How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid in Quebec?

Most people looking into foster care want to understand the financial side early — not because money is the primary motivation, but because committing to a child in your home has real costs: food, clothing, transportation, activities, medical supplies. Knowing whether the compensation covers those costs is a reasonable question, and in Quebec the answer is more detailed than a simple dollar figure.

Quebec does not call foster care compensation a "salary." The payments are classified as a reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the child, and they are non-taxable. They are governed by a collective agreement between the provincial Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) and the associations representing foster family resources — primarily the FFARIQ (Fédération des familles d'accueil et ressources intermédiaires du Québec). This means the rates are standardized province-wide and indexed annually.

Basic Daily Rates (2026)

Effective as of the January 1, 2026 indexation, the basic daily compensation rate (taux journalier de base) is determined by the child's age:

These rates are the floor. A teenager placed in your home generates a base of $41.22 per day — roughly $1,257 per month before any supplements. A younger child generates less, reflecting lower baseline costs.

The Daily Lump Sum and Personal Expense Allowance

In addition to the age-based rate, foster families receive:

• Daily forfaitaire (lump sum): $6.00 per child per day, applied universally to all placements
• Personal expenses allowance: $5.00 per child per day for the child's personal items

Adding these to the base rates gives a more accurate picture of what arrives monthly. For a 14-year-old, that comes to $41.22 + $6.00 + $5.00 = $52.22 per day, or approximately $1,591 per month.

Specialized Service Level Supplements

Children placed in foster care are assessed for their level of need, and supplement rates are added to the base depending on that classification:

A child at Level 4 — typically a child with significant behavioral challenges or trauma history requiring enhanced support — generates $15.21 per day on top of the base rate. Rehabilitation-level placements add $20.36 per day. These supplements exist because more intensive care requires more time, energy, and often professional supports.

Foster families who specialize in therapeutic or rehabilitation-level care often find that these supplement rates better reflect the actual work involved. Standard placements at Level 1 have no supplement.

Annual Clothing and School Supply Allowances

Beyond the daily rates, the regulation provides annual allowances for specific categories of child-related expense:

Clothing allowances (annual):

School supplies: An annual supplement is provided for school-age children — for example, $126.31 for elementary students — to cover backpacks, notebooks, and related materials.

These annual amounts are paid periodically and are intended to reflect the actual cost of outfitting a child, which varies significantly by age.

Respite (Ressourcement) Allowance

Foster care is demanding work. The Quebec compensation system acknowledges this by providing an annual ressourcement (respite) allowance of up to $783.04 per foster family. This is intended to cover the cost of arranging short-term care for the child while the foster family takes a break — not as personal income, but as support for maintaining long-term sustainability in the role.

Medical Coverage: RAMQ

Children in foster care are covered by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) for medical and dental services. This means that routine doctor visits, dental check-ups, prescriptions, and specialist referrals are covered by the provincial health insurance program — they are not out-of-pocket expenses for the foster family.

When a child arrives in your home, you should receive either their RAMQ card or a temporary health insurance number within 72 hours. If this is not provided, follow up immediately with your DPJ caseworker.

The Canada Child Benefit Situation

One point that often causes confusion: foster parents in Quebec generally do not receive the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for foster children. The CCB is structured for parents who are legally responsible for a child's care, which is not the foster parent's legal status in Quebec. Instead, the federal government pays a "Children's Special Allowance" at the equivalent CCB rate directly to the maintaining agency (the CIUSSS).

However, foster parents should still notify Retraite Québec to ensure their own provincial family allowance correctly reflects the composition of their household. Receiving a foster child may affect the family allowance calculation for your biological or adopted children.

Is Foster Care Compensation "Worth It" Financially?

This is the wrong question — and the right one simultaneously. The daily rates are not designed to generate profit. They are calibrated to cover a child's actual living expenses, with supplements for higher-need placements. If you do the math on food, clothing, transportation, activities, and the time involved in medical appointments, school liaisons, and DPJ meetings, most foster families report that the compensation covers costs but does not constitute meaningful income.

What the compensation structure does provide is financial neutrality — the ability to care for a child without being significantly out of pocket. Families who approach fostering as a source of income are usually disappointed. Families who approach it as a commitment to a child, supported by a system that covers the associated costs, find the arrangement workable.

If you want to understand the full financial picture — including the collective agreement terms, your rights during reviews of a child's service level, and how compensation changes when placements become long-term — the Quebec Foster Care Guide provides a detailed breakdown specifically for English-speaking families navigating the DPJ system.

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