Special guardianship allowance calculator

What should your special guardianship allowance be?

Under the statutory guidance, your council is supposed to start from the fostering allowance for a child that age. This shows you that figure, the rule it comes from, and what to ask if your council started somewhere else.

My name is Patricia Hughes. I am a special guardian myself, and nobody would show me the sum behind my own figure, so I built the table I needed. More about me, and where the figures come from.

This is an estimate, not legal advice. Financial support for special guardians is discretionary, and there is no fixed amount you can require your council to pay. It shows you the figure your council should be starting from, and what the rules and the published decisions say about how it has to decide.

Step 1

Where do you live?

Which nation?

The national minimum allowance, 2026/27

These are the fostering national minimum allowances. They matter to you because the statutory guidance makes the core fostering allowance the starting point for a special guardianship allowance.

England: weekly minimum allowance, financial year 2026/27
Age of childLondonSouth EastRest of England
0–2£205£195£176
3–4£208£203£182
5–10£233£223£201
11–15£266£255£227
16–17£309£298£267

See the rates for every nation, and previous years

How councils are supposed to decide

  1. Start with the fostering allowance. Not an adoption allowance, and not a percentage of anything. More
  2. Consider your circumstances and the child's needs. A means test is allowed. A blanket rule applied without thought is not. More
  3. Give you the decision and its reasons. In writing, and reviewed every year. More

Who can help

These organisations give free, independent advice on kinship care and special guardianship. They are not part of your council.