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Fostering Info
5 August 2022 by DK

How Much Do Foster Carers Get Paid?

Do foster carers get paid? If you are planning to foster a child, you must have this question in mind. Luckily, we have all the answers that you need to understand the financial benefits that foster carers get.
The moment you decide to foster a child, you commit yourself to help the child grow and develop in a family setup. As expected, fostering has financial obligations, which can be lessened by the allowances that you will get.

Fostering allowances in the UK

To be clearer, we must inform you that the amount that you will get as a foster carer in the UK varies depending on various factors.

So, if you are asking a question about how much foster carers do get paid a month in the UK, then we’ll break it down for you by looking at the criteria that the UK government and fostering agencies follow when offering allowances to foster carers.

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Factors that determine the allowance you will get

Primarily, the weekly allowance that you get will depend on:
  • Needs of the child
  • Age of the child
  • Type of foster care
  • Your skills and experience
  • Location
  • Whether you are fostering with the local authority or an independent fostering agency
All these factors help to determine the right weekly amount that you will get, from which you can estimate your monthly allowance.
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Average weekly allowance

We can’t really answer your key question – how much do foster carers get paid – if we can’t share the figures.

We estimate that you will get a minimum amount of between £137 and £240 a week if you are fostering through the local authority. Again, we must reiterate that this amount is not fixed and it is individualised, meaning it can go beyond the stated figures depending on the factors we’ve listed above.

To break it down further for you, we’ll share the latest government’s minimum weekly allowance rates effective April 2022 to April 2023.

Minimum weekly allowance in London:

  • Age 0-2 (£159);
  • Age 3-4 (£162);
  • Age 5-10 (£181);
  • Age 11-15 (£206);
  • Age 16-17 (£240).

Minimum weekly allowance in South East:

  • Age 0-2 (£152);
  • Age 3-4 (£157);
  • Age 5-10 (£173);
  • Age 11-15 (£198);
  • Age 16-17 (£231).

The rest of England:

  • Age 0-2 (£137);
  • Age 3-4 (£141);
  • Age 5-10 (£156);
  • Age 11-15 (£177);
  • Age 16-17 (£207).

Can you receive an allowance when the child is 18?

No, you cannot receive an allowance after the child under foster care has reached 18 years. According to the government, no minimum allowance shall be given to you because the child is eligible to leave foster care.
However, the child / young person can stay with the foster carer after 18th birthday day. But you must explicitly express interest for the benefit of the child and let us and the social worker know of this arrangement. It is known as staying put arrangements and if a young person stays on with a foster carer, the foster carer receive a payment for this. However, it is not fostering.

How much allowance do the different types of foster care receive?

The figures we’ve shared above are somewhat general. We’d like to be more specific about the type of foster care that you have chosen.

We are an independent fostering agency, thus, offering competitive fostering allowances. Here are the minimum figures that you will get for the following types of foster care:

  • Therapeutic foster placements: You will receive a weekly payment of about £500 – £600.
  • Parent and child placements – You will receive a weekly payment of about £680.
  • Standard placements – The estimated weekly allowance is £400.
  • Respite placements – The estimated weekly allowance is £400.

Fostering a child with disabilities

We understand how challenging it is to foster a child with disabilities. We, therefore, offer weekly allowances of about £460 – £550 and enhance respite benefit.
If you are new to fostering, please read our article about types of foster care to understand the expectations of each type. This will help you understand why the weekly allowance is different for each type of foster care.

What does the fostering allowance cover?

The allowance that you receive is split into two to cover two key areas i.e.
  • Maintenance allowance to cater to the child’s needs including food, clothing, school meals, and other household expenses.
  • A special reward to you as the carer for your dedication to this worthy cause.

Understanding tax arrangements when you foster

Now that we’ve already answered your question as to if you do get paid for fostering a child, you might as well explore your new tax arrangements.

So, do foster carers pay tax?

Yes, they do pay taxes. However, there are special tax rules that foster carers enjoy. It is a little bit complex but we will break it down for you. For detailed information, you need to contact with an account or we can help you to connect with an account who has knowledge of doing tax return on behalf of foster carers.
In addition, the government will give you tax relief every week that you are fostering a child.
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Fostering allowance and training

As part of our contract with you, foster training is mandatory. It will equip you with the necessary skills required to undertake your role as a foster carer.
The beauty of training is that it also adds more skills that directly influence how much allowance you get. As earlier mentioned, your skills are considered when determining the amount that you get paid per week.

Additional fostering payments and rewards

We value your contribution as a foster carer, thus, offer incentives that show our appreciation. In addition to the allowances that you get, you will also get the following rewards:
  • A respite benefit for a maximum of 14 nights for you to relax from fostering
  • Annual events to honour and provide support to foster carers

Comparing fostering pay in the UK

If you want to earn as a foster carer, you have two options i.e. local authority or independent fostering agencies.

  1. Local Authority Foster Care It is run by the government and offers a minimum weekly allowance of between £137 to £240
  2. Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs) Depending on the fostering agency, the weekly pay could be anywhere in the range of £400 plus per week to £680.

Can foster carers receive benefits?

Yes, you will receive certain financial benefits for being a foster carer. Some of the benefits include:
  • Income support
  • Council tax reduction
  • Income-based job seeker’s allowance
  • Disability living allowance
  • Working tax credits
  • Housing benefit

Getting started

In summary, fostering can be financially rewarding. However, the main reason why we want you to start fostering today is to provide a home for the vulnerable children in need of foster care. In doing so, you will be contributing immensely to the wellness of our society.

If you foster with us, we’ll ensure that your efforts are compensated well.

Existing foster carers:

If you are already a foster carer and wishes to transfer to Horizon Fostering Services, we will take into account and pay you more than our standard rates. For details – please contact us on 020 8200 2355.

AboutDanish Khalil
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