant is also not eligible for Regional Center services.	Part C of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and California’s Early Intervention Services Act (Government Code 95014).	The child and the family together. The plan states outcomes for both. It states the family’s own concerns and priorities if the family agrees.	At least every three months in California. Federal rules add a meeting at least once a year.	Written consent before the evaluation and assessment, and again before services start.
IEP: individualized education program	3 to 21, and part of the year a student turns 22. For a child leaving Early Start who qualifies, the district must make sure an IEP or an IFSP is in place and in use by the third birthday. From 3 to 5, the district serves a child who qualifies. Its duty covers children who are not enrolled in a public school program. At these ages the list of disabilities also includes an established medical disability, which the IEP team decides. Goals for life after high school enter the IEP when your child starts high school, and no later than the IEP in effect at 16, where the team finds it appropriate. At 18, the rights a parent has under the special education law pass to the student. The exception is a student found incompetent under state law. The district tells both the student and the parent. From 19 to 21, the IEP continues for a student who was in special education, or eligible for it, before turning 19, and who has not graduated with a regular high school diploma. The IEP ends during the year a student turns 22, and the birthday month decides when. January to June: the student may finish the current fiscal year. July to September: the student may not start the new fiscal year. A student in a year-round program who is finishing the IEP in a term that runs into the new fiscal year may finish that term. October to December: the program ends on December 31, unless the IEP would be completed at the end of that fiscal year. Ask the district which dates its fiscal year runs between.	Your school district, or another local education agency. The parent is on the team that writes it.	Part B of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 34 CFR Part 300) and California Education Code 56026 and the sections after it.	Your child’s education. The plan states where your child is now in school, measurable goals for the year, and the services the district will provide.	At least once a year. A new assessment at least every three years, unless you and the district agree in writing to skip it. A meeting within 30 days of your written request, not counting school breaks longer than five school days.	Consent to the assessment plan, then written consent before the first special education services start. You can consent to part of the IEP, and that part must start.
IPP: individual program plan	3 and older, with no upper age. For a person with a developmental disability that began before 18, is expected to continue and is substantial. The Regional Center decides who qualifies. A child under 5 can qualify provisionally, without a named diagnosis. The child needs a disability that is not only physical, with significant limits in at least two of five areas of daily life. The Regional Center reassesses the child at least 90 days before age 5. At 5 the child stays eligible only by meeting the full definition, unless an appeal was filed. Since July 1, 2021, a Regional Center may again fund educational services for children aged 3 to 17. From 18 to 22, the Regional Center generally does not buy day programs, vocational education, work services, independent living programs or mobility training with related transportation. This applies to a student who is eligible for special education and has not received a diploma or a certificate of completion. The Regional Center can buy them if the IPP team finds the school cannot meet the need, or grants an exemption. This plan has no upper age for a person who stays eligible. The law describes Regional Center services as lasting throughout a person’s lifetime.	The Regional Center. The law says decisions are made by agreement between the Regional Center and the person or, where appropriate, the parents, legal guardian, conservator or authorized representative.	California’s Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Welfare and Institutions Code 4646 and 4646.5).	The person’s life goals and preferences, and the family’s. The state describes it as support for home and community life.	At least every three years under the Lanterman Act. A review you ask for is due within 30 days, or within 7 days when it is needed for health and safety or to keep the person at home. Every year for a person on the Medicaid home and community waiver, under a federal rule. The state’s guide also says every year for a person who lives in a licensed residential care home.	A release so the Regional Center can collect records for its assessment. Then the plan itself. Services you agree to can start once you sign, and you can sign even if you do not agree to every service.
504 plan: a plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973	The ages follow the school or program. We did not find a source that gives a 504 plan to a child under 3. The rule for school services names no age in years. It sets the ages by when a school serves students, or when state law or IDEA requires services. If your child attends a program, ask the program whether it gets federal money. The rule covers preschool, elementary, secondary and adult education programs that get federal money. For these programs, a student is covered at an age when the school serves students without disabilities, at an age when state law requires services for students with disabilities, or at an age when the state must provide a free appropriate public education under IDEA (34 CFR 104.3). A child with an IEP does not need a separate 504 plan. A child who does not qualify for an IEP may still qualify here.	The school district. It must evaluate a child who may need help because of a disability. A district with 15 or more employees must name a Section 504 coordinator.	Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a civil rights law. The federal Office for Civil Rights enforces it.	Equal access to school. The district must meet your child’s needs as adequately as it meets other students’ needs.	The rule says “periodic” and sets no interval. The district must also evaluate before a significant change in placement.	The rules we read do not say. Ask the district’s Section 504 coordinator whether the plan will be in writing, and what you will be asked to sign.

