Fostering allowances in Scotland

Guide to Finances

When you become a foster carer in Scotland, you’ll be making a difference to children’s lives in the most wonderful way by giving them a safe, loving home and a bright future. This is no easy job. Being a foster carer takes resilience, training and hard work, and has the most incredible pay off.

Here at Fosterplus we reward your hard work in many ways, including by offering all of our foster carers’ a generous financial reward for the work they do. Let’s learn more about finances for foster carers in Scotland.

Foster carers allowance in Scotland

As a foster carer you’ll receive a fostering allowance, which is made up of two separate payments;

Child allowance: This money is to be used to cover the day-to-day needs of the child in your care, covering everything from their food to their clothing, toiletries, school supplies and extracurricular activities.

Your professional fee: As a thank you for all the work you do, you’ll also receive an additional payment, your professional fee. This money can be spent however you choose. Your generous fee is designed to reflect the dedication you’ll bring to your role.

How much could I earn through fostering in Scotland?

The amount of allowance you’ll earn while fostering a child in Scotland will depend upon a range of factors, including:

How many children you’re able to welcome into your home

The types of fostering you’re able to provide

The ages of the children you care for

Whether or not you’re able to welcome siblings into your home

You may be eligible for an enhanced fostering allowance which exceeds the usual rates if a child you’re caring for has complex additional needs.

There’s also an opportunity to earn more as you become a more experienced foster carer—just our little way of thanking you for your expertise and commitment to helping children.

Pay for foster carers

Our rates increase year on year to reflect our families’ changing economic circumstances. Currently, you may be eligible to earn between around £25,000-£30,000 annually per child in your care.

For our most recent payment figures, try our fostering allowance calculator to see just how much you could potentially earn by becoming a foster carer.

TRY OUR FOSTERING CALCULATOR

Additional financial rewards for fostering

The benefits don’t just stop with our generous fostering allowance. We offer plenty of additional financial rewards, including:

A mileage allowance to help with transport costs

£600 holiday allowance for each child in your care

£200 each year to spend on birthdays for your foster child

£200 each year to spend on celebrating your foster child’s religious holidays

£3,000 reward when you successfully recommend a new foster carer to join Fosterplus through our refer-a-friend scheme.

Access to the Exchange, our foster carer rewards platform, where you can receive discounts off your weekly shop, days out, holidays and more!

Great rewards and benefits for foster families

At Fosterplus Scotland, we believe every foster carer deserves recognition for their dedication. That’s why you’ll receive a generous fostering allowance and access to our exclusive foster carer rewards platform. From discounts on popular retailers to experiences, holidays and more, you’ll save money and have opportunities to make lasting memories.

Foster carers tax allowance in Scotland

Most foster carers in Scotland are exempt from paying tax on their fostering allowance thanks to a government scheme known as Qualifying Care Relief. As a beneficiary of Qualifying Care Relief, you’ll receive tax relief on your full amount of fostering allowance. This exemption is a great asset for many foster carers.

When you become a foster carer, you will be classed as self-employed. You will therefore need to register with the HMRC and file a self-assessed tax return each year. For a detailed explanation of how tax relief works in favour of foster carers, download our finance guide.

National Insurance for Scottish foster carers

Most foster carers are exempt from paying National Insurance contributions. This will be the case for you if your taxable income is less than the amount covered by your Qualifying Care Relief.

Although you will likely be exempt from paying National Insurance contributions, we recommend that all our foster carers reach out the HMRC to arrange to pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions. If you don’t voluntarily pay these contributions, you may negatively affect your ability to claim certain benefits including maternity pay, unemployment benefit and your government pension.

Remember— you won’t be automatically enrolled into this voluntary scheme, so you’ll need to reach out to the HMRC yourself if you want to contribute. You can learn more about national insurance for foster carers using our finance guide.

Can I foster while working?

The simple answer is yes— in fact, many of our foster carers choose to foster alongside a regular job. Working while fostering looks different for each fostering family. Many couples decide that one partner will stay at home as a full-time foster carer while the other works full-time. Many single foster carers are able to work flexibly around their commitments with their children thanks to the help of a supportive employer who is understanding of a carer’s needs.  

Just one fantastic example of how rewarding it can be to work and foster comes from Shona, who a Fosterplus foster carer as well as a primary school teacher.  

“I think both jobs complement each other, for example, the training that I do at school helps at home and likewise, the training I receive as a foster carer is really helpful at school.”

Whether you can work and foster will depend entirely upon your own personal circumstances, including the types of fostering you choose to offer and how much time and energy you’ll have outside of your working hours. Speak with a member of our team to learn more about how you can foster while working.    

Additional benefits for our foster carers

Support at Fosterplus Scotland doesn’t just include financial benefits. We have a huge range of other support opportunities, including:

Free family days out

Support from therapists and in-house education experts

The support of your own dedicated supervising social worker

Support tailored to meet the needs of your foster children and your own children

Become a foster carer today!

Does fostering sound like it could be an exciting opportunity? If so, don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about how you could benefit from this endlessly rewarding career path. We’ll be eagerly awaiting your call on 0800 098 4152 to help you get started on this life-changing journey.

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Whether you’re ready to apply or just want to find out more, get in touch with us today

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You are required to have a spare bedroom that’s always available to a foster child. The spare room cannot be shared, and must be big enough to fit a single bed, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers.

Do you have a spare room?*

To be approved as a foster carer in the UK, you must be a British citizen or have the legal right to remain in the UK without restrictions that would prevent fostering.

Which of the following applies to you?*

How can we help you?*

The following questions are intended to help us understand your experience with children. Please note that prior experience is not required to become a foster carer, as full training will be provided.

Have you had children of your own?*

Do you have professional experience of working with children?*

Do you have professional experience of working with children?

Have you had any prior experience of fostering, such as being a foster parent or growing up in a fostering family?*

Have you ever adopted a child?*

Are you happy to receive regular fostering news from us?*

Yes

No

First Name*

Last Name*

Phone Number*

Email Address*

Postcode*