Question:
Shalom. Baruch Hashem we were recently given the great zchus of fostering a newborn baby girl. It may become an adoption in the future but at this stage it is just foster care. The Israeli government will pay us a monthly stipend to help with the costs of caring for the baby. I assume that I do not pay maaser on this stipend because it is given to us specifically to cover the costs of care. However I will not spend the exact amount of the stipend on the baby's care each month. Some months I may spend more and some months I may spend less. The stipend is quite generous so I imagine that in most months I will be spending less. The extra money will just be added to my bank account and will be used for general hosuehold expenses. Should I calcualte the excess each month and pay maaaser on the excess?
Answer:
Hello,
If there is excess it should be calculated, however this is close to impossible to do, therefore approximate, even though it won’t be exact. For example, you can’t calculate exactly how much extra electricity was used, i.e. for the washing machine, a fan or air conditioner in the baby’s room, the night light. For food, the child is eating together with you, and it is hard to calculate the cost of the extra pasta, vegetables, and chicken that it cost you. Therefore, try to calculate an approximate amount, of usual expenses, and then you can add the one-time expenses.
Best wishes
