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Paying for a care home
If your social care assessment has identified that living in a care home is the best way to meet your needs, and you've asked us to help you arrange your care, we'll assess how much you'll need to contribute towards the cost.
Find out more about financial assessments.
How much you'll need to pay
We can provide financial help if you have less than £23,250 of capital assets and you need care in a residential or nursing home.
If you have more than £23,250 of capital assets, you'll be expected to pay the full costs yourself. If you own your home, this will be taken into account when we calculate your capital. We may also consider your income, including benefits and private pensions.
If you move into a care home, you'll be left with a minimum amount each week for your own personal spending. This is called a Personal Expenses Allowance. The amount is set by the government and is reviewed every April.
Paying for a care home after leaving hospital
If you need to go into a care home after leaving hospital, there's no charge to you during the NHS-funded period. The NHS will fund the placement for up to 14 days, or until your social care assessment is completed and an outcome is agreed (whichever happens first). You may wish to take some personal spending money for items such as newspapers or hairdressing.
Once your social care assessment is complete, you'll be advised of the financial processes involved and potential charges for your placement. Under the Care Act 2014, anyone receiving ongoing adult social care support (either in a care home or at home) should complete a financial assessment.
If, following your assessment, you need to stay in a care home for longer, some care homes charge a third-party top‑up fee. These are not charged during the NHS-funded period.
Top-up fees
If we help you pay for your care home, we'll agree a budget that meets your assessed care needs.
If you choose a care home that costs more than this amount, the difference is known as a top-up fee.
Top-up fees are usually paid by a family member, friend or another third party.
You may only be able to pay your own top-up fee in certain circumstances, including if:
you're within the 12-week property disregard period
you have a Deferred Payment Agreement with the council
your placement is provided under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983
Before agreeing to pay a top-up fee, it's important to make sure the payments remain affordable for as long as the placement continues.
If a top-up fee can no longer be paid, we may need to consider alternative accommodation that meets your assessed needs and is within our agreed budget.
Your home and other property
We may include property you own, or partly own, when we work out how much you'll pay towards your care.
We won't usually include the value of your main home if it's also the main home of:
your husband, wife, civil partner or partner
a close relative aged 60 or over
a close relative who is disabled or unable to care for themselves
a child under 18 who you're responsible for
These people must have been living there before you moved into the care home.
If the above does not apply to you, and you have more than £23,250 in savings, property or other assets, you'll usually pay the full cost of your care.
The 12-week property disregard
If you move permanently into a care home and your property isn't covered by one of the exemptions above, we may ignore its value for the first 12 weeks of your stay. This is known as a 12-week property disregard.
This gives you time to consider your options for paying for care after the first 12 weeks. For example, you may decide to:
sell your home
rent out your home
apply for a Deferred Payment Agreement
If you rent your home, the 12-week period may give you time to end your tenancy. Please tell us when your tenancy ends so we can update your financial assessment if needed.
If a Deferred Payment Agreement isn't in place by the end of the 12-week period, you'll usually be expected to pay the full cost of your care from week 13.
The disregard does not usually apply if you already live in the care home and your savings have fallen below £23,250.
You may be able to have a disregard if your partner lived in the property but has now moved into permanent care or has died.
If you jointly own a property and both owners move into permanent care, each owner may be able to have a disregard.
Deferred Payment Agreements (DPA)
If most of your money is tied up in your home or land, you may not be able to pay the full cost of your care home charges straight away. A DPA may help.
How a DPA works
A Deferred Payment Agreement is like a loan from the council. The council pays part of your care home charge for now. The money paid by the council builds up as a debt.
The debt is usually paid back when money from your home or land is released. This may happen when the property is sold. You don;t have to sell your home straight away.
You will still need to pay a weekly amount towards your care. We'll complete a financial assessment to work out how much you can afford to pay.
Eligibility for a DPA
We must offer a DPA if you meet the eligibility criteria. This usually means:
you've had a Care Act assessment which identifies eligible care and support needs
you have less than £23,250 in savings and investments, excluding the value of your home
your home is not disregarded under the property rules
you're able to enter into the agreement yourself, or someone with legal authority can do so on your behalf
Charges and interest
There is a one-off set-up charge for a DPA. This can usually be added to the agreement, so you'll not normally need to pay it upfront.
Interest is charged on the amount deferred. The interest rate may change on 1 January and 1 July each year.
There is also an annual administration charge. We'll explain all charges and the current interest rate before you decide whether to enter into an agreement.
Tell us about a change
You must tell us as soon as possible if there are changes to your income, benefits, savings, or care and support needs.
We may ask you to provide proof of the change, such as benefit letters, bank statements or other documents. We will then check your financial assessment and write to you if your assessed contribution changes.
If you don't tell us about a change, you may pay too much or too little. If you have paid too little, you may need to pay the money back.
For more information
Call 01226 773300 or