San Diego County Foster Care Rates by Age and Level

San Diego County foster care rates by age and level run from about $1,224 to $1,483 per month at the basic level when a child is placed through a licensed foster family agency, with the exact amount depending on the child’s age. Families approved directly by the county are paid under a different structure, with rates set by a Level of Care assessment that currently ranges from roughly $1,206 to $1,613 per month. Children with the most intensive medical or behavioral needs qualify for Intensive Services Foster Care, which pays substantially more.

Monthly Rates for Foster Family Agency Placements

When a child is placed through a licensed foster family agency (FFA), the resource parent is paid a certified home rate that increases with the child’s age. For the 2025–26 fiscal year, those monthly amounts are:¹

Age 0–4: $1,224
Age 5–8: $1,307
Age 9–11: $1,368
Age 12–14: $1,423
Age 15–21: $1,483

These figures are what the caregiver receives. The FFA collects a separate administrative payment from the state to cover its supervision and support work, so the total state outlay per child is larger than what shows up in the resource family’s account.¹

Level of Care Rates for County Resource Families

Resource families approved directly by San Diego County are paid under the Level of Care Protocol (LOCP) instead of the age-based schedule. A social worker scores the child across five domains (physical needs, behavioral and emotional health, medical health, educational needs, and family services) and assigns a tier based on the total.²³ Each tier is a standalone monthly rate, not an add-on. Using the 2023–24 schedule as a reference point:

Basic Level: $1,206
LOC 2: $1,341
LOC 3: $1,479
LOC 4: $1,613

Those numbers have climbed with the annual cost-of-living adjustments since, including the 3.42 percent increase that took effect July 1, 2025.¹ Your social worker or the San Diego County Foster Care Eligibility office can confirm the current amount at each tier. Reassessments happen periodically so the tier keeps pace with the child’s circumstances.

Intensive Services Foster Care

Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) is the highest standard payment level, for children with severe medical conditions or significant behavioral health needs who would otherwise land in a group home or institutional placement. The program is authorized by Welfare and Institutions Code Section 18360.05.⁴ On the 2023–24 schedule, the ISFC resource family rate was $3,148 per month, with annual CNI increases applied since.⁵

ISFC caregivers complete specialized training and take on responsibilities that go well past typical foster parenting, such as administering complex medical treatments or taking part in intensive therapeutic interventions. Qualifying requires documentation from medical or mental health professionals, and the bar is deliberately high.

How the Rates Get Set and Updated

California’s foster care rate structure comes from Welfare and Institutions Code Section 11461, which establishes the base payment schedules and authorizes annual cost-of-living adjustments.⁶ Each July, the California Department of Social Services applies the California Necessities Index to keep rates in step with inflation. For FY 2025–26, that adjustment was 3.42 percent across all out-of-home placement categories.¹ San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency distributes the funds and assigns each child to the appropriate payment tier.

What the Monthly Payment Is Meant to Cover

Welfare and Institutions Code Section 11460 defines the scope of foster care maintenance payments: food, clothing, shelter, daily supervision, school supplies, personal incidentals, liability insurance, and reasonable travel costs for the child.⁷ The monthly rate is the baseline. Several other supports exist on top of it.

Allowances and Benefits Beyond the Monthly Rate

Clothing Allowances

An initial clothing allowance helps cover appropriate clothing when a child first comes into placement. School-age children also receive an annual clothing allowance. CDSS has historically published average amounts (around $231 for the initial allowance and $178 annually, plus a $100 supplemental state clothing allowance), but exact figures shift and can vary by county. Your San Diego County eligibility worker can give you current numbers.

WIC

Foster children under age five are automatically eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, regardless of household income.⁸ No separate income screening is needed for the resource family.

Chafee Education and Training Vouchers

Current and former foster youth going to college or vocational school may qualify for up to $5,000 per year through a Chafee Education and Training Voucher, capped at the total cost of attendance.⁹ Eligibility generally runs to age 26 for youth who were in foster care on or after their 14th birthday.

Mileage Reimbursement

Resource families can request reimbursement for travel tied to court hearings, medical appointments, and visits with the child’s biological family. Keep mileage logs and submit them through your eligibility worker.

Payment Timing and Taxes

San Diego County pays in arrears, meaning the funds you get this month cover last month’s care. That lag catches many new resource families off guard, so plan for a cash-flow gap at the start of a placement. State policy requires payment by the 15th calendar day of the month following the service period. Direct deposit is usually available and avoids the risk of a lost warrant. If a payment doesn’t arrive on time, call your Foster Care Eligibility worker to check whether the warrant was issued, whether a documentation gap is holding things up, or whether there’s a clerical error.

Foster care maintenance payments are excluded from federal gross income under Internal Revenue Code Section 131. The exclusion covers payments from a state foster care program to a provider caring for a qualified foster individual in the provider’s home, including both the basic maintenance rate and difficulty-of-care payments.¹⁰ Because the payments are excluded, they generally don’t need to be reported on your return, though a tax professional is worth consulting if your situation is complicated.

If You Disagree With the Rate

If you think the Level of Care assigned to a child in your home is too low, or if a payment is denied or reduced, you have the right to a fair hearing. Federal regulation 45 CFR 205.10 requires any agency administering Title IV-E foster care funds to offer a hearing when a recipient is aggrieved by a suspension, reduction, or termination of assistance, or by a determination about the amount or form of payment.¹¹ You can bring a representative, and the agency must issue a final decision within 90 days of your request.

Most rate disputes start with a conversation, not a hearing. If an LOCP score seems too low, ask which domains were scored and what documentation from a therapist, doctor, or teacher might change the result. Getting the right information to the case team early usually resolves things faster than a formal appeal.

1
California Department of Social Services. All County Letter 25-45 Foster Care Rates 2025-26
2
California Department of Social Services. Level of Care and Rates Information
3
San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. Level of Care Protocol Foster Care Rate Determination
4
California Legislative Information. California Code WIC 18360.05
5
California Department of Social Services. All County Letter 23-65 Foster Care Rates 2023-24
6
California Legislative Information. California Code Welfare and Institutions Code WIC 11461
7
California Legislative Information. California Code Welfare and Institutions Code WIC 11460
8
Food and Nutrition Service. WIC Eligibility
9
SAM.gov. Chafee Education and Training Vouchers Program
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 131 – Certain Foster Care Payments
11
eCFR. 45 CFR 205.10