Financial support

California foster care rates: current numbers with the right context

California payments support a child's care and supervision; they are not wages or a guaranteed personal income stream. The applicable amount depends on the placement, funding program, assessed needs, and current state and local instructions.

California onlySource reviewed July 21, 2026General information, not legal advice

Effective July 1, 2026

FY 2026-27 resource family home rates

Open ACL 26-44

CDSS ACL 26-44 applies a 3.59% California Necessities Index increase for fiscal year 2026-27. These figures are a snapshot of the statewide rate table—not a quote for a particular child or family.

Basic: $1,348; Statewide Home-Based Family Care basic level rate
LOC 2: $1,499; Resource family home rate after the applicable level-of-care determination
LOC 3: $1,653; Resource family home rate after the applicable level-of-care determination
LOC 4: $1,804; Resource family home rate after the applicable level-of-care determination
ISFC: $3,518; Intensive Services Foster Care resource family rate when the program and placement qualify

Basic and LOC rates

The Level of Care Protocol considers the support a child or nonminor dependent needs across physical, behavioral and emotional, health, educational, and permanency or family-service domains. A worker—not a course site—makes the applicable determination.

FFA total is not caregiver pay

State tables may show an FFA total rate that includes the agency's administrative component and services. Do not compare that total directly with the resource family home amount or assume the full total goes to the caregiver.

Other supports vary

Ask about clothing, child care, transportation, education travel, infant supplements, respite, Medi-Cal coordination, specialized care increments, emergency caregiver funding, and child-specific or county supports.

Budget honestly

Reimbursement is not salary

Payments are intended to support the child's care and supervision. They do not create an employment relationship, guarantee a placement, or replace a household stability plan. Timing, prorating, overpayments, placement changes, and county processing can affect cash flow.

Some qualified foster care payments may receive special federal tax treatment, but individual facts matter. Obtain tax advice rather than relying on a blanket “tax-free” claim.

Questions for your worker

Get the payment workflow in writing

Which funding program and rate apply to this placement?
When does payment start, and how is a partial month handled?
Who completes or updates the level-of-care assessment?
Which expenses require advance approval or receipts?
How do I report a missing, late, incorrect, or duplicate payment?
What changes when placement ends, becomes guardianship, or moves to adoption?

Methodology source: CDSS Level of Care and Rates Information (opens in a new tab).