How Much Do Foster Carers Get Paid in the UK? (2026/27 Rates)

Quick answer: foster carers in the UK receive a weekly allowance for each child to cover their day-to-day costs, and most also receive a fee for their time and skills. In England the minimum allowance for 2026/27 ranges from £176 to £309 a week per child, depending on the child’s age and where you live. Fees vary widely between services, and most foster carers pay little or no income tax on their fostering income thanks to qualifying care relief.

Allowances vs fees: what’s the difference?

• Allowance – money to cover the cost of caring for the child: food, clothes, travel, pocket money, activities and household costs. Every foster carer gets this.
• Fee – payment for the carer’s time, skills and experience. Not every service pays a fee, and fees often increase with training, experience or the child’s needs.
• Extras – many services also pay for birthdays, festivals and holidays, plus a retainer between placements.

Foster carer pay in England (2026/27)

The government sets a national minimum allowance that every fostering service in England must pay. The rates from 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027 are:

These are minimum weekly amounts per child. Many councils and independent fostering agencies pay more, and most add a fee on top. Compare services near you: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Worcestershire and Cornwall.

Foster carer pay in Scotland (2026/27)

In Scotland, councils pay the Scottish Recommended Allowance to foster and kinship carers. It rose by 3.8% for 2026/27, backdated to April 2026:

Each council decides its own fees on top of the allowance.

Foster carer pay in Wales

The Welsh Government sets a national minimum allowance for foster carers in Wales, and the 22 local authority teams in the Foster Wales network also pay fees on top. Rates vary by the child’s age and needs, so ask your local Foster Wales team for its current fees and allowances.

Wales is also removing profit from children’s care. From April 2027, profit-making fostering agencies in Wales cannot approve new foster carers, so most new carers in Wales will foster with Foster Wales or a not-for-profit agency. See our local guides for Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bridgend and Llanelli & Carmarthenshire.

Foster carer pay in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, foster care allowances are set by the Department of Health and paid through the five Health and Social Care Trusts. The rates are reviewed each April – contact your local Trust’s fostering team for the current 2026/27 figures.

Do foster carers pay tax?

Foster carers are treated as self-employed, but most pay little or no income tax because of qualifying care relief. For the 2026/27 tax year you can receive the following tax-free:

• a fixed amount of £20,440 per household per year, plus
• £435 a week for each child under 11, and
• £515 a week for each child aged 11 or over.

Example: a carer looking after one 12-year-old for the whole year could receive up to £20,440 + (52 × £515) = £47,220 before any income tax is due on their fostering income. You still need to register as self-employed and file a tax return.

Can foster carers claim benefits?

Yes. Fostering payments are usually ignored when working out benefits such as Universal Credit, so many carers can continue to claim. Read our guide How does fostering affect Universal Credit and Housing Benefit?

Council or independent agency: who pays more?

Independent fostering agencies (IFAs) often pay higher fees than councils, especially for children with complex needs, because they are paid more by councils for each placement. Council fostering services may offer other benefits, such as children placed close to home and council tax discounts in some areas. Always compare the full package – fees, allowances, training, support and out-of-hours help – rather than the weekly figure alone.

FAQs

Do foster carers get paid between placements?

Some services pay a retainer when you are approved but do not have a child living with you. Ask each service about its policy.

Do I get paid for respite or short-break fostering?

Yes – short-break carers are paid an allowance (and often a fee) for each night a child stays with them.

Is fostering a full-time job?

For many carers it is, especially with younger children or children with additional needs. Some carers foster alongside part-time or flexible work – see Can you foster if you work full-time?

Find a fostering service near you

Use our local fostering guides or browse agencies by region to compare council services and independent agencies near you.

Sources: GOV.UK national minimum allowance 2026/27; Scottish Government Scottish Recommended Allowance 2026/27; Care Inspectorate Wales; LITRG qualifying care relief 2026/27. Last updated October 2026.