The Orphan Tax
Ending a quiet tax on the children with the least.
When a parent dies and a child is placed in foster care, many states cash the child's Social Security survivor checks to reimburse themselves for the cost of that care. The Orphan Tax exists to make that practice visible — and to end it, state by state.
theorphantax.org$179M
Taken from foster youth annually before reform efforts began
$18,000
Cashed from my own checks by the State of Michigan over three years
Unanimous
Michigan Senate vote on SB 18 after testimony
There is no moral justification for why orphans should have to pay their own way. They are not in foster care by any fault of their own — and they certainly should not be asked to pay their own bill.— Alex Adams, U.S. HHS · NPR, January 2026
