Treatment of Income Intended for Foster Care

This memorandum serves to clarify the treatment of income intended for the care of a foster child when determining eligibility for participation in the CSFP. A foster child is a child who is living with a household but who remains the legal responsibility of the state. Such a child is considered a household of one. Because a foster child is considered a household of one, the income of a foster child is considered separately from the income of other members of the foster child’s place of residence.

A foster child’s income includes payments made by a state or from any other source that are intended for the care of that child, for example, for the child’s clothing, school fees, or allowance. Any other funds received by the child must be included as income, for example, income a child earns for full-time or regular part-time employment, and money provided by the child’s family for personal use. If funds are not specifically identified for the child’s personal use, income should be listed as “0.”

Cathie McCullough
Director
Food Distribution Division