Foster Carer Pay and Allowances

To support our carers, we provide a weekly foster care allowance made up of a professional fee and a living allowance for the child.

Talk to us about Foster Carer pay

Foster Carer Pay

We know that caring for a child or young person can have financial impact. That’s why it’s crucial to understand Foster Carer pay. Some of our Carers leave their jobs to foster, so we believe it’s important to compensate them fairly.  

To support our carers, we provide a weekly foster care allowance made up of a professional fee and a living allowance for the child. 

How Much do Foster Carers Get Paid?

As an independent agency and a Social Enterprise, we offer a highly competitive foster care allowance.

For almost all Foster Carers, this will be tax-free and will not affect any benefits you may currently be receiving.

Foster Carer Pay:

  • Standard allowance for one child up to £470 (this amount depends on the child’s age and whether you are also caring for their siblings).
  • Parent and child – £924.49 per week (one parent, one child).

Payments are adjusted to meet their needs if a child is recognised as having additional requirements.

As a Foster Carer with Five Rivers you'll receive:

Paid breaks

Benefit from 14 days of paid break annually.

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Refer a friend payment

Earn £2,000 for recruiting new carers (£1,000 for Respite Carers).

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Birthday Allowance

£200 per child will be paid to you to support in celebrating their birthday.

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Festival Allowance

£200 per child per year to support with celebrating festivals such as Christmas.

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Additional Benefits include

  • Generous mileage allowance
  • Foster Carer evidence-based training and support
  • Support for children
  • Support for birth children
  • Extended support for care leavers.

Key Points About Foster Care Allowance

  • Five Rivers provides generous allowances and substantial benefits that are unmatched by many other fostering providers. 
  • You probably won’t have to pay taxes on your fostering allowance, as income from fostering is supported by government tax relief  programs.
  • Your fostering allowance doesn’t affect most state benefits.
  • You’ll need to register as self-employed and pay National Insurance Contributions.
  • You may also qualify for Working Tax Credit or other state benefits.

Ask us about Foster Carer Pay

When talking to potential Foster Carers, we make sure they are interested in fostering for the right reasons, not just for the pay. We need Carers who are compassionate, warm, patient, and kind. Beyond the financial aspect, they should genuinely want to make a positive difference in a child’s life.

However, it is important that Carers have financial peace of mind. We make sure that those considering fostering have the financial information they need to make an informed decision. For that reason, we want to reassure you that we are happy to answer any questions you might have on Foster Carer pay.

At Five Rivers , we want our Foster Carers to feel secure in the level of support they receive – both in terms of practical training and financial reimbursement. Our support package provides carers with the peace of mind they need to do their job well – because that’s what really matters.

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