Insurance for Foster Parent: Is it Business Use or SD+P?

Greenow

I am a Foster Carer and just searching around for Car Insurance. Obviously my Foster Children travel with me in my car. Do I need an insurance policy for Business Use to cover when they are in the car, or can I just get a SD&P policy?

KillerWatt

Foster carer or foster parent?
If the latter, they are your kids so you just require standard insurance.

mikey72

Foster carer isn't even normal business use as far as I am aware, as you have to be specifically insured to carry the kids around as passengers.

vaio

is it a business as far as HMRC are concerned or is it some kind person taking a troubled kid into their family and getting a couple of quid to cover extra costs?

If the former than you need business cover, if the latter then SDP is fine

Greenow

Thanks for the replies.

I'm a foster parent, as in, the Children are with me [semi] permanently, possibly until the age of 18 (though there is a bit of a "conveyer belt" - some can be with me just days, some can be with me for years).

From HMRC perspective, I am Self Emloyed and foster income has to be declared as earnings (though the HMRC formula for allowable expenses means that taxable income is limited).

I fully declared the situation as accurately as I could to the insurance company who at first said that it was business use, however, on further clarification, and discussion with a supervisor, agreed that it wasn't and put it through as SD&P. Obviously this was all verbal only, so my concern was that if it was inaccurate I cannot prove what the insurance company said should the need arise

Horizon81

I'd say call the council for advice seeing as they're the ones who process your foster carer application (not that I'd expect much sense out of them). I wouldn't have thought it's business use as you're not travelling to/from meetings or other sites. How do you stand legally? When these kids are in your care are they classed in the same way as your own children? Try and get in touch with other foster carers and see what they do.