Fostering fees and allowances:
How much do foster carers get paid?

Foster carers working with To the Moon and Back receive between £450 and £609 per week, with our current rates effective from September 2026.

The amount depends on the placement and the care needs of the child or young person. During your initial discussions with us, we will explain the payments that would apply to your circumstances so you can understand what to expect.

A fostering allowance helps cover the day-to-day costs of caring for a child or young person. The fostering fee recognises the foster carer’s time, skills and responsibilities.

Together, these make up the fostering payment. To the Moon and Back’s current weekly payments range from £450 to £609, depending on the placement and the child’s needs.

The allowance helps cover the everyday costs of caring for a child, including clothing, school uniforms, activities and toys.

We can also contribute towards exceptional costs. We discuss how payments work and what they cover during your initial visit, training and induction, giving you an opportunity to ask questions about your circumstances.

Tax arrangements

Foster carers are expected to be registered as self-employed because foster carers are required to file tax returns. We can signpost you to seek advice about how to do this.

In your tax return, you’ll be able to claim:

• a tax exemption of up to £20,440 per household
• tax relief for every week you foster a child

This is known as qualifying care relief.

You may be entitled to National Insurance credits, which count towards your State Pension.

Tax exemption

In a tax year, households do not pay tax on the first £20,440 they earn from fostering. You’ll still pay tax on money you earn from a job or investment.

Tax relief

On top of the £20,440 exemption, you also get tax relief for every week (or part week) that a child is in your care. This means you do not usually pay tax on your earnings from foster care, even if they go over £20,440.

2026/27 tax year

Example given by the government about tax when fostering

Laura is a foster carer for a 14-year-old for the whole of the year and for an 8-year-old for 10 weeks of the year. She gets:

Tax exemption for the household = £20,440

Tax relief on what she earns for fostering the 14 year old (£515 x 52 weeks) = £26,780

Tax relief on what she earns for fostering the 8 year old (£435 x 10 weeks) = £4,350

Altogether, Laura does not need to pay tax on the first £51,570 she earns from fostering.

Yes you can continue to claim benefits but being a foster parent can affect your benefits. The government provides information on their website. Check a benefits calculator to see what you’re eligible for.

If you’re claiming benefits you should let us know and we can signpost you to the advice you need.  

You can get disability benefits for your foster child if they meet the criteria. You may also be able to claim Carer’s Allowance if a foster child living with you gets Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment.

Sometimes the role of fostering a child who has experienced abuse or neglect can be challenging. But the happiness brought by building a trusting and loving relationship with a child is out of this world. We provide you with lots of support. You will have your own friendly social worker, who you will get to know really well. The role of the social worker is to enable you to feel successful, helping you with practical day to day help and supporting you at meetings or finding services for children. You will have access to someone 24 hours a day if needed. You will have the support of other foster carers, the ability to take breaks and opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge. We are a friendly approachable team. The social workers work with small caseloads so that they can spend time with you and help you. It is a challenging, yet rewarding, role that offers you the opportunity to support a child to rebuild their self-confidence and self-esteem. Foster carers aim to provide new experiences and support children to make choices and achieve their true potential, we support you to be the best version of you.

Supporting children with everyday needs when fostering involves providing everything a child needs to thrive, including food, clothing, toys, warmth and opportunities to enjoy interests and hobbies. Foster carers are expected to support and care for a child as they would if the children were their own.

We provide a variety of allowances to help with children who may arrive with very little of their own belongings. We support you to ensure that children can celebrate birthdays, and festivals, like Christmas. We offer a variety of allowances on top of weekly foster payments.

Your fostering income depends on the payments agreed, the number of children you care for and how long they stay with you. Qualifying care relief determines how much of your fostering income is exempt from tax.

We can provide more detailed information about your situation and explain more about what is expected to be provided for children and young people in your care, so you have a greater understanding of what you can expect from being a full time foster carer.

Whether you’re thinking about becoming a foster carer or transferring from another agency, we can explain our fees and allowances and answer questions about your circumstances.

Find out how to become a foster carer, explore transferring to us, or contact us to discuss fostering payments.