Financial Advice

Financial Advice

We regularly receive questions about paying for care; it can be a confusing subject, but there is support and information available to help you make the right decisions.

Please see below for our guide on the most frequently asked questions, but we also recommend that you speak to an Independent Financial Adviser who can answer your financial questions in full.

My father is looking for residential care – will he have to sell his own home to pay for his care home fees?

If your father has over £23,250 (in England) he will not qualify for assistance from the Local Authority until such a time as his capital is below this amount. However, when you know your fees are depleting them it is good to contact the Local Authority for an early assessment in readiness. 

Private care fees will need to be met from existing capital and income. (If he has assets below £23,250, he would be able to gain financial help on a sliding scale down to the lower limit of £14,250, where no contribution is needed).

Savings and assets are included in a means test, but there is often confusion that surrounds the subject of whether or not an individual’s home is included. To help clarify the situation, an individual’s home is not included in the means test if:

  • A child under 16 lives in the property;
  • They’re in the first 12 weeks of needing permanent care;
  • Care is being provided on a temporary basis.
  • Your spouse still resides in the home;
  • A relative over 60 resides in the house;
  • A disabled relative lives at the property

The 12-week property disregard

Stated above, an individuals’ property is excluded from the means test for the first 12 weeks following admission to a care home (once a permanent contract is established). Meaning that if their remaining capital falls within the current threshold, then the local authority should assist you with the payment of your care fees.

It is worth noting that they will, in most cases, only pay up to their published limits, which could leave a family with what is known as a “third-party top up”, to cover any difference in actual care fees and the local authority contribution.

The money paid out by the local authority during the first 12 weeks is not normally repayable. To find out more about the 12-week property disregard, download our handy advice guide.

Deferred Payment Agreement (Government Loan Scheme)
If, after the first 12 weeks, the property has not been sold, the local authority can continue to pay towards the care fees, under the “deferred payment agreement”, but this money is repayable once the property is sold.

Is there a reduction in Council Tax whilst their home is being sold?

Unfortunately not, Council Tax is payable on properties left unoccupied by people who have moved to receive personal care, whether in a hospital, care home or elsewhere. Generally speaking, the residents of care homes or those whose main home is a hospital do not have to pay Council Tax.

Are there any upfront fees or deposit needed?

We charge a deposit prior to entering the home. Residents who are paying for their own care are required to pay a deposit and a month in advance and if in the middle of a month the initial payment would be the following month plus the days in the current month remaining to be paid prior to the resident moving into the home. An inventory is completed when moving into the home and an agreement that any damages would be deducted from the final fees at the end of the termination period.

Any balance not used in respect of the above will be returned to the appropriate person as settlement of the final account. For further information, please speak to a member of our team.

What about funded nursing care?

The NHS will cover the cost of any nursing care provided by a registered nurse that a person in a nursing home is assessed as needing. This cost is a flat rate from £219.17 to £235.88 a week in England) and is called NHS-funded nursing