Many people can live safely and independently in their own home with the right care, help and support. However, most people will have to pay something towards the cost of any care, help and support they receive.
If you have savings or investments of less than £23,250, we may be able to provide you with some financial support.
In some cases, we will provide you with a short period of free intense care and support in your own home. We will then review your circumstances and discuss whether you need further help.
Financial assessment
If you need long-term support, we will carry out a financial assessment to determine how much you will have to pay.
You may have other expenses which you incur as a direct result of your illness or disability. These may be included when we work out how much you have available to pay towards your services.
All financial help is based on a means-tested assessment. You can start this process by completing our online financial self-assessment form. This will give you an indication of whether or not you will need to pay towards your care.
How much you will pay
We will ask you about your income, such as pensions and welfare benefits, and any capital, such as stocks and shares, land, or property, that you have. We will then work out your contribution.
You will be asked to pay the full cost of providing the service if:
- your capital is over £23,250, for the financial year 2024 to 2025
- you decide not to tell us about your financial circumstances
- you refuse to sign the financial assessment form
If your capital is less than £23,250, we will:
- look at your assessable income. This is the amount you have left after taking away some outgoings and costs which may be incurred as a direct result of your illness or disability. For more information about assessable income, see our paying for care leaflet (pdf / 2 MB)
- any savings or other capital assets
- any disability-related costs
If you have savings below £14,250 (for the financial year 2024 to 2025), they are not included when working out your charge for services. If you have savings over £14,250, for every £250 or part of £250 that you have over £14,250, £1 will be taken into account as weekly income. This will be added to your normal income in order to work out how much you will be asked to pay.
Couples may be assessed jointly, using both your own and your partner's income and savings.
Welfare benefits
We will check if you are entitled to claim any means tested or disability benefits, we will help you to do so.
You can find more information and contact details about welfare benefits to see if you're receiving all that you're entitled to.
If your financial circumstances change
We expect you to tell us if your financial circumstances change at any time. Each year, we will review the amount you are due to pay. We will also take into account changes to benefit and pension levels. Please be aware that if your financial circumstances change, and you do not tell us, we may backdate your charges to the date of that change. A sudden increase in capital, a sale of a property or a welfare benefits award may all be considered as a change in financial circumstances.
Further information
Find out more in our leaflet about what you should expect to pay for care services in 2024 to 2025 (pdf / 2 MB)