Clark County foster care rates are set as a daily reimbursement that caregivers receive once a month, with the amount tied to the child’s age and the level of care the child needs. Children birth through twelve receive a lower daily rate, teens thirteen and older receive a higher one, and children with documented medical, developmental, or behavioral needs qualify for elevated rates that can run several times the basic amount. On top of the monthly check, Clark County provides clothing allowances, infant supplies, mileage reimbursement, and respite care payments. The Department of Family Services publishes the current daily figures and can give you exact amounts during licensing.
Basic Monthly Rates by Age
Nevada’s foster care reimbursement runs on two age-based tiers under Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 432B. The lower daily rate covers children from birth through age twelve. The higher rate kicks in at thirteen and reflects the real cost of feeding and clothing a teenager. Multiply the daily rate by the days in the month and that is the basic maintenance payment, which is meant to cover food, clothing, hygiene supplies, and routine household costs for the child.
The dollar figures matter because they changed recently. Nevada went more than fifteen years without adjusting the schedule before a significant statewide increase in 2023, and Clark County added roughly another 25 percent on top to help recruit and keep foster families in a county that runs short of homes. Any rate sheet published before 2023 is out of date. The Department of Family Services posts current amounts on its website and will walk through them with you during the licensing process, so ask your licensing worker for the live numbers rather than relying on older figures circulating online.
These payments are reimbursement for the child, not wages for the caregiver. Federal law excludes qualified foster care payments from gross income entirely, so you owe no federal income tax on the basic maintenance you receive.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments
Higher Rates for Children With Greater Needs
Children with documented medical conditions, developmental disabilities, or significant behavioral needs often qualify for a higher daily rate through a Level of Care assessment. The assessment measures how much supervision, therapy, and hands-on support the child needs beyond a standard placement, and the result places the child in one of two elevated tiers.
The first elevated tier, often called Advanced or Enhanced, applies to children who need structured behavioral support, close monitoring, or regular therapeutic intervention beyond typical parenting. The second tier, Specialized, covers the most intensive cases, including severe emotional disturbance or complex medical conditions requiring ongoing attention. Specialized rates are substantially higher than both basic and advanced. Clark County maintains its own schedule and does not publish the daily figures in a single consumer-facing document, so the exact numbers come from your licensing worker.
These higher payments carry the same federal tax treatment as basic maintenance. Section 131 of the Internal Revenue Code specifically defines “difficulty of care payments” as compensation for the extra care a foster child needs due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition and excludes them from gross income.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments The Department reassesses each child’s level periodically, so the rate can move up or down as the child’s situation changes.
Relatives Caring for a Child Are Usually on a Different Rate
If you took in a relative’s child after removal, you may be on a separate and lower payment track rather than the licensed foster care rate. Nevada’s Kinship Care Program, administered through the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, pays up to $463 per month for a child age thirteen or older, with lower amounts for younger children.2Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. Kinship Care Program That is well below what a licensed foster home receives for the same child.
Kinship caregivers who complete full foster care licensing can receive the standard foster care rate instead. Licensing requires background checks, home inspections, and training hours, but over months or years the financial gap is significant, and licensed caregivers also gain access to Level of Care assessments and supplemental allowances. Ask your caseworker to lay both payment tracks side by side before you decide.
Clothing, Diapers, Mileage, and Respite
Children often arrive with little more than what they are wearing. Clark County provides an initial clothing allowance when a child first enters the home to cover immediate wardrobe and personal items, with older children receiving somewhat more. An annual clothing allowance is also available to replace outgrown or worn-out items over time. The exact amounts shift periodically, so ask your licensing worker for the current age-bracket figures.
Other add-on payments depend on circumstances:
- A diaper allowance helps offset the ongoing cost of diapers and related supplies for babies and toddlers.
- Mileage reimbursement covers trips to court-ordered family visits, therapy, and medical appointments that go beyond normal local driving.
- Respite care pays a trained secondary caregiver to look after the child while the foster parent takes a short break, with the reimbursement paid to the respite provider.