What does each of the four names mean?

Each name is a plan for one child, and the laws behind them differ.

The IFSP and the IEP come from different parts of one federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IPP and the 504 plan each come from a law of their own. A Regional Center writes the IFSP in Early Start, and the IPP after that. A school district usually writes the IEP and the 504 plan. In some cases a county office of education is the responsible agency. A Regional Center is a private nonprofit agency under contract with the state. Our Regional Center guide explains how to find yours.

The IEP and the 504 plan are both school plans. An IEP is for a child with one of 13 listed kinds of disability who needs special education. From ages 3 to 5, an established medical disability also counts. A 504 plan covers more conditions. The Legislative Analyst’s Office gives diabetes and severe allergies as conditions that can qualify a student for one.

Source: California Government Code, Education Code and Welfare and Institutions Code, federal regulations, and the U.S. Department of Education, read November 2026. The California regulations were read on Cornell’s mirror of the official text.

The first IPP is due within 60 days of the day the assessment is completed. After that, the Lanterman Act says the plan is reviewed at least every three years. Some people get a yearly review. A federal Medicaid rule requires one for people on a home and community waiver. The state’s guide says the same for that group, and for people in a licensed residential care home.

You can ask for a review of the IPP. It must happen within 30 days of your request. A review needed for health and safety, or to keep the person at home, must happen within 7 days. At the end of a meeting, the Regional Center gives you a list of the agreed services. You can choose to receive that list 15 days later, in your preferred language. On request, you also get a written copy of the whole plan within 45 days. That copy comes in a “threshold language”, a term the statute takes from a state regulation. Ask the Regional Center whether your language is one.

Which plan goes with my child’s age?

The IFSP covers birth through age 2, and the IEP and the IPP start at 3.

The IEP ends in the year a student turns 22. The IPP has no upper age for a person who stays eligible. A 504 plan follows the school or program.

Under 3, an eligible child has one plan. For an eligible infant or toddler, California law says the IFSP is used in place of an IPP and an IEP. The state says all Early Start services end when a child turns 3.

At 3, the state’s packet describes three paths. A child may qualify with both agencies, with the school district only, or with neither. The state’s FAQ adds that a child who does not qualify for school services can still get Regional Center services. The child must be provisionally eligible or eligible under the Lanterman Act. Some children leave Early Start and qualify for special education. For them, the district must make sure an IEP or an IFSP is in place and in use by the third birthday. Our guide to the handoff at age 3 has the dates.

The IEP’s ages come from one section of the Education Code. From 19 to 21, it covers a student who was in special education, or eligible for it, before turning 19. The student must not have graduated with a regular high school diploma.

At 18, the rights a parent has under the special education law pass to the student. The exception is a student found incompetent under state law. The district must tell both the student and the parent.

In the year a student turns 22, the birthday month decides the last day. A student who turns 22 from January to June may finish the current fiscal year. A student who turns 22 in July, August or September may not start the new fiscal year. The exception is a student in a year-round program who is finishing the IEP in a term that runs into the new fiscal year. That student may finish the term. For a birthday from October to December, the program ends on December 31. The statute makes one exception, for a student who would complete the IEP at the end of that fiscal year.

The IPP begins at 3 for a child the Regional Center finds eligible. A child under 5 can qualify provisionally, without a named diagnosis. The child needs a disability that is not only physical, with significant limits in at least two of five areas of daily life. The Regional Center reassesses the child at least 90 days before age 5. At 5 the child stays eligible only by meeting the full definition, unless an appeal was filed. The law describes Regional Center services as lasting throughout a person’s lifetime.

