Paying for Your Own Care in a Care Home

If the value of your property and savings is £23,250 or more you pay the full cost of care home fees for accommodation, board and personal care. Nursing care may be paid for by the NHS.

How much are care home fees?

This table gives you an idea of how long your money will cover the care home fees. It shows different levels of fees and assumes you will have an income of £150 each week from pensions and benefits.

 

care home fees comparison over 1 year, 3 years and 5 years

cost per week	income per week	Less Income After
		1 year	3 years	5 years
£450	£150	£15,600	£46,800	£78,000
£530	£150	£19,760	£59,280	£98,800
£600	£150	£23,400	£71,200	£117,000
£780	£150	£31,200	£93,600	£156,000

 

 

Paying for the First Twelve Weeks' Care Home Fees

We may contribute towards the cost of your care home fees for the first twelve weeks of your stay if:

• we assess your needs and decide the best way of meeting them is in a care home and
• your capital, excluding the value of your home, is under £23,250

If your care home fees are more expensive than the amount we normally fund you will need to arrange for someone else to pay the difference.

 

When your money falls below £23,250

Even when your funds fall below £23,250 you will need to pay towards your home care fees.

If you already live in a care home which charges more than we pay, you may need to:

• ask a family member or friend to pay the balance
• think about moving to a less expensive home.

Benefits you can claim

• If you are aged under 65, until June 2013 you may be entitled to claim Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment from June 2013
• If you are aged over 65, you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance
• If you are aged under Minimum Pension Age you may be able to claim Income Support or Universal Credit from October 2013
• If you are aged over Minimum Pension Age you may be entitled to claim Pension Credit

The Minimum Pension Age is constantly changing until the age at which both men and women can claim the State Retirement Pension is the same. The Department for Work and Pensions website  | gives full details of the changes.