How Much Does Foster Care Pay in Florida: Board Rates and Taxes

Licensed foster parents in Florida receive a monthly board payment of roughly $587 to $705 per child, with the exact figure tied to the child’s age. That base rate is what most people mean when they ask how much does foster care pay in Florida, but the full picture includes a teen supplement, a child care payment, Medicaid coverage for the child, higher rates for medical placements, federal tax benefits, and, if you adopt, a continuing subsidy.

Monthly Board Rates by Age

The state pays a flat monthly “room and board” rate for each foster child in your home, adjusted every January for inflation. As of January 1, 2025, the most recently published rates are:¹

Ages 0–5: $586.90 per month
Ages 6–12: $601.94 per month
Ages 13–21: $704.56 per month

The rates apply to all licensed foster parents at Level 1, including relatives and nonrelatives who go through licensing.¹ Florida law also lets the board rate be increased case-by-case by written agreement among DCF, the community-based care lead agency, and the foster parent.² Rates rise each January under the CPI adjustment, so check the DCF site for the current year’s figures.

What the Board Payment Is Meant to Cover

The single monthly check is intended to pay for food, shelter, clothing, a personal allowance for the child, and small incidentals. Built into each rate:³

Ages 0–5: $12 personal allowance, $15 incidentals, $50 clothing
Ages 6–12: $12 personal allowance, $20 incidentals, $55 clothing
Ages 13–21: $17 personal allowance, $25 incidentals, $60 clothing

The rest of each rate covers food and housing. You don’t receive these components separately, and you’re not required to itemize how you spend the money.

Extra Monthly Payment for Teenagers

If you foster a child between 13 and 17, you receive a supplemental payment on top of the board rate to help with independent life skills and age-appropriate activities.² The supplement is 10 percent of the 13–21 age board rate. In 2025, that’s $70.46 per month, bringing the total for a teen placement to $775.02.¹ The supplement adjusts along with the board rate each year.

$200 Child Care Payment for Young Children

Any foster parent caring for a child from birth through school entry receives a flat $200 per month per child toward an early learning or child care program.² It applies regardless of licensing level or Relative Caregiver Program participation.

Full-time care almost always costs more than $200. You may also qualify for federal Child Care and Development Fund subsidies, since children in protective services can have the income eligibility requirement waived on a case-by-case basis.⁴ Ask your community-based care lead agency which sources you can stack.

Higher Rates for Medical Foster Care

Children with serious medical conditions are placed in specially trained medical foster homes, and the payment structure is different. Medical foster care is reimbursed as a Medicaid service. The 2026 Florida Agency for Health Care Administration fee schedule sets:⁵

Level I: $48.47 per day (about $1,454 per month)
Level II: $60.59 per day (about $1,818 per month)

These rates pay for the medical care services provided. Medical foster parents typically receive the standard board rate as well. Level II reflects a higher intensity of care than Level I.

Relatives and Kinship Caregivers

If you are a relative or close family friend caring for a child, what you receive depends on whether you get licensed. Relatives and nonrelatives who complete a Level 1 child-specific foster care license receive the same board rates as any other licensed foster parent, including the annual increase and the teen supplement.²

Unlicensed relatives can receive payments through the Relative Caregiver Program. During the first six months of placement, they generally receive the equivalent of the foster care board rate; after that, the payment drops if licensing hasn’t been completed. For long-term placements, the difference is significant, and licensing is worth pursuing.

Medicaid Coverage for the Child

Every child entering out-of-home care in Florida gets Medicaid. That covers medical, dental, mental health, and prescription costs at no charge to the foster parent.⁶ The state handles enrollment. Coverage continues for young adults who remain in extended foster care past 18.

How Foster Care Payments Are Taxed

The Payments Themselves Aren’t Taxable

Qualified foster care payments from the state are excluded from your gross income under federal tax law, so the board rate, teen supplement, and difficulty-of-care payments are not taxable.⁷ You don’t report them, and they don’t push you into a higher bracket or affect income-based credits.

Child Tax Credit

A foster child who lived with you more than half the year, is under 17 at year end, and whom you claim as a dependent can qualify you for the Child Tax Credit, worth up to $2,200 per child. The full amount is available to single filers earning up to $200,000 and joint filers up to $400,000.⁸ The refundable Additional Child Tax Credit can return up to $1,700 per child if your tax liability is low, provided you have at least $2,500 in earned income.

Earned Income Tax Credit

Foster children count as qualifying children for the EITC when placed by a state or local agency, tribal government, tax-exempt licensed organization, or court order, and when they’ve lived with you more than half the year in the United States.⁹ The 2026 maximum is $4,427 with one qualifying child and $8,231 with three or more. Income limits apply; check the IRS tables.

If You Adopt: The Maintenance Adoption Subsidy

Foster parents who adopt a child from the system may qualify for a monthly maintenance adoption subsidy. The amount is negotiated and cannot exceed the foster care board rate the child would have received in a family foster home.¹⁰

To qualify, the child must generally be permanently committed to DCF and have at least one special-needs factor: age 8 or older, part of a sibling group placed together, or a documented physical, developmental, or mental health condition. The subsidy can continue until age 18 (or 21 in some cases), and Medicaid coverage continues alongside it.

How and When Payments Arrive

Payments are distributed monthly by the community-based care lead agency for your area, not directly by DCF. Most agencies use direct deposit. There’s no separate application for the board rate: once a licensed placement is in your home, payments start automatically. The teen supplement and $200 child care payment flow through the same channel. If a payment is missing or wrong, contact the lead agency’s foster parent liaison first, since day-to-day administration sits with them rather than DCF.

1
Department of Children and Families. 2025 Foster Parent Cost of Living Allowance Increase Memo
2
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 409.145 – Foster Care Rate and Clothing Allowance Schedule
3
Children’s Network of Southwest Florida. Foster Care Monthly Payments 2025
4
Child Care Technical Assistance Network. Understanding Federal Eligibility Requirements
5
Agency for Health Care Administration. 2026 Medical Foster Care Services Fee Schedule
6
Department of Children and Families. CFOP 170-15 Chapter 2 – Medicaid
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments
8
Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit
9
Internal Revenue Service. Qualifying Child Rules
10
Department of Children and Families. CFOP 170-15 Chapter 5 – Maintenance Adoption Subsidy