These are processed separately from the monthly maintenance check and generally require documentation of the expense or qualifying event. Keep receipts for clothing purchases and log mileage for reimbursable trips so approval goes smoothly.
Medicaid Covers the Child’s Healthcare
Every child receiving Title IV-E foster care maintenance payments is automatically eligible for Medicaid. Federal regulations require the state where the child lives to enroll them promptly, with no application needed from the caregiver, and no income or resource test applies.3Medicaid.gov. Implementation Guide: Medicaid State Plan Eligibility Children with Title IV-E Adoption Assistance, Foster Care or Guardianship Care Eligibility is based on foster care status, not the caregiver’s finances.
Coverage can extend past the placement. Nevada provides health coverage for individuals under age twenty-six who were in Nevada foster care at age eighteen and enrolled in Medicaid while in care, so a youth aging out does not lose medical coverage on their eighteenth birthday.4Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services. General Medical Information
You generally do not need to buy private health insurance for a foster child. Homeowner’s and renter’s policies, though, do not always cover liability for incidents involving a foster child, and some foster parents carry supplemental liability coverage. Clark County can advise on recommended coverage during licensing orientation.
What the Payments Mean at Tax Time
All qualified foster care payments, including both basic maintenance and difficulty-of-care supplements, are excluded from the caregiver’s gross income under Section 131 of the Internal Revenue Code.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments This is not a deduction. The money never counts as income. The IRS treats foster care payments as support for the child rather than compensation to the caregiver.5Internal Revenue Service. Internal Revenue Service Publication 4694 – Raising Grandchildren May Impact Your Federal Taxes
One exception: payments received for keeping an empty bed available for emergency placements are taxable. If the county pays you to hold a spot open regardless of whether a child is placed, that portion counts as income.
Foster parents may also qualify for federal tax credits. A foster child who lives in the home for more than half the tax year and meets the other qualifying-child tests can be claimed for the Child Tax Credit, set at $2,200 per child for 2025 and indexed for inflation starting in 2026. The same child can qualify the caregiver for the Earned Income Tax Credit if the household meets income requirements. The IRS specifically includes an “eligible foster child” in its definition of a qualifying child for both credits.6Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit
When and How the Money Arrives
Before any payments begin, you submit identification and banking documents to the Department of Family Services. A completed W-9 is standard for county financial records even though the payments themselves are not taxable, and an Electronic Funds Transfer authorization form sets up direct deposit. The licensing worker provides these forms or points you to the county website.
Payments run on a monthly cycle in arrears, so each payment covers care already provided. Clark County Department of Family Services publishes a payment calendar each year showing expected disbursement dates.7Clark County, Nevada. Foster Adoption Payment Calendar 2026 If a placement ends mid-month, the final payment is prorated based on the days the child was in the home.
If a child leaves the home and you receive a payment covering days the child was no longer present, contact the Placement Team or Adoption Unit immediately. The county recovers overpayments by offsetting the next payment cycle, or may require a cashier’s check or money order for the full amount. All overpayments must be repaid within thirty days of receipt.8Clark County Department of Family Services. Caregiver Support The tracking system flags discrepancies, and unresolved overpayments complicate future placements.
Continued Support If the Youth Stays Past 18
Nevada’s Extended Young Adult Support Services Program lets youth stay in care voluntarily between ages eighteen and twenty-one. Under NRS 432B.594, a young adult who signs a written agreement with the child welfare agency can continue receiving financial support and case management while working toward self-sufficiency.9Nevada Legislature. Extended Young Adult Support Services Program Update
To stay eligible, the young adult must be doing at least one of the following:
- Enrolled in high school or a GED program
- Enrolled in college or vocational training
- Participating in an employment-readiness program
- Working at least eighty hours per month
- Unable to meet any of those requirements due to a documented medical or cognitive condition
Monthly payments under the program cannot exceed the foster care rate, and the agency develops an individualized transition plan with each participant.9Nevada Legislature. Extended Young Adult Support Services Program Update The court keeps jurisdiction until age twenty-one. If you are caring for a teen approaching eighteen, raise this with your caseworker early, because the paperwork and transition plan need to be in motion well before the birthday.