How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid in Alberta? The 2025–2026 Rate Guide

Money is the question everyone has but few people ask out loud. The online forums are full of it — threads asking what Alberta actually pays, whether the per diem covers real costs, and whether anyone has managed to work out the math. The government's answer is buried in a PDF table. Here it is in plain language.

How Alberta's Foster Care Payment System Works

Alberta structures its payments as a two-part daily rate: a Basic Maintenance Rate and a Skill Fee.

The Basic Maintenance Rate covers the child's direct costs — food, clothing, personal care, school supplies, and everyday household expenses. This rate varies by the child's age.

The Skill Fee compensates the foster parent for their expertise and work. It is also called a per diem and comes in two levels. Level 1 applies to standard foster placements. Level 2 applies to specialized placements — children with complex behavioural, medical, or developmental needs who require a higher level of caregiver expertise and intervention.

These rates are set annually by Alberta Children's Services and increase each April 1 based on the Alberta Personal Income Tax Act escalator. The rates below reflect the schedule effective April 1, 2025.

Alberta Foster Care Per Diem Rates (2025)

Source: Alberta Caregiver Rate Schedule, effective April 1, 2025.

What this means in monthly terms for a Level 1 placement:

A 10-year-old child placed with you generates $30.03 + $15.94 = $45.97 per day in combined payments. Over a 30-day month, that is approximately $1,379 per month. Of this, the basic maintenance portion ($30.03/day, or $901/month) is intended to cover the child's costs directly. The skill fee ($15.94/day, or $478/month) is your compensation for the caregiving work itself.

A teenager aged 16–17 in a Level 1 placement generates $38.88 + $15.94 = $54.82 per day, or roughly $1,645 per month combined.

For a Level 2 specialized placement with a 12–15-year-old, the daily total is $34.01 + $29.23 = $63.24 per day, or approximately $1,897 per month.

Rates increase annually on April 1. Alberta announced a 2% increase effective April 1, 2026, consistent with prior-year increases.

Additional Allowances on Top of the Daily Rate

The per diem is not the only financial support available. Alberta provides several additional allowances:

Infant Care Initial Expenses: Up to $500 to cover start-up costs (crib, car seat, supplies) when a new infant placement is made.

Monthly Infant Allowance: $150 per month for formula and diapers for children aged 0–36 months.

Recreation Allowance: Between $675 (ages 0–11) and $775 (ages 12–17) per year for registration fees for sports, arts programs, and extracurricular activities.

Vacation and Camp Allowance: Up to $500 per fiscal year for camp fees or family vacation costs when the child participates.

Mileage: Reimbursed at $0.57 per kilometre (effective June 1, 2025) for child-related travel, including medical appointments, visits to biological family, court dates, and school-related transportation.

Medical and Dental: Children in care are covered through their Personal Healthcare Number (PHN) and an Alberta Blue Cross Treatment Services Card. Foster parents do not pay out of pocket for medical and dental appointments.

Kinship Care Payments

If you are fostering a relative or someone known to the child (kinship care), the payment structure is the same as standard foster care. Kinship caregivers who need to set up a home quickly for an emergency placement may also access the Kinship Initial Placement Allowance (KIPA) — a one-time payment to cover set-up costs.

Respite Care Pay

Foster parents who provide short-term relief care for another foster family are paid a babysitting/relief per diem rate. This rate is separate from the standard per diem and is designed to compensate for planned breaks.

Are Foster Care Payments Taxable in Canada?

No. Alberta foster care per diems and all associated reimbursements are not considered taxable income under the Canada Revenue Agency's interpretation (CRA Interpretation Bulletin IT-236R4). Foster care payments are treated as reimbursements for the cost of caring for a child in government guardianship, not as earned income.

You do not report these payments on your personal tax return.

What about the Canada Child Benefit (CCB)? Foster parents are generally not eligible to receive the CCB for foster children. The government pays a Children's Special Allowance (CSA) directly to the Ministry for children in care. This is distinct from CCB, which goes to biological or adoptive parents.

Does Fostering Make Financial Sense?

The honest answer depends on your household situation. The combined per diem covers most direct costs for the child, and the skill fee provides modest additional compensation. For most foster families, fostering is not financially lucrative — but it is not intended to be a financial burden either.

Where people often underestimate costs is in time: the appointments, the court dates, the transportation, the school communications. Alberta's mileage reimbursement helps, but it does not cover the value of your time.

The families who do well financially tend to be those who plan carefully before the first placement: they understand the rate for the age group they are approved for, they know what allowances to request and when, and they track their mileage and expenses consistently.

The Alberta Foster Care Guide includes a full breakdown of the 2025–2026 rate schedule, a monthly income estimator by age group, a list of allowances and how to claim them, and a guide to the annual April 1 rate increase process.

A Note on Specialized Foster Care

Foster parents who are approved for Level 2 or specialized care receive both the higher skill fee and additional training support. Specialized placements include children with significant mental health challenges, developmental disabilities, complex medical needs, or serious behavioural issues. If you have a professional background in healthcare, social work, education, or child psychology, you may be well-suited to pursue specialized designation.

The application process for specialized care follows the same path as standard fostering, but the home study places additional focus on your capacity and training for high-needs children.

Getting the Numbers Right Before You Apply

Before you start the application process, it is worth doing a realistic household budget that includes the per diem income for the age group you are considering and subtracts the realistic costs of a child's daily expenses, activities, and transportation. Most experienced foster parents say the maintenance portion covers basics, the skill fee provides modest compensation, and the allowances help with the extras.

If you want the full rate tables, a breakdown of every allowance and how to access it, and guidance on the specialized care rate process, the Alberta Foster Care Guide covers all of it in one place — no PDF-hunting required.

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