How fostering payments work
How much do foster carers get paid?
Being a foster carer is an incredibly rewarding role. You provide stability, care, and support for children and young people who need it most. We know that fostering isn’t about the money, but we do know that finances are an important part of making fostering sustainable, and that this can be confusing, so it’s helpful to be clear about how payments work.
Understanding fostering payments
Foster carers receive weekly payments to cover the cost of caring for a child and are intended to cover everything the child needs. These are made up of two parts:
- A weekly allowance which covers the day-to-day costs of caring for a child such as:
- Food and meals
- Clothing
- Utility bills related to caring for the child
- Transport costs
- Entertainment, activities, and hobbies
- Pocket money
- A professional fostering fee, which recognises foster caring as a skilled, responsible role and provides an income for the carer so they can focus their time on the child's needs.
On average, our full-time foster carers are paid up to £670 per week (around £35,000 a year) plus some travelling expenses.
Our part-time support foster carers are paid according to the time they provide care.
How tax works
Fostering payments are treated differently from a salary. As a foster carer you’re classed as self-employed and with that comes some tax implications.
You don’t pay tax on the first £19,360 from fostering each year, and you’ll receive tax relief for every week a child is in your care – this means you don’t usually pay tax on your earnings from foster care.
The UK government also gives foster carers National Insurance credits, which can count towards your state pension.
Any additional income or benefits may have tax implications, so it’s worth checking with us and the HMRC.
Talk to us
We are always happy to talk to people who may be thinking about fostering, and we know payments, allowances, and tax can feel confusing. That’s why we’re here to make sure everything is clear, so you know exactly what’s what.