How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid? | Fostering Allowance

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How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid?

How much does a foster carer get paid? Read on to find the answer to this commonly asked question, featuring exact figures for salaries and tax allowance.

How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid?:

Are Foster Carers Self-Employed?
Do Foster Carers Pay Tax?
Do Foster Carers get a Pension?
Can you Foster if you’re on Benefits?
What Discounts can Foster Carers get?

How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid?

How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid?
Are Foster Carers Self-Employed?
Do Foster Carers Pay Tax?
Do Foster Carers get a Pension?
Can you Foster if you’re on Benefits?
What Discounts can Foster Carers get?

Fostering a child is an emotionally rewarding experience, but you are also entitled to remuneration to support a child or young person. At Capstone Foster Care, we ensure you have the financial information and guidance you need to positively influence the individuals you care for. Offering full transparency around fostering pay, taxes and benefits, we're here to help you understand how much foster parents get paid.

Fostering Allowance Explained

Whilst some may feel uncomfortable discussing pay, it’s important we destigmatise conversations about foster care allowances. After all, whilst fostering is a vocation, it is also a career.

At Capstone Foster Care, our foster carers can receive up to £44,720 per fostering arrangement, per year. For many people, this sum is also entirely tax-free!

As a foster carer, much of your time is dedicated to creating a safe environment for your foster child, which is why we provide a highly competitive fostering allowance to support your lifestyle, whether you’re a long or short-term carer.

But how is your fostering allowance calculated? Well, how much foster carers are paid per week depends on several factors, including:

The child’s needs – each child has a unique set of needs that will require various degrees of training, support and experience.
Their age – carers are allotted a minimum allowance based on the age of their foster child to accommodate their growing needs.
Your location - the geographical area you are fostering in will impact your cost and living and, in turn, your foster care allowance.
The type of fostering arrangement – if you are supporting or both a parent and their child in your home, your allowance will reflect that.
The number of children in your care – the allowance for each fostering arrangement is calculated individually. Therefore, if you foster multiple children, your total pay will be the sum of each fostering allowance.

Currently, the minimum weekly allowances set by the government for the 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026 tax year, based on age and location alone, is as follows:

Age	London	South East	Rest of England
0-2	£198	£189	£170
3-4	£201	£196	£176
5-10	£225	£216	£194
11-15	£257	£247	£220
16-17	£299	£288	£258

For more information about government guidelines, please consult the UK government website.

Fostering Pay Examples

The Different Types of Fostering and Pay

At Capstone, we facilitate a variety of foster care arrangements, with the aim to support as many children and young people as possible. As an Employee Ownership Trust, we’re also able to offer highly competitive rates for our foster carers.

Here is a financial breakdown of some of our fostering placements:

Standard Placements

Total allowances for most of our standard arrangements, including respite payments, are over £450 per week, which would work out to be over £1,950 a month or £23,400 a year.

So, if you were to foster two children as part of a standard arrangement, you would receive over £46,800 per year.

Therapeutic Placements

The demand for support for foster children with complex requirements is growing. As a result, we have developed a long-standing, highly successful programme called MATTS. Providing carers with clinical support, additional training and resources to accommodate specialist therapeutic placements, fostering allowances for children and carers supported by MATTS are up to £650 per week.

Therefore, if you have a therapeutic placement for 12 months, your total income could be up to £33,800 per child.

Note: all necessary training for therapeutic foster care is provided by our team, meaningmost of our carers are eligible to provide care under our MATTS service.

Parent and Child Placements

Fostering allowance for parent and child placements starts from £860 per week, to comfortably support you, the parent(s) and infant in your care. Though usually short-term, these placements are also incredibly rewarding.

Foster carers can expect to receive up to £13,760 for a 16-week parent and child placement to provide valuable support and guidance for parents raising their newborns or young children.

Want to learn about different foster care arrangements? Discover the various types of foster care placements available at Capstone, or contact a member of our team to learn more about each offer and its unique fostering allowance.

The Foster Pay Process

As with any career, it's important to understand how the payment process works and how often you can expect to be paid. However, as a fostering allowance is designed to support both you and the young person/people in your care, it’s also important to discuss what expenses are covered within each payment.

When will you receive your Fostering Allowance?

Unlike many jobs, as a foster carer, you aren’t limited to an annual salary paid at the end each month. Instead, you will receive weekly payments, based on your current placement(s).

What does your Foster Pay cover?

Fostering allowances are designed to compensate carers for the cost of supporting a foster child, whilst also rewarding them for their time, skills and experience. But what exactly does your foster pay cover?

