When are local authority foster payments made?

There is no single UK-wide date for local authority foster payments. The fostering service sets its own payment arrangements, which should be explained in writing before approval and confirmed in your fostering agreement or payment schedule.

When reviewing the arrangements, check the following details:

• Payment cycle: whether payments are calculated by calendar month, a set number of days or another period.
• Payment date: the date funds are normally released and whether this can change because of weekends or bank holidays.
• Payment method: usually the bank account and payment details recorded by the fostering service.
• First payment: whether it is made after approval, after a placement begins or once particular administrative checks have been completed.
• Cut-off dates: the deadline for recording placement information, approved absences, changes or expenses for inclusion in a payment run.
• Payment records: how you will receive a breakdown showing the allowance, any fee or professional payment, and approved additions or deductions.

The first payment may not follow the same timing as later payments. This can depend on when approval is completed, when the placement starts and whether the fostering service pays in advance or in arrears. If a placement begins part-way through a payment period, ask how the first amount is calculated and whether it is based on the number of nights, days or another method set out in the local policy.

Payments can also need adjusting when a child or young person moves into or out of your household, when a placement changes, or when agreed respite is provided. The fostering service should explain how it deals with part-period placements, planned breaks, emergency placements, changes in the child’s age band and the end of a placement. These rules are particularly important where an allowance includes amounts intended for the child’s everyday costs.

Allowances and fostering fees may be treated as separate parts of the payment. An allowance is intended to contribute towards the costs of caring for a child, while a fee or professional payment may be linked to your role, approval category or placement type. Whether both apply, and when each is paid, depends on the local authority or fostering service’s scheme. Additional expenses may require separate approval, receipts or a claim submitted by a specified deadline.

If a payment is lower than expected or does not arrive according to the written schedule, first compare the payment statement with the placement dates and any agreed changes. Then contact the fostering service’s fostering payments or finance team and ask for a written explanation. Keep copies of your fostering agreement, payment schedules, placement agreements, statements and approved expense claims so that discrepancies can be checked accurately.

Before applying, prospective foster carers can ask the local authority or fostering service to explain the payment timetable, how the first payment works, what happens when a placement ends and which costs are claimed separately. The assessment and approval process is also an appropriate time to clarify these arrangements, alongside training, ongoing support and the financial information provided for different types of placement.