Foster parents in Massachusetts are paid a daily stipend by the Department of Children and Families that runs from about $34 to $40 per child, per day, depending on the child’s age. That works out to roughly $1,038 to $1,229 a month per child under the rates that took effect July 1, 2025.1Mass.gov. Resources for Foster Parents On top of the daily rate, you receive quarterly clothing allowances, birthday and holiday gift funds, and full MassHealth coverage for the child. Children with higher medical or behavioral needs can qualify for substantially more.
Standard Daily Rates by Age
The daily reimbursement rises with the child’s age because older children cost more to feed, clothe, and transport. As of July 1, 2025:1Mass.gov. Resources for Foster Parents
- Ages 0–5: $34.12 per day, about $1,038 per month
- Ages 6–12: $38.66 per day, about $1,176 per month
- Ages 13 and older: $40.39 per day, about $1,229 per month
The monthly figures are approximations based on a 30.4-day average month. Actual payments reflect the exact days in each pay period, and if you care for more than one foster child, you receive a separate stipend for each.
Clothing Allowances and Gift Money
A quarterly clothing allowance is paid on top of the daily stipend, again scaled by age:1Mass.gov. Resources for Foster Parents
- Ages 0–5: $338.80 per quarter
- Ages 6–12: $349.44 per quarter
- Ages 13 and older: $420.40 per quarter
DCF also provides $100 a year toward a birthday gift and $200 a year toward holiday gifts for each foster child in the home.1Mass.gov. Resources for Foster Parents When a child first arrives with little of their own, DCF may authorize an emergency clothing grant before the next quarterly allowance is due.
Higher Pay for Children with Specialized Needs
Children with significant medical, emotional, or behavioral needs often draw higher rates. Licensed child placement agencies in Massachusetts run intensive and therapeutic foster care tracks that pay well above the standard DCF rate, with additional training requirements and closer work with a treatment team. Rates vary by agency and program.
Within DCF, the Parents and Children Together (PACT) program pays foster families an hourly rate for planned, specialized services that address goals in the child’s service plan. PACT is capped at 40 hours per week per child and 60 hours per week per household, though a regional director can approve a waiver up to 80 hours per week per household. If the primary foster parent can’t deliver every hour the child needs, DCF can approve a PACT Assistant for up to 20 additional hours per week.2Mass.gov. Supplemental Reimbursement Policy
Even outside a formal specialized program, DCF may increase a child’s stipend to reflect the extra work of caring for a child with complex medical conditions or serious behavioral challenges. These supplemental payments are decided case by case, based on the service plan and the level of added care you provide. If you’re caring for a high-needs child and haven’t discussed supplemental reimbursement with your social worker, ask.
Health Coverage and WIC
Every child in DCF foster care receives MassHealth, which covers health insurance, dental, mental health services, and certain medications for as long as the child is in care.1Mass.gov. Resources for Foster Parents You don’t need to add the child to a private plan.
If you’re fostering a child under five, the child is likely eligible for WIC. For WIC purposes, each foster child counts as a separate household, which typically makes them income-eligible regardless of what the foster family earns.3Food and Nutrition Service. WIC Eligibility Tool WIC provides supplemental foods, nutrition education, and referrals for pregnant women, infants, and children up to age five.4Food and Nutrition Service. WIC Eligibility
Do You Owe Taxes on Foster Care Payments
Federal law excludes qualified foster care payments from gross income, so you don’t owe federal income tax on the daily stipend or clothing allowances DCF sends you.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments The exclusion covers both the standard board rate and difficulty-of-care payments for children with physical, mental, or emotional needs. The IRS caps the difficulty-of-care exclusion at ten foster children under 19 and five who are 19 or older.6Internal Revenue Service. Publication 17 (2025), Your Federal Income Tax
Massachusetts follows the federal exclusion, so foster care payments are also exempt from state income tax.7Mass.gov. 1.012 – Exemption of Certain Foster Care Payments The whole stipend goes toward the child’s care. If you receive money for services that go beyond caring for a foster child in your home, such as training other foster parents, that income may not qualify for the exclusion, and a tax professional familiar with foster care can sort out what’s covered.
How and When Payments Arrive
DCF pays on a semi-monthly schedule, so you’ll receive 24 payments a year.8Mass.gov. Foster and Adoptive FAQs DCF encourages foster parents to sign up for electronic funds transfer, which delivers payments by direct deposit instead of paper check. The first payment usually takes a few weeks after your initial paperwork clears; after that, the schedule is predictable twice a month.