How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid in Texas?

The word "paid" is technically accurate but frames the money in a way that misrepresents its purpose. Texas foster care reimbursements are designed to cover the cost of caring for a child — food, clothing, transportation, supplies — not to compensate foster parents for their time. If you're evaluating foster care as a source of household income, the numbers will disappoint you, and state law actually requires that your income be sufficient without counting the stipend before you can be approved.

That said, understanding what you'll actually receive matters for planning. Here's the honest breakdown.

The T3C Model: How Texas Calculates Payments in 2026

Texas is in the middle of transitioning from a broad Level of Care (LOC) system to a more specific model called Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C). Under T3C, each child is assessed based on their primary needs and assigned to a service package rather than a general care level. The rates are higher and more differentiated than the old system.

Under T3C, payments flow from DFPS to the agency (SSCC or CPA), which then passes a portion through to the foster family. The rate you receive depends on the child's service package and your specific agency's pass-through policy.

T3C Daily Rates (2026)

These are daily rates, paid monthly. A child in T3C Basic Support generates a family pass-through of approximately $1,407 per month ($46.90 × 30 days). A child with complex medical needs generates approximately $2,798 per month to the family.

Legacy Level of Care Rates

For children still on the older LOC system (not yet transitioned to T3C), the September 2025 rate schedule applies:

The "pass-through minimum" is the floor — some agencies pass through more, but the state requires this minimum reach the family.

What Determines a Child's Service Level?

The CANS assessment (Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths) conducted within the first 30 days of placement determines the child's service package under T3C. This assessment isn't just a formality — it directly affects your monthly reimbursement. Understanding what the CANS captures (emotional and behavioral needs, trauma history, medical complexity, developmental status) and ensuring the child receives a complete, accurate assessment is in everyone's interest.

If you believe the assigned service level doesn't reflect the child's actual needs, you can request a reassessment. Many experienced foster parents advocate for this proactively if a child arrives with documented behavioral or medical complexity that isn't fully captured in the initial file.

Medical Coverage: STAR Health

Every child in Texas foster care is enrolled in STAR Health, a specialized Medicaid program administered by Superior HealthPlan. As a Resource Family, you do not pay for the child's healthcare. STAR Health covers:

• Primary and specialty medical care
• Dental and vision
• Behavioral health and psychiatric services
• Prescription medications
• The Health Passport — a secure digital record of the child's medical history that follows them regardless of placement changes

The Health Passport login comes from your caseworker. Get it on day one. Providers are required to accept STAR Health; if a provider declines, call the Superior HealthPlan member line for immediate resolution.

Form 2085-B (Designation of Medical Consenter) is your authority to make healthcare decisions for the child. This form is as important as the Medicaid card — pharmacies and urgent care clinics are contractually obligated to provide services when you present it, even before the child's insurance ID arrives.

Additional Financial Support

Beyond the monthly stipend and medical coverage:

Clothing allowance: An initial clothing stipend of approximately $150 is provided for children entering care with minimal belongings. Some agencies provide additional clothing allowances at placement.

School supply allowance: Many agencies provide this at the start of each school year.

Childcare subsidy: If you work at least 40 hours per week, you may qualify for subsidized childcare through Child Care Management Services (CCMS). This applies to licensed daycare centers, not private nannies or informal care arrangements.

Respite care: Verified respite care providers give your family a break — typically weekend care — and are compensated separately. If you're the primary foster parent, this doesn't affect your monthly stipend.

Adoption assistance: If you adopt a child from foster care who meets special needs criteria (which most Texas foster children do, by administrative definition), monthly payments continue after finalization at roughly the same rate as the foster care stipend.

What the Reimbursement Does Not Cover

The stipend is intended to cover the child's direct costs: food, clothing, transportation to appointments and school, supplies, activity fees. It's not designed to cover the time cost of foster parenting — the appointments, the visits, the documentation, the advocacy. Those are real and significant.

Families should also expect approximately $300–$700 in initial out-of-pocket preparation expenses before the first child arrives: the $38.54 per-person IdentoGO fingerprinting fee, CPR certification ($25–$50 per person), TB tests ($2–$20 per person), medication lock boxes ($10–$60), fire extinguishers if needed, and any pool fence or firearms storage upgrades required to pass inspection. These costs are not reimbursed by the state.

The Real Financial Picture

For a family taking one child at T3C Basic Support, the pass-through is roughly $1,400/month. If that child has behavioral health needs, it's closer to $1,800. For a sibling group of two at basic support, approximately $2,800/month. None of that counts as income for the purposes of your licensing approval.

For families motivated primarily by the financial return, the math doesn't work. For families primarily motivated by the child's welfare — and who approach the stipend as a way to make that work financially neutral — the picture is more reasonable.

The Texas Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a full breakdown of the T3C service packages, the CANS assessment process, STAR Health navigation, and the Form 2085-B medical consent process so you know exactly how to access every benefit available to your household from day one.

See more United States guides →