Foster carers are paid for each child they care for. What you will earn depends on the type of fostering you do and the age of the child, or children, in your care.
You might be taxed on the money you earn from fostering. However, most foster carers don't pay tax on their fostering income and may also be exempt from tax on some of their non-fostering income.
What you will be paid if you foster long-term, short-term or unaccompanied asylum seeking children
All foster carers are paid a weekly allowance. With pre-approval training, most of our foster carers will start at payment level 2. Extra training and/or evidence of learning is needed for higher levels.
Level 1
At this level, all of the weekly allowance should be spent on the foster child's living costs as well as any activities or hobbies the child may have.
| Item | Child aged 0 to 4 | Child aged 5 to 10 | Child aged 11 to 13 | Child aged 14 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allowance for child's living costs and activities | £203.78 | £231.13 | £308.14 | £357.99 |
Level 2
At this level, you will be paid the weekly allowance for the child plus a weekly fee payment for your skills.
| Item | Child aged 0 to 4 | Child aged 5 to 10 | Child aged 11 to 13 | Child aged 14 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allowance for child's living costs and activities | £203.78 | £231.13 | £308.14 | £357.99 |
| Skills fee paid to foster carer | £106.02 | £106.02 | £106.02 | £106.02 |
Total weekly payment | £309.80 | £337.15 | £414.16 | £464.01 |
Level 3
At this level, you will be paid the weekly allowance for the child plus a weekly fee payment for your skills.
| Item | Child aged 0 to 4 | Child aged 5 to 10 | Child aged 11 to 13 | Child aged 14 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allowance for child's living costs and activities | £203.78 | £231.13 | £308.14 | £357.99 |
| Skills fee paid to foster carer | £212.04 | £212.04 | £212.04 | £212.04 |
Total weekly payment | £415.82 | £443.15 | £520.16 | £570.03 |
What you will be paid as a parent and child foster carer
Parent and child foster carers are paid two separate weekly allowances, one for the parent and one for their child. This is because you will be looking after two people in your home.
- Allowance for baby or child's living costs and activities - £203.78
- Allowance for parent's living costs - £357.99
- Fee paid to foster carer - £540.80
- Total - £1102.57
What you will be paid as a supported lodgings carer
We will pay you an allowance of £274.56 a week, which is for your time spent supporting the young person living with you. Young people living in supported lodgings are charged £70 a week rent. This is paid from their housing benefit or wages, or from a combination of the two. If the young person is sharing the household food, they are expected to contribute £20 per week.
- Weekly Allowance - £274.56
- Rent from young person - £70
- Contribution to food costs (optional) - £20
- Total - £364.56
What you will be paid as a short breaks carer
You will receive between £86.96 and £112.20 to care for a child overnight depending on their age. We also offer a day care rate of between £60.24 and £85.48 and an hourly rate of between £12.05 and £17.09 per hour for shorter sessions.
You will be reimbursed your travel expenses at 45p per mile.
| Item | Child aged 0 to 4 | Child aged 5 to 10 | Child aged 11 to 13 | Child aged 14 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hourly Rate | £12.05 | £12.83 | £15.03 | £17.09 |
Day care rate (over 5 hours) | £60.24 | £64.14 | £75.15 | £85.48 |
12 to 24 hours (overnight) | £86.96 | £90.86 | £101.87 | £112.20 |