Foster parents in Kansas are paid roughly $24 to $108 per day for each child in their home, which works out to about $720 to $3,240 per month. The exact amount depends on the child’s assessed level of care, and under federal law these reimbursements are generally not counted as taxable income. Medical coverage, clothing vouchers, and mileage reimbursement sit on top of the daily rate.
What Determines the Daily Rate
Kansas does not pay a flat amount per child. The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) uses a tiered structure tied to the child’s assessed level of care. A child with no significant behavioral or medical challenges falls into a lower tier. A child with serious emotional, developmental, or medical needs falls into a higher one. Each tier carries its own daily rate, and the foster parent receives the maintenance portion of that rate directly through their case management provider.
Daily Rates by Level of Care
The figures below reflect the most recently published DCF rate structure from legislative testimony. They are the daily maintenance payments made to a licensed family foster home. Confirm current amounts with your case management provider before relying on them.
- Basic 1: $24.00 per day (about $720 per month)
- Basic 2: $40.00 per day (about $1,200 per month)
- Basic 3: $60.00 per day (about $1,800 per month)
- Intensive 1: $75.00 per day (about $2,250 per month)
- Intensive 2: $90.00 per day (about $2,700 per month)
- Treatment Transition: $108.00 per day (about $3,240 per month)
The total daily rate DCF pays is higher than what reaches the foster parent, because each tier includes an administrative fee that goes to the child placing agency. For a Basic 1 placement, the total rate is $35.33 per day, with $11.33 going to the agency.1Kansas Legislature. DCF Foster Care Rate Structure
Add-Ons for Specific Situations
Several situations trigger an additional payment on top of the base rate. A foster home caring for a pregnant youth receives an extra $10 per day. A home caring for a youth who has a baby of their own receives an extra $15 per day. Emergency placements carry a $25 per day add-on.1Kansas Legislature. DCF Foster Care Rate Structure
Rates for Unlicensed Relatives and Kin
If you are caring for a related child and are not licensed as a foster home, you receive a reduced percentage of the licensed rate. The tiers are the same, but the dollar figures are lower:
- Basic 1: $11 per day (about 46% of the licensed rate)
- Basic 2: $21 per day (about 53%)
- Basic 3: $36 per day (about 60%)
- Intensive 1: $46 per day (about 61%)
- Intensive 2: $61 per day (about 68%)
- Treatment Transition: $108 per day (100%)
At the Treatment Transition level, unlicensed relatives receive the same rate as licensed foster homes. At the lower tiers, the gap is significant. A relative caring for a Basic 1 child receives roughly $330 per month compared to about $720 for a licensed foster parent.2Kansas Legislature. DCF Licensed and Unlicensed Daily Rates Getting licensed as a relative caregiver is one way to close that gap.
What You Get Beyond the Daily Rate
The daily reimbursement is only part of the financial picture. Several other supports reduce out-of-pocket costs.
KanCare Medical Coverage
Every child in foster care qualifies for Medicaid through Kansas’s KanCare program, covering medical, dental, behavioral health, and vision care. You do not add the foster child to your own insurance or pay a premium. KanCare eligibility extends to children up to age 19 who are in foster care or receiving adoption support payments.3KanCare. Eligibility
Clothing Vouchers
Foster parents can receive clothing vouchers every six months to help pay for new clothes.4KVC Kansas. Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming a Foster Parent The voucher amount and process vary by agency. Some placing counties also provide an initial clothing allowance when a child first enters a home.
Mileage Reimbursement
Transportation within 20 miles of your home is folded into the daily rate. For trips beyond 20 miles to visits, court hearings, or case plan activities, you can request mileage reimbursement, but you need pre-approval from your case management provider before the trip.5TFI Kansas. Care Provider Manual The state mileage rate for a privately owned vehicle in Kansas is $0.70 per mile as of January 2026.6Kansas Department of Administration. FY 2026 Private Vehicle Mileage Rates Medical transportation that can be handled through the child’s KanCare benefits is billed separately and not reimbursed by your foster care agency.
Respite Care
Respite care arranges substitute care so you can take a break. It is reimbursed at the same daily rate as the child’s regular placement. For children on the Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) Medicaid waiver, short-term respite is reimbursed at $6.78 per 15-minute increment through the waiver program.7Kansas Legislature. FY2025 Home and Community Based Services Rate Summary
How Foster Care Payments Are Taxed
Qualified foster care payments are excluded from your gross income under federal law. The daily reimbursement you receive from your case management provider is generally not taxable. That covers both the standard maintenance payments and any additional difficulty-of-care payments for children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments
The exclusion has caps tied to the number of foster individuals in your home. Difficulty-of-care payments are tax-free for care of up to 10 children under age 19 and up to 5 individuals aged 19 or older. Standard foster care payments for individuals 19 or older are tax-free for up to 5 individuals. Most foster families sit well within those limits.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments
You may also qualify for tax credits. A foster child placed in your home by a government agency or court counts as a qualifying child for both the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, provided the child lived with you for more than half the tax year and meets the other standard requirements.9Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit10Internal Revenue Service. Qualifying Child Rules The Child Tax Credit is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child for 2025. Between tax-free reimbursement and available credits, the effective support for foster families is higher than the daily rate alone suggests.
How and When Payments Arrive
Payments come monthly, usually by direct deposit. DCF does not cut the check; your case management provider does. Kansas contracts with four providers: TFI, KVC Kansas, Cornerstones of Care, and Saint Francis Ministries.11Kansas Legislative Research Department. Foster Care Update Your provider calculates, authorizes, and deposits the payment. If something looks off, your foster care worker at that agency is the first person to contact.
If You Adopt, the Money Changes
Foster parents who adopt a child from care should know the financial picture shifts. Kansas caps its standard adoption subsidy at $500 per month, well below what most foster families receive. A family fostering a child at the Intensive 1 level receives around $2,250 per month; adopting that same child could drop monthly support to $500 or less.
Families adopting children with higher needs can request exceptions above the $500 cap, potentially up to the foster care rate, but those require case-by-case approval. Not every family is told about this option, so ask your case worker directly about exception requests before finalizing an adoption agreement. KanCare medical coverage typically continues through an adoption support agreement, which offsets some of the reduction.