Paying for permanent residential care

What are the main steps of the process?

If your care is being organised by the local authority, then the main steps of the process are:

1. Your local authority does a care needs assessment to identify what help you need.
2. They make recommendations about your needs and whether or not you need residential care – this is called a Care Plan.
3. They work out a budget to ensure you get what care you need – this is called a Personal Budget.
4. They do a means test, also called a financial assessment, to work out how much you should pay towards your care home fees and how much they will cover.

What does the means test look at?

The means test will look at your income and capital, such as your savings and property. Whether you have to pay, and if so, how much, depends on how much income or capital you have. In certain situations, the local authority may assume that your capital generates an income which can be used towards pay your care home fees.

If you and someone else jointly hold capital, such as a savings account, it’ll be treated as divided equally between the two of you.

In some circumstances your home won’t be included in the means test, for example, if your partner still lives there.

What if I give away some of my money?

You may think about giving away some of your savings, income or property to avoid higher care costs, and to give something to your relatives or charity, for example. If the council thinks that you have done this to avoid paying care fees they may still assess you as if you still had the money or property that you have given away. This is referred to as deprivation of assets.

How will my capital be treated in the means test?

Your capital is the phrase used to describe the total amount of your savings, any property you own and any shares you might have.

How will my income be treated in the means test?

Your income can be taken into account in the means test. This can include pensions and welfare benefits.

As noted above, in some cases, the local authority may also assume that your capital generates an income, which will also be taken into account for your care home fees.

How much will I have to pay?

After the means test the local authority should give you a written record of their decision of what you will have to pay and what they will pay, and how they calculated it.

You should not be left with less than £24.90 a week after any contribution to your fees. This is known as your Personal Expenses Allowance.

What if I prefer a more expensive care home than the local authority will pay for?

If you'd prefer to live in a care home that costs more than the local authority would usually expect to pay, it can arrange this, provided that someone else is willing to meet the difference in cost. This is usually known as a top-up or third-party payment.

You could also choose a care home in another area to be closer to family or friends.

How do I pay my part of the fees?

Generally the local authority pay the full amount to the home and collect from you the amount you need to pay. This may be different if you are paying a ‘top-up’ fee.

What if I run out of money?

If you are paying fees yourself (called self-funding) and your capital goes down to less than £23,250, the local authority may assist with funding. You should request an assessment a few months before that happens. They should arrange one as soon as possible so you don’t have to use up your capital below that amount.

For more detail on paying for permanent residential care, please see our free resources

Paying for permanent residential care (PDF 258 KB)