Fostering allowances should support you with the following expenses:

Household bills
Food, toiletries and other essentials
Shoes and clothing
Toys, hobbies and extracurricular activities
Pocket money and savings for the child

The remaining money is given for the commitment you have made as a foster carer by:

Working with social workers, teachers and parents to achieve the best possible outcome for the child’s future
Providing a safe and supportive environment for the child to live and grow
Undertaking regular training to provide the best level of care possible

For support managing your fostering allowance, read our foster carer budgeting tips.

Foster Care Pay and Tax

We’re often asked, “do foster carers pay income tax?”. In most cases, foster care income is tax-free, as carers are entitled to a specialist tax allowance called Qualifying Care Relief. Carers who qualify for care relief in the 2025 to 2026 tax year are entitled to:

£19,690 tax-free earnings from fostering
Plus tax relief for each week you care for a foster child

Foster carers who support children under the age of 11 will receive an additional £415 of tax relief per week, per child. Foster carers supporting children and adults aged 11 or over will receive £495 of tax relief per week, per child. Read our guide on foster care and tax to learn more about tax exemptions for foster carers.

Fostering Allowance and Government Benefits

Thinking of fostering but have concerns about your government benefits? As a foster parent, you are still eligible to receive benefits, so this will not impact your application to become a carer. However, some of the benefits you receive could change once you become a foster carer. Benefits you could be entitled to as a foster parent include:

Universal Credit
Council Tax Reduction
Personal Independence Payments
Disability Living Allowance
Carers allowance (if fostering a disabled child)

To learn more about fostering on benefits, read our guide "can you foster if you're on benefits?".

Pensions for Foster Carers

At Capstone Foster Care, we understand the importance of planning for your future. So, whilst foster parents are classed as self-employed, we still offer support and advice for financial planning.

Many of our foster carers opt to contribute to Class 2 National Insurance to secure their state pension, meaning once they turn 66 years old, they’re eligible to receive monthly pension payments. It’s important to note that if you foster over the age of 66, your fostering allowance will not impact your pension. Instead, you will be entitled to receive both sums in their entirety, which can help fund your lifestyle after retirement.

Benefits of Fostering with Capstone

At Capstone Foster Care, our carers are at the heart of our community. We want to make your fostering experience as positive and rewarding as possible, so we work hard to ensure you have all the support and resources you may need.

In addition to our competitive fostering allowance, we also offer our carers:

An annual gift of £500 to £1000 for ongoing carers at the re-approval stage
14-night short stay support for ongoing carers at the re-approval stage
Generous referral schemes for referring prospective foster carers
Ongoing training with opportunities to specialise in areas like therapeutic fostering
A FosterTalk membership to access legal, financial and tax advice, along with access to hundreds of discounts
Regular events for our foster families to come together to have fun!

To learn more about our extensive list of benefits, visit our Benefits of Fostering with Us page.

Fostering Pay FAQs

Can I foster if I’ve had financial problems in the past?

Yes, you can foster if you have experienced financial struggles in the past. However, you will need to provide evidence to show that you’re in a financially secure position now, to prove you can provide a stable home for a child.

Can foster carers receive a pay rise?

As part of our commitment to support you with every aspect of your fostering journey, we regularly review our fostering allowances. In the past two years, our carers have received five increases to support them through the cost-of-living challenges we have all been experiencing.

Do foster parents pay National Insurance?

As a foster carer, if your income falls within your qualifying care relief, you do not have to pay National Insurance. However, many foster carers voluntarily pay Class 2 National Insurance to secure state benefits, including state pensions and maternity allowance.

Will I still receive a fostering allowance if I work?

Yes, you will still receive your fostering payments if you have another job. Your foster care allowance is independent of your workplace salary and is granted to support the child in your care and to reward you for your skills, experience and ongoing support.

What are respite payments?

Respite payments are a type of fostering allowance specifically made to respite carers. The payments work the same way as any other fostering allowance; the only difference is the duration of the placement, as respite arrangements or short breaks can range from as little as a weekend to over a fortnight.

What is the average foster parent salary?

There’s no set salary for a foster carer as your allowance is calculated based on various criteria, including the type of placement, the age of the child in your care, and where you live. That said, when fostering with Capstone, foster carers can expect to receive upwards of £450 per week for our standard placements.

Ready to start your career in foster care?

Start your foster care journey by filling out the enquiry form below. Alternatively, if you want to learn more about fostering pay or need additional advice on how much foster parents get paid, contact us on 0800 012 4004.

Thinking of fostering?

If you’ve got any questions or would like to find out more about fostering with Capstone, fill out the form below. An experienced fostering advisor from your local area will then be in touch.

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