Section 504 covers preschool, elementary, secondary and adult education programs that get federal money. Its rule names no age in years. It sets the ages by when a school serves students, or when state law or IDEA requires services. So the question to ask is whether your child’s school or program gets federal money. From 3, the ages overlap, and so can the plans. We did not find a source that gives a 504 plan to a child under 3.

Can my child have more than one plan?

Yes, from age 3 a child can have an IEP from the school district and an IPP from the Regional Center.

The state’s own packet for families says a child who qualifies with both agencies “will now have two plans”. It says the school provides services for educational benefit. The Regional Center supports life at home and in the community.

Qualifying with one agency does not mean qualifying with the other. The Regional Center’s test is narrower. It covers a developmental disability that began before 18, is expected to continue and is substantial. A child under 5 can qualify provisionally under a different test. The state’s guide says a learning disability or a mental health diagnosis is not enough on its own. So a child can have an IEP for a learning disability and not qualify for an IPP.

An IEP and a 504 plan work differently. The federal Office for Civil Rights says a child who qualifies for an IEP does not also need a 504 plan. Carrying out the IEP is one way to meet Section 504. The same office says a child who does not qualify for an IEP may still qualify under Section 504. If the district says no to an IEP, we’d ask about a 504 plan in the same conversation.

The sources we read do not address a 504 plan and an IPP together. The two come from different agencies under different laws.

When a child has an IEP and an IPP, two agencies each owe the child something. The next question is which agency pays for which service.

If my child has an IEP and an IPP, who pays for what?

The school district provides the services in the IEP, and Regional Center money generally cannot replace a school’s budget.

The statute has several parts, and they are not equally strict. Three of them apply to schools.

• Regional Center money “shall not be used to supplant the budget” of a public agency. The statute means an agency that must serve everyone and gets public money to do it.
• The Regional Center must “identify and pursue all possible sources of funding”. The statute names school districts among them.
• A Regional Center may not buy behavioral services called applied behavioral analysis (ABA) or intensive behavioral intervention “for purposes of providing respite, daycare, or school services”.

A fourth part is stricter, and it does not name schools. A Regional Center “shall not purchase any service that would otherwise be available from” Medi-Cal, Medicare, the military health program, In-Home Support Services, California Children’s Services, private insurance or a health plan. That bar applies when a family qualifies for the coverage “but chooses not to pursue” it. The list in section 4659 covers health programs and insurance. Disability Rights California, which publishes a manual on these rights, reads the wider rule to cover school districts too.

The Regional Center still has a job while your child is in school. Since July 1, 2021, Regional Centers may again fund “educational services for children three to 17”. Disability Rights California says the Regional Center must make sure a child gets the services the IPP goals need, “even if your child is in school”. From 18 to 22, a separate rule applies to a student who is eligible for special education. The student must not have received a diploma or a certificate of completion. The Regional Center generally does not buy day programs, vocational education, work services, independent living programs or mobility training for that student. It can if the IPP team finds the school cannot meet the need, or grants an exemption.

Can the Regional Center coordinator come to the IEP meeting?

You can invite the coordinator. The Education Code lets a parent bring “other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the pupil”. The parent decides whether a person fits. Disability Rights California names the Regional Center coordinator as someone a parent can bring.

Whether the coordinator comes is a different matter. We found one sentence of statute about it. It says the coordinator “may attend” the IEP meeting at the request of the person or, where appropriate, the parent. That sentence sits in the section about 18- to 22-year-olds. We found nothing that requires a Regional Center to send someone.

Do the two agencies share my child’s records?

A Regional Center asks for your written approval to contact schools. Disability Rights California says it “cannot get copies of your records without your approval”. Regional Center records are confidential by statute, and the statute lists the only cases where they may be disclosed. The list includes communication between professionals who provide services, a claim for a benefit, and a court. A federal rule requires a parent’s consent before a school discloses special education records, and it lists exceptions.

What is the Self-Determination Program?

It is another way to carry out an IPP. The statute says it gives families, “within an individual budget, increased flexibility and choice, and greater control over decisions, resources, and needed and desired services and supports to implement their IPP”. It has been open to eligible Regional Center clients since July 1, 2021, and it is “fully voluntary”. A child who is only provisionally eligible does not qualify.

Two agencies also means two ways to disagree.

