Paying for care and support
How do I know if I qualify for financial assistance
Financial assistance is strictly means-tested. If you are making an application for financial assistance to help reduce your care and support costs, the law requires you to declare your true financial circumstances. Failure to do so could render you or your representative liable to legal proceedings.
The amount you will have to pay is based upon an assessment of your income and capital. The capital limits for assessment purposes will be:
- Lower Capital Limit £14,250
- Upper Capital Limit £23,250
If you have capital and/or savings above £23,250, it is unlikely that you will qualify for financial assistance towards the cost of your care from us and you will be expected to make your own arrangements directly with any care provider. We call this a self-funder.
However, if your circumstances change, or once your savings start to reduce to the upper capital threshold of £23,250, you can ask us to review the funding assistance arrangements. We call this a Funding Pick Up request.
If you have capital and/or savings under £23,250, it is likely that you will qualify for some financial assistance towards the cost of your care from us. From your capital or savings, you will need to pay a tariff income amount of £1 for every £250 you have above £14,250.
Every person is treated individually for the purposes of a financial assessment. This means that we will assess only the income and capital of the individual who is undergoing the financial assessment. This approach applies in all care settings.
Before you begin the care assessment process, our online financial assessment calculator can be used to find out if you are eligible for any financial assistance from us and how much you will have to pay from your own money.
If I receive financial assistance, will I still have to pay anything?
When you undertake a financial assessment this will determine if you are eligible for any financial assistance from us and how much you will have to pay from your own money. We call the amount you pay your assessed charge.
If you do qualify for financial assistance, we will write to you with a breakdown of how your financial assessment has been calculated. The letter explains how much money you have to pay towards the cost of your care home fees and what you need to do.
The amount you will have to pay is based on your weekly income (including pensions and benefits), and any savings/ investments between £14,250 and £23,250. We call the amount you pay your assessed charge.
Our financial assessment calculator can also be used to find out if you would be eligible for any financial assistance from us and how much you will have to pay when your capital and savings reduce to below £23,250.
We cannot confirm the exact amount you will pay until we complete a full financial assessment for your care and support. However, you can use the estimated cost to help you plan your finances.
We will only complete a full financial assessment for you, once your care and support plan has been agreed with your social care worker.
