What it is
When a child enters DFCS care, policy authorizes an initial clothing allowance — a one-time amount to build a basic wardrobe, paid in addition to the per diem, not out of it. The amount is based on the child's age at entry. Verified Jul 2, 2026
This is not a favor your county is doing you; it's in the DFCS maintenance-payment policy (PAMMS 9.1) and the DHS accounting manual (COSTAR 3001). Your per diem is expected to cover clothing upkeep and replacement after that — the initial allowance is the separate, up-front piece.
Policy also provides a separate annual clothing allowance for children who remain in care — a smaller yearly top-up. Ask your case manager about it at each placement anniversary. Verified Jul 2, 2026
The two rules that bite
Both of these are in policy, and both are the reason families miss out. Verified Jul 2, 2026
- It expires. The allowance must be used during the first six months, counted from the month the child enters care. Wait too long to ask, or let the paperwork drift, and the window closes.
- It does not travel. The allowance is not re-authorized when a child moves between foster homes. If a child arrives at your home from another placement, the allowance may already have been spent — and there is no second one.
Put together: the allowance belongs to the child's entry into care, not to your placement. If you're the first home, start the request the week the child arrives. If you're a later home and the child still arrived with nothing, ask your case manager what was spent and when — then go straight to the free closets below, because that's what they exist for.
How to request it
Honest answer: DFCS doesn't publish a family-facing form or process for this — it runs through your case manager and the county office. What experienced foster parents do:
- Raise it at placement, ideally the day the child arrives. Say the words "initial clothing allowance" — it's a specific line item, not general help.
- Get the authorization in writing — an email from your case manager confirming the amount, how it will be paid or reimbursed, and any receipt requirements. Case managers change; email survives.
- Keep receipts for everything you buy against it, whatever your county's stated rules are.
- Follow up before the window closes. Six months from the month of entry is the outer limit; don't let it get close.
If you're with a private agency (CPA), route the same request through your agency's case support — the money still originates with DFCS, but your agency handles the paperwork.
How much is it?
The dollar amounts aren't published — we won't guess
The allowance exists and its rules are in policy, but the current age-based dollar amounts are not published in any verifiable official source we can cite. The only figures circulating online come from a single county's 2021–22 PDF, which is years stale — so we won't print them. Ask your case manager for the current amount for your child's age group, and get it in writing. We've asked the DFCS Office of Financial Services for the current table and will publish it here, with a verified date, the moment it's confirmed. Checked Jul 2, 2026 — awaiting DFCS confirmation
Free clothing right now — while you wait, or if it's not enough
The allowance takes paperwork time, and it was never going to stretch across a full wardrobe plus a car seat. Two Georgia nonprofits exist for exactly this gap, and both are free:
Foster Care Support Foundation
Free seasonal wardrobes, shoes, toys, books, and infant equipment — families "shop" the Roswell distribution center at no cost, and FCSF serves foster, kinship, and relative caregivers across Georgia. Call 770-641-9591.
Nonprofit · Statewide · Verified Jul 2026The Bloom Closet (Bloom)
A free "store" for foster families — clothing, shoes, diapers, toiletries, and school supplies. Storefronts in Fayetteville and Rome, plus the Bloom Closet Express truck that travels the state. Appointments: 770-461-7020.
Nonprofit · Fayette, Rome + mobile · Verified Jul 2026Neither requires the allowance to be exhausted first — use them on day one. Both are in our resource directory with hours and access details.
Sources & verification
- DFCS policy manual (PAMMS) §9.1 — Foster Care Maintenance Payments: initial & annual clothing allowancespamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
- DHS COSTAR manual §3001 — Family Foster Care Programs: age-based amount, six-month window, no re-authorization on movesffs.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
This page summarizes policy in plain language and is not financial or legal advice. Allowance amounts can change every July 1; if today is past our verified date, confirm with your case manager before spending against the allowance.