What if I disagree with a plan?

Disagreeing with the school district and disagreeing with the Regional Center are two separate processes with different deadlines.

With both, you can agree to part of a plan. The parts of an IEP you consent to must start. The IPP services you agree with are not held up by the ones you dispute.

Source: California Education Code, Welfare and Institutions Code and the California Department of Education, read November 2026.

The Regional Center column has two deadlines, and they do different jobs. Sixty days keeps your right to appeal. Thirty days keeps current services running while you appeal. Count the 30 days from the day you receive the notice. The appeal must also be postmarked or received no later than the day the change takes effect.

A child who has turned 3 and is applying for first school services is treated differently. The Education Code says the district is not required to keep providing the early education services the child had been getting. Until the student turns 18, a parent holds these school rights. They then generally pass to the student.

The other two plans have their own routes. An Early Start dispute can go to a mediation or a due process hearing. Each is meant to finish within 30 days. A hearing officer can extend a hearing at either party’s request. For a 504 plan, a district must offer notice, a chance to see records, an impartial hearing and a review procedure. The steps for each are in the IEP guide, the Regional Center guide and the Early Start guide.

Will a plan cost us, label my child or affect our immigration case?

The first services under an IFSP, an IEP or an IPP need your consent. In a public school, the IEP and the 504 plan are free.

Here is what the law says on each worry, and what we could not confirm.

What does a plan cost?

In a public school, the IEP and the 504 plan are part of a “free appropriate public education”. That phrase is in California’s special education law and in the federal office’s Section 504 guidance. Section 504 states the free-education duty for public elementary and secondary programs. A private school that gets federal money may not charge more for a student with a disability than for other students. The exception is a charge that a substantial rise in the school’s cost justifies.

At a Regional Center, the state says there is “no charge for the diagnosis and eligibility assessment”. It says most services are free at any income. Three family fee programs have ended, two on July 1, 2024 and one on July 1, 2025.

In Early Start, evaluation, assessment and coordination cost nothing. Public or private insurance is used for some therapy services, and the Early Start guide explains how.

Who is told about my child?

What a school and a Regional Center share is in the section on who pays. There is one notice for which we found no way for a parent to object. It concerns a toddler in Early Start who may qualify for special education. The program must tell the school district at least 90 days before the child turns 3. The notice says the child may be eligible for special education. Federal rules set different steps for a child found eligible less than 90 days before that birthday. A referral fewer than 45 days before it needs the parent’s consent. The federal rule lists the child’s name, date of birth and the parents’ contact information for the routine notice, and DDS also lists where the child lives. California reports that it has no written opt-out policy for it. Sending evaluations and plans to the district needs your permission, the same state FAQ says.

For an older child, we found no source on whether a school is told the child is a Regional Center client.

Can I say no to a plan?

Yes, for the three plans whose consent rules we read. Agreeing to a school assessment is not agreeing to special education. A parent can refuse the first offer of an IEP, and can withdraw consent in writing later. After the student turns 18, these rights generally pass to the student. In Early Start, the evaluation, the assessment and the services need your written consent. At a Regional Center, the services you agree to can start once you sign the plan. The Section 504 rules we read do not say what a parent signs.

Does immigration status matter?

The state says immigration status does not affect eligibility for Early Start or for Regional Center services. A Regional Center does require California residency. Disability Rights California advises a family on a temporary visa to talk to an immigration attorney before claiming residency.

We did not read a federal immigration source on whether using Regional Center services counts in an immigration decision. Our research on the two school plans did not cover immigration status.

What if an agency says my child does not qualify?

Each agency decides for itself, so one agency’s no does not settle the other’s answer. If a district finds your child does not qualify for an IEP, ask about Section 504. If you disagree with the district’s assessment, you can ask for an independent one at public expense. If a Regional Center says no, you can appeal. You can also apply again with new information, such as new test results.

This guide is information, and it is not legal advice. It cannot tell you whether your child qualifies for a plan. For a Regional Center question, the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy gives free legal information and advice, and it can represent clients. It looks at the merits of the case and its own resources when it decides how to help. Its number is (800) 390-7032. For the school plans, Disability Rights California’s manual, Special Education Rights and Responsibilities, is online.