How Much Do You Get for Fostering a Child in California?

If you foster a child in California, you can expect a monthly payment of roughly $1,300 to more than $3,300 per child. Where you land in that range depends on three things: the child’s age, the level of care they’ve been assessed to need, and whether the placement comes through your county child welfare agency or through a licensed Foster Family Agency. The payments are reimbursements meant to cover food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and supervision, and they aren’t taxed as income.¹

How the Monthly Rate Is Set

California doesn’t pay every foster family the same amount. A social worker uses the Level of Care Protocol to assess each child across five areas — physical needs, behavioral and emotional needs, educational needs, health needs, and permanency and family services — then scores the child into one of four rate levels. Level 1 is the basic rate; Level 4 is the highest.² Children with more complex needs score higher and generate larger monthly payments.

Every July, the state adjusts the resource-family portion of the rate using the California Necessities Index. The increase for fiscal year 2025–26 was 3.42 percent, following 4.32 percent the previous year and 6.85 percent the year before that.³⁴ Rates have climbed noticeably over the past few years, so any figure you find in an older article is probably out of date.

Rates When the County Places the Child With You

Most foster placements come through the county child welfare agency and pay under the Home-Based Family Care schedule. This covers approved resource families, licensed foster family homes, relative caregivers, and non-relative extended family members. The basic Level 1 rate was $1,206 per month in fiscal year 2023–24.⁴ After the 2024 and 2025 adjustments, the basic rate for fiscal year 2025–26 is approximately $1,300 per month.³ Children assessed at Level 2, 3, or 4 receive progressively higher amounts.

The same HBFC schedule applies to legal guardianships established through juvenile court, Kin-GAP recipients, and non-minor dependents living with a family.⁴

Rates When a Foster Family Agency Places the Child

If a licensed Foster Family Agency places the child with you, the overall payment is larger, but part of it covers the agency’s administrative costs and social worker services. Only the “certified home” portion reaches your bank account.

For fiscal year 2023–24, the certified home portion ranged from $1,149 per month for children ages 0–4 up to $1,388 for youth ages 15–21.⁴ After two annual adjustments, the certified home portion for fiscal year 2025–26 runs roughly $1,240 to $1,500 depending on age.³

The total FFA rate, which includes the agency’s cut, is much higher. In fiscal year 2023–24 it ran from $2,581 for children ages 0–4 to $2,820 for youth ages 15–21.⁴ A lot of prospective foster parents see that larger number in recruiting materials and expect it in full. You don’t get it. You get the certified home portion.

Higher Rates for Children With Intensive Needs

Children with significant behavioral, emotional, or medical needs may qualify for Intensive Services Foster Care. ISFC uses a wraparound treatment approach and requires families who can provide a higher level of supervision. The resource family rate for ISFC in fiscal year 2025–26 is $3,396 per month.³ Through an FFA, the total ISFC rate including the agency portion was $6,830 in fiscal year 2023–24 and has increased since.⁴

Separately, a child with ongoing medical, developmental, or behavioral health needs may qualify for a Specialized Care Increment on top of the base rate. A county social worker evaluates the child and assigns a tier reflecting the severity and time commitment involved in daily care.⁵ Tier amounts vary by county. In one large county, tiers run roughly $120, $545, and $965 per month, plus a separate personal and incidental allowance of $136.

If You’re a Relative Taking In a Family Member’s Child

Relative caregivers sometimes end up on a lower payment path because many kin placements are funded through CalWORKs rather than the full foster care rate. The Approved Relative Caregiver program was built to close that gap. In participating counties, an approved relative caring for a child who isn’t federally eligible under Title IV-E receives a monthly payment equal to the basic foster care rate instead of the smaller CalWORKs amount.⁶ If you’re considering taking in a relative’s child, ask your county welfare office whether it participates in ARC. The difference matters.

What Else Comes With the Payment

Medi-Cal

Every child in foster care in California is enrolled in Medi-Cal, which covers medical, dental, and mental health care at no cost to the foster family. No premiums, no co-pays, no income test. Youth who leave foster care keep Medi-Cal eligibility until age 26, again without an income requirement or share of cost.⁷

Clothing Allowance

Even though the monthly rate is meant to cover clothing, the state provides an additional clothing allowance for school-age foster children when they’re first placed and annually afterward. The dollar amounts vary by county, and some counties also offer school supply, holiday, or birthday allowances, though those are optional and not statewide.¹

Child Care Subsidies

Working foster parents may qualify for federally funded child care assistance. Under the Child Care and Development Fund, foster parents count as “parents,” and children who receive or need protective services may have the income requirement waived on a case-by-case basis.⁸ Ask your county’s child care resource and referral agency what’s available.

Respite Care

Some programs pay for a trained substitute caregiver to look after the child for a short period so you can take a break. Availability and amounts depend on the county and agency, but it’s worth asking about, particularly for children with high supervision needs.

Are Foster Care Payments Taxable?

No. Foster care payments you receive from the state or a licensed agency are excluded from your gross income under federal tax law. You don’t report them as earnings and don’t owe federal income tax on them. That exclusion also covers difficulty-of-care payments for children with physical, mental, or emotional conditions that require extra supervision.⁹

Separately, you may be able to claim the foster child as a dependent. A foster child placed with you by a government agency, tribal government, licensed tax-exempt organization, or court order can count as a qualifying child for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit if the child lives with you for more than half the tax year and meets the other requirements.¹⁰ The Child Tax Credit was worth up to $2,200 per qualifying child for the 2025 tax year.¹¹

When the Money Arrives

Payments are sent monthly on a retroactive basis. You receive the money after the month of care has ended, not before. The county welfare department or your Foster Family Agency handles disbursement, and most payments go out by direct deposit.¹ Expect delays when a child is first placed while the paperwork moves through the system. Keeping expense records and staying on top of documentation with your county or agency will help you avoid gaps later.

1
California Department of Social Services. Payments
2
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Level of Care (LOC) and Specialized Care Increment (SCI) Rate Determinations
3
California Department of Social Services. All County Letter No. 25-45 – Foster Care Rates
4
California Department of Social Services. All County Letter No. 23-65 – Foster Care Rates
5
California Department of Social Services. Specialized Care
6
California Department of Social Services. Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) Funding Option Program
7
Department of Health Care Services. Frequently Asked Questions – Former Foster Youth
8
Child Care Technical Assistance Network. Understanding Federal Eligibility Requirements
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments
10
Internal Revenue Service. Qualifying Child Rules
11
Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit