Fostering Allowance
How Much Do Swiis Foster Carers Get Paid?
Once you commence your journey to foster, you will be asked as part of your assessment to go through a number of background checks so that Swiis can ensure you are able and appropriate to undertake the role of foster carer.
One Child
Up to
£548
/week
Swiis pays generous fostering allowances. Coupled with outstanding support for our carers, this allows us to play our part in transforming futures.
Equivalent of £28,496. All of which is TAX FREE.
Enhanced One Child
Up to
£633
/week
You will be paid this fee if Swiis are able to place only one child who, due to additional needs, is required to be placed on their own with no other children.
Equivalent of £32,916. All of which is TAX FREE.
Two Siblings
Up to
£1,084
/week
Carers who are able to accommodate two siblings with standard needs. You must have two available bedrooms.
Equivalent of £56,368. All of which is TAX FREE.
Two Unrelated Children
Up to
£1,096
/week
Carers who are able to accommodate two unrelated children with standard needs. You must have two available bedrooms.
Equivalent of £56,992. All of which is TAX FREE.
Parent & Child Arrangement
Up to
£731
/week
Carers who undertake this placement will receive specialist training and support.
Equivalent of £10,234 for a 12-week arrangement. All of which is TAX FREE.
Please note the above fees are an indication of the weekly payments made for each placement type. All fees vary as each placement is assessed on an individual basis and differ by region. Fostering Allowances are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change. For current tax free allowances, please see the MyGov.scot website.
Start Your Fostering Journey
Request a call back or ask a question to a foster care specialist to see if you could become a Swiis foster carer
Swiis rewards its carers well
Request a call back or ask a question to a foster care specialist to see if you could become a Swiis foster carer
Foster Carer Pay and Allowance FAQs
Swiis Fostering Allowance
As a Swiis foster carer you will receive a competitive fee, paid weekly, directly into your bank account. Swiis Foster Care is one of the most generous and competitive agencies in the market. We pay our foster carers well because we recognise the exceptional value that they bring to the children and young people they look after.
Swiis believes that becoming a foster carer is a professional career choice, one which requires significant resilience and commitment on the part of the foster carer in terms of training, engagement and a commitment to the support and wellbeing of the children they look after. Our foster carers are some of the finest in the industry and we believe they should be appropriately rewarded. Swiis further provide an initial start-up payment to all new foster carers for their first placement, this payment helps with the essential items that foster carers require as they commence their fostering career.
How Much Do Foster Carers Get Paid with Swiis?
The exact amount of fostering allowance offered to Foster carers varies depending on the type of placement, age of the child and the child’s individual needs. Whatever the circumstances, the pay our foster carers receive is amongst the highest in the industry. Generally, the older the child or young person the higher the weekly fee.
The Scottish Government sets out that all foster parents get a minimum foster care allowance to help cover the cost of caring for a child. Swiis remunerate our foster carers significantly above the national minimum allowances, as shown below:
| Area | 0 to 4 year olds | 5 to 10 year olds | 11 to 15 year olds | 16 years and over |
| Scotland National Minimum | £177.68 | £206.71 | £206.71 | £283.35 |
| Swiis Pays Up to* | £548.00 | £548.00 | £548.00 | £548.00 |
*These allowances are indicative and may vary depending upon the age and needs of the placement.
For more information on the recently introduced national minimum fostering allowance in Scotland, please click here https://www.gov.scot/news/foster-and-kinship-carers-payment-rise/
These figures are effective from the 1st April 2026.
How the Allowance Works
As a Swiis foster carer, you will receive a combined allowance each week. This is split into two parts, one which covers the costs of caring for the children or young people and should be utilised for all their food, clothes, activities and other sundries, the other is a fee paid to the carers for the support they provide for the carer role. The fostering allowance should be allocated towards supporting the child or young person in placement, however, guidance in terms of how the allowance should be utilised is provided to you in writing at the commencement of the placement. The weekly allocation of the allowance is discretionary.
Employed or Self-Employed
Foster carers are classed as self-employed and receive considerable tax relief on any income earned as a carer. Swiis further provides a number of other ad hoc payments to our carers to help towards the exceptional costs of looking after children. This may include support towards clothing, equipment and activities. All additional payments are made on a case by case basis and will be in addition to your weekly fee. All new carers taking their first placement will receive a start-up payment of £200 to help with the initial costs of fostering, such as equipment or essential sundries. Many other fostering organisations do not provide such enhanced benefits to its carers.
How Does Fostering Pay Affect Tax, Pensions and State Benefits?
Fostering allowances and fees received for fostering are fully disregarded for the purposes of calculating entitlement to means tested benefits and where a (Secondary) foster carer may be searching for work, they will be able to continue to receive jobseeker’s allowance, income support and employment and support allowance.
Tax Exemption for Foster Carer Pay
There is a fixed tax exemption of up to £19,690 per year (called Qualifying Care Relief) which is shared equally among any foster carers in the same household. This means you don’t have to pay tax on the first £19,690 of the income you make from fostering per year.
In addition to the £19,690 tax exemption, foster carers will receive additional tax relief for every week (or part week) that a child or young person is in your care of £415 (per week) for each child under 11, or £495 per week for each child or young person aged 11 or older. Collectively both the Qualifying Care Relief and additional weekly fostering tax benefits applied to the fostering role, will for most foster carers, negate the requirement to pay tax on earnings from fostering.
How Fostering Pay Affects Your Pension and National Insurance
If you foster, you will be eligible for national Insurance credits, which counts towards your State Pension.
The HMRC have also created a dedicated Foster Care eLearning package which offers Foster Carers guidance, advice and practical tips relating to tax and National Insurance.
Fostering pay and allowances will not affect your entitlement to most state benefit payments.
Fostering pay and allowances will not affect any housing benefit payments. If you claim carer’s allowance or disability living allowance (DLA) for your own child, these will also not be impacted. You can learn more about these benefits on the UK government website.
As fostering counts as self-employment, you could also be entitled to working tax credit and child tax credit if you have children of your own.
The only exception is jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), which will be affected if you are receiving a fostering allowance.
Claiming DLA for a foster child or young person
If you have a foster child with a disability, the child’s Supervising Social Worker will assist you to make a claim for DLA on their behalf to your Local Authority. The Local Authority will work with you and Swiis Foster Care to agree a care plan and the budget requirements for the DLA award. They may additionally also pay for any modifications you need for your home. Find out more about disability benefits at GOV.UK.
How Does Fostering Pay Affect Tax, Pensions and State Benefits?
Swiis’s Welcome Support Payment
In addition to the weekly allowance, you will receive a Welcome Support package of £1,000 which is provided to all new foster carers to assist them with the preparation of their first placement.
Transferring foster carers should contact the Swiis office directly for more information about the welcome payment for transferring foster carers.
When children or young people arrive in placement without the necessary clothing and equipment, Swiis will provide additional payments for essential items as necessary.
All additional payments will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Support
Additional payments may also be made to foster carers for ‘out of the ordinary’ expenditures e.g. specialist sports equipment to enable a young person with sporting talent to compete. Swiis believe that where possible, all children and young people should have the opportunity to be part of a family holiday and experience opportunities that they would not have otherwise had.