How much do foster carers get paid in the UK?

Money can feel like an awkward thing to ask about when you're thinking of fostering. It shouldn't be. A child settles best in a calm, stable home, and knowing the fostering allowance and fees will cover what they need is part of making that home possible.

This guide sets out the official minimum allowance in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for 2026/27, explains how carer fees work, and covers the tax and National Insurance rules that apply to foster carers.

The difference between fostering allowances and fees

• The child's allowance (often called the foster carers allowance or foster parents allowance) is for the child. It covers food, clothes, travel, pocket money, activities and a share of household costs. Every nation sets a minimum, shown in the table below.
• The carer fee (sometimes called a reward, skills payment or professional fee) recognises your time, training and experience. There is no national fee rate. Each council, charity and independent agency sets its own, and many increase it as you gain experience or take on children with more complex needs.

When a service advertises a weekly figure, check whether it means the allowance alone or the allowance and fee added together. The two are often quoted side by side, and they're easy to mix up.

Minimum fostering allowance per week, UK 2026/27

These figures are the legal baseline for covering a child’s costs. Because most providers pay higher rates and add a professional carer fee on top, your actual total is likely to be higher.

Each nation groups children's ages differently, so the age bands don't line up across rows. The South East rate applies to some councils near London rather than the whole South East region. If you're not sure which rate applies where you live, ask your local council's fostering team. In Scotland the same allowance also applies to kinship carers.

Caring for a relative or friend's child? Kinship arrangements are paid differently, and approved kinship foster carers are covered by the minimums above. Source: Kinship

Breakdown of the fostering allowance

Northern Ireland is one of the few UK nations that publishes an official breakdown of what the allowance is meant to cover. While local guidance varies across the UK, these percentages offer a helpful benchmark for how care costs typically split:

Council and independent agency pay

Every fostering service, whether a local council, a charity or an independent agency, must pay at least the legal minimum allowance. Where services differ is in their overall support package. Independent agencies often advertise higher headline figures, while councils and non-profit services often offer extra benefits, such as closer placement matching and local support networks. Many councils also give their own carers a council tax discount.

Our guide to local authority vs independent fostering agencies goes through the differences in more detail.

If you live in or near the capital, our guide to foster carer pay in London covers London rates in more depth.

Tax and National Insurance for foster carers

Foster carers are treated as self-employed and need to register for Self Assessment with HMRC. That sounds daunting, but a special scheme called Qualifying Care Relief, sometimes called the foster carer tax allowance, means most carers pay no income tax on their fostering payments at all.

How Qualifying Care Relief works

HMRC works out a tax-free threshold for your household each year. For 2026/27 it is: Source: Legislation.gov.uk (SI 2026/39)

• A fixed amount of £20,440 per household, shared between carers if there's more than one, and reduced if you're approved part way through the year.
• Plus £435 for each week you care for a child under 11.
• Plus £515 for each week you care for a child aged 11 or over.

If your total fostering payments for the year are at or below that threshold, HMRC treats you as making no profit, so there is no income tax or Class 4 National Insurance to pay. If you go over it, you can choose to pay tax only on the amount above the threshold, or on your actual profit after expenses.

Protecting your State Pension

Because most foster carers have no taxable profit, fostering on its own may not add qualifying years to your National Insurance record. You can apply for free Class 3 National Insurance credits for the years you foster, using form CF411A. Source: GOV.UK The alternative is paying voluntary Class 2 contributions, which cost £3.65 a week in 2026/27. Source: GOV.UK

Council tax for foster carers

There's no national council tax rule for foster carers. Some councils give their own foster carers a discount or a full exemption, and others don't. It's a good question to ask any service you're considering.

Practical things to plan for

• Gaps between placements. The child's allowance stops when a child moves on. Some services pay a retainer for a limited time, so ask what happens if you're waiting for your next match.
• Payment timing. Services pay weekly, fortnightly or every four weeks. Ask how soon the first payment arrives after a child is placed with you.
• Setting up. Some services provide or pay for beds, car seats and other equipment when a child first arrives. Check what each service offers before you need it.
• Extra payments. Some services add payments for birthdays, holidays and religious festivals on top of the weekly allowance.