What it is
When a child enters DFCS care, policy authorizes an initial clothing allowance to build a basic wardrobe — its own line item, separate from the per diem, not paid out of it. It is a maximum based on the child's age, reimbursed against receipts, and it can be spent all at once or in pieces. Verified Oct 1, 2026
This is not a favor your county is doing you; it's in DFCS policy 22.8 (financial supports for children in care) 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. It runs on the state fiscal year: it can be spent all at once or in pieces, and must be spent by June 30. It can't be claimed in the same calendar year the child entered care, so a child who arrives in March first qualifies the following January. Ask your case manager about it each fiscal year. Verified Oct 1, 2026
The two rules that bite
Both of these are in policy, and both are the reason families miss out. Verified Oct 1, 2026
- It expires. The allowance must be used during the first six months of the child's initial placement in care, counted from the date the child enters care — a child who enters care on January 6 has through July 6. Wait too long to ask, or let the paperwork drift, and the window closes.
- It does not travel. The allowance is tied to the child's initial placement in care, not to each new home. If a child arrives at your home from another placement, some or all of it may already have been spent. Extra clothing beyond the limits takes a written waiver from the County Director or designee — ask your case manager if the child arrived with little or nothing.
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 date the child entered care 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 limits DHS posts — confirm the current amount
DHS posts the limits in its COSTAR 3001 accounting manual: initial clothing up to $311 for children from birth through age 12, and $415 for youth 13 and over (effective July 2016), and an annual clothing allowance of $690 per state fiscal year (effective July 2022). Purchases are reimbursed against receipts. These are the newest amounts posted; we haven't found anything confirming whether they changed on July 1, 2026, so confirm the current amount with your case manager and get it in writing. Verified Oct 1, 2026
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) §22.8 — Financial and Non-Financial Supports: initial & annual clothing allowancepamms.dhs.ga.gov Oct 1, 2026
- DHS COSTAR manual §3001 — Family Foster Care Programs: initial clothing (code 04) and annual clothing (code 05) limits, six-month window counted from the date of entry, fiscal-year rules, receipts, waiversffs.dhs.ga.gov Oct 1, 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.