Guide · California Early Start
DDS eBilling explained: invoices, the file upload, and the eAttendance format
DDS requires regional center providers to invoice electronically through eBilling, and you have two ways to get your visits in: type each service line into the web form, or upload a file containing the whole month. Uploaded invoices are validated against your authorizations in an overnight batch, so errors come back the next day. This page explains how each path works and what the file format expects.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Written to explain, not to sell — sources are the Department of Developmental Services and the regional centers themselves.
What eBilling is
eBilling is the Department of Developmental Services' electronic invoicing system, used by all 21 regional centers. Each provider logs in (through their regional center's enrollment), sees their active authorizations, and submits monthly invoices against them. With your login you can also see billing and payment history.
Enrollment is per regional center: you complete the regional center's eBilling enrollment form, get credentials, and your vendor numbers and authorizations appear in the system. If you serve children through two regional centers, you enroll with both.
Path 1: manual entry
The web form lets you enter service lines one at a time: authorization, date of service, units, and attendance details. It works, and for a handful of visits a month it's tolerable. At a real caseload — thirty children, a hundred-plus visits — manual entry is where evenings go to die, and every keystroke is a chance to transpose a date.
Manual entry also gives you no pacing feedback. eBilling validates against the authorization at submission, not while you schedule, so it cannot warn you mid-month that a child is about to run out of units.
Path 2: file upload
The upload path accepts a file containing your full invoice — every service line for the billing period — in the format DDS specifies (commonly referred to as the eAttendance format, an XML structure with one record per attendance). You generate the file from wherever you track visits, upload it, and eBilling treats it exactly like a typed invoice.
This is the path worth building toward. A file upload turns month-end billing from an evening of data entry into: review the file, upload, check the results tomorrow.
Overnight batch processing and rejections
eBilling processes submissions in batch, typically overnight. Each line is validated against the authorization on file: dates within the authorization period, units not exceeding the authorized amount, correct service code and vendor number. Lines that pass move toward payment; lines that fail come back with a rejection reason the next business day.
The common rejections are boring and preventable: a visit dated after the authorization end date, units over the cap, a typo'd attendance record. Rejected lines can usually be corrected and resubmitted, but that means another batch cycle — so the cheapest fix is catching problems before upload.
- Authorization lapsed or not yet effective on the date of service.
- Units exceed what remains on the authorization.
- Service code or vendor number doesn't match the authorization.
- Duplicate attendance lines submitted twice.
Generating the file with casedaisy
casedaisy's DDS eBilling export builds the file from the visits you already logged: it groups completed visits by authorization and service code, checks each one against the authorization dates and unit caps it tracks, flags anything that would reject (before eBilling does), and writes the file in the eAttendance format.
You download the file, upload it in your eBilling portal, and check the batch results the next day. Nothing is submitted on your behalf — you stay in control of every invoice.
Authorizations and billing, without the spreadsheet
casedaisy tracks authorization dates and units per client, plans your driving route, and exports the DDS eBilling file at month end. Built with working EI therapists.
Frequently asked questions
- Is eBilling mandatory for regional center providers?
- Yes, with limited exceptions. DDS requires providers to submit invoices electronically; parent-vouchered services (such as some respite and day care) are the main exception. Your regional center's provider services team handles enrollment.
- When does eBilling process submissions?
- Submissions are processed in a batch cycle, typically overnight. A file uploaded today is validated tonight, and rejection reasons are visible the next business day. Plan corrections around that cycle, especially near billing deadlines.
- What is the eAttendance format?
- It is the structured file format (XML) DDS accepts for uploaded invoices, with one record per attendance: vendor and authorization identifiers, date of service, and units. The exact specification comes from DDS / your regional center's eBilling documentation.
- Why did my line reject if I entered everything correctly?
- Most rejections are authorization problems, not typos: the visit fell outside the authorization dates, the unit cap was already used, or the service code didn't match. Check the authorization in eBilling first — it is what the validator checks against.
- Does casedaisy submit to eBilling for me?
- No. casedaisy generates the upload file from your logged visits and pre-checks it against your authorizations. You review and upload it yourself in your regional center's eBilling portal.