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Payment & benefits

Fostering allowance

At The Fostering Company, we understand that fostering can be demanding at times which is why we pay our foster carers a generous fostering allowance so they can focus on giving their foster child or children the best possible care.

Payments will vary depending on the age of the child, and in some cases, the type of placement but you can expect to receive upwards of £407.40 per child per week.

The foster carer receives the payment each month and the payments are separated into two elements as set out by the government: –

Maintenance

Covers things such as gas, electric, clothes, pocket money etc. (things the child uses or needs). This part of the fee is not taxable.

Allowance

Effectively ‘wages’ for the foster carer. This part of the fee is subject to tax.

Tax relief

The Government have a special tax relief for all foster families. The first £10,000 you earn (after expenses) is 100% tax free. On top of this there is an extra tax relief on the £200 (for children under 11) and £250 (for children over 11) you earn per week.

Short breaks

We know that having time off is crucial, so we provide our carers with up to 14 days paid leave. We have ‘short break’ carers available to ensure that you can take time off when needed.

Benefits

The Fostering Company is an independent provider, but we are also proud to be part of the Five Rivers Child Care family, a social enterprise committed to transforming the lives of children and young people. This partnership enables us to offer our foster carers access to a range of expertise and services that many smaller providers don’t have access to.

This might be in the form of additional therapeutic support for the children, specialist training for the foster carers or opportunities for children and young people to take part in special national events with other care experienced children.

Are you ready to start your fostering journey?

Get in touch to arrange an informal chat with our carer enquiry team.

Enquire online