Whilst money shouldn’t be your biggest motivator for fostering, we know it is a factor when considering a professional role, and fostering is no exception.
Fostering allowances vary greatly depending on:
- Which fostering service you foster for
- The child in your care’s age
- The needs of the child
- Where you live
evolve’s minimum fostering allowance is £460 per child per week and can increase to up to £950 if you care for a parent and child fostering arrangement.
The government website states that the minimum foster care allowance ‘to cover the cost of caring for a child… is usually between £165 and £289 a week’.
However, on average, evolve Foster Parent’s earn around £675 per week per child.
There are also differences in how much you can earn before tax when you become a foster parent.
Tax allowances when you foster
Foster parents are registered as self-employed and are responsible for completing their own tax returns. You can work with only one fostering service at a time.
As of April 2025, foster parents can:
- Earn up to £19,360 before you must pay tax
- Get tax relief for every week you foster a child or young person, known as qualifying care relief.
This means that usually you don’t pay tax on your earnings as a foster parent.
For the most up to date information please visit https://www.gov.uk/support-for-foster-parents/tax-arrangements or for more independent advice please visit https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/advice-information/finances/tax-and-national-insurance
