How much do foster parents get paid for raising children?

Question

I know there's a whole lot of factors that this depends upon....but give me a guess, based on a typical situation, ok?

Answer 1

Some get paid nothing and some get paid the full state benefit, which in some states is @ 280.00 per month and in other states @ 600.00 per month.

There is no average. We get paid nothing for fostering our child. But even 600.00 wouldn't cover everything in a state like California where the cost of living is so high.

Answer 2

A friend did foster care. She got a couple of hundred a month per child.

There were a few other allowances, like $200 *per year* clothing allowance per child. Considering that the children usually arrived with just the clothes on their back, that was usually inadequate to cover even basic needs. (My friend basically shopped thrift stores to have a stock on hand of clothes in almost all children's sizes.)

The foster child's medical care was also covered by the state. But most of the children needed lots of medical and dental care, so my friend spent hours each week at doctor and dental offices.

All in all, she never made a profit off of foster care, and sometimes didn't break even. But she did it to help the children, not to make money.