A-Z Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ALL
More Resources
(Sitemap)
COVID-19
Vaccine
Reducing
Risk
banner

COVID-19

How to Get a Test

ORDER FREE AT-HOME ANTIGEN TESTS Order here
PICK-UP FREE TESTS IN A PHARMACY WITH A MEDI-CAL OR MEDICARE CARD Learn how
FREE TESTING

If you have health insurance, the best option is to contact your doctor or health plan to get tested. Doctors and health plans are responsible for providing free COVID-19 testing to patients assigned to them. See more below.

If your employer or school requires a test, go through your workplace or school to get tested. They may offer free tests.

If you do not have health insurance, don’t worry. There are many ways to get free tests in LA County.

Visit a free testing site
Los Angeles County

  • County-sponsored community location
    • If you don’t have health insurance, you can get a free COVID-19 test at a community location regardless of your immigration status.
    • If you have insurance you can go to a community location but you will need to provide insurance information.

    Many sites test children of any age. Check with the testing site to find out if they offer PCR and/or antigen tests.

    Visit covid19.lacounty.gov/testing or text 1-844-833-1334 to find a location near you. If you don’t have access to the internet, email, or need help arranging a test, call 2-1-1.

Pharmacy
  • Health center or pharmacy
    Visit Community-Based Testing Sites for COVID-19 to find sites across the US.
    • If you don’t have health insurance, the provider may ask you to enroll in a government program so that they can get reimbursed for the cost of the test.
    • If you have insurance, you may need to provide insurance information.
    • If you are unable or unwilling to provide insurance information, some sites may charge a sliding scale fee.

The County does not endorse or regulate all COVID-19 testing sites. Please make sure to read and ask about any costs for a COVID-19 test.

Get a free antigen test kit

You collect the sample and do the test yourself. Results of these “self-tests” are usually available in 10-30 minutes. If your antigen test is past its expiration date, it may still be good to use – see instructions at ph.lacounty.gov/covidselftest.

Home

  • By mail from the Federal Government
    Each household can request four free tests shipped by the US Postal Service. Place an order at covidtests.gov or call 1-800-232-0233.
Pharmacy

  • At a Public Health Multi-Service Vaccination Site.
    Click here (Spanish) for hours and locations.
Pharmacy
Pharmacy

  • In your community
    Many food banks, senior centers, and other local organizations offer free test kits for pick-up.
Medical or Medicare card

  • At a pharmacy with your Medi-Cal or Medicare card
    Get the Medi-Cal or Medicare card(s) for each person in your family. Show the card(s) to the pharmacist at the counter where prescriptions are dropped off. You can ask for 8 free at-home COVID-19 tests for each person each month.
Pharmacy

  • Using other health insurance
    Most people with a health plan can get up to 8 at-home tests per month for each person on the plan. There are several ways to get tests using health insurance including:
    • Get the tests mailed to you.
    • Pick up free tests at a pharmacy.
    • Buy a test from a pharmacy or other retail store and save your receipt. You can submit your receipt and get paid back for all or some of the cost. The test must be authorized by the FDA. A list of FDA-authorized home-tests can be found here.

Call your health plan or visit their website for instructions.

For more information, visit the CMS webpage How to get your At-Home Over-The-Counter COVID-19 Test for Free.

Order a free PCR home collection test kit
Computer

You collect the sample yourself and then mail it to a laboratory for testing. Results are usually available 24-48 hours after the lab receives the test.

  • Order a kit online at covid19.lacounty.gov/testing. The kit, testing, and mailing are all free. You must be age 65 or older OR unable to leave your home and
    • Have symptoms of COVID, or
    • Think you were exposed to COVID-19. Learn more.
Contact your doctor or health plan
Medical

If you have insurance, your health insurer is required to cover the entire cost of testing if a doctor orders the test. You do not need to have symptoms to request a test.

Insurance companies may not cover COVID-19 testing if done as part of an employee return-to-work program. If your employer requires a test, go through your job.

TESTS FOR CHILDREN
Los Angeles County

If your child has symptoms, it is best to get a test from their doctor or local health center. If you need help finding a doctor, call 2-1-1 or visit 211LA. You can also find a health center near you at HRSA.gov

Many County-sponsored sites test children of any age. But check before you go.

The age limit for testing children at different pharmacies vary:

If you plan to use an antigen test, check the box for the age limit.

Beware of COVID-19 testing scams and fraud
warning

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that unauthorized and counterfeit COVID-19 self-tests are being used and distributed in the US. For more information, visit the self-test page and see tips on how to avoid buying fake test kits online.

There are also fake COVID-19 testing locations - see tips to avoid getting tricked into using a scam testing location.

If you think you found a fake COVID-19 pop-up site or bought a fake COVID-19 test, please report it to the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs at bit.ly/DCBAHelp or 1-800-593-8222.

Visit the COVID-19 scams and fraud webpage to find out more about common COVID-19 scams and fraud.

 

What to Know Before a Test
what to know
  • Talk to your doctor about which test is right for you.
  • If you have to be tested for screening purposes such as for work or travel, make sure that you get a test that meets the requirements of your employer, airline, or other institution.
  • Before you get a test make sure that you know:
    • What type of test you are being offered (NAAT or antigen).
    • How long it will take to get your results.
    • How you will find out the results.
    • What precautions you should take while you wait for your results and what you should do if your result is positive or is negative.
  • After you receive your test result, make sure that you understand what your result means and what to do next. You should be given a fact sheet about the test you received. If you did not, ask for one.
  • To learn more about COVID testing, visit ph.lacounty.gov/covidtests.

 

Icon: Get Adobe Reader
Adobe Reader

Note: PDF documents on this site were created using Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or later. Document functionality may be reduced if you are using an earlier version (4.x or less). Get the latest version of Adobe Acrobat.



Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.

Los Angeles County Seal: Enriching lives through effective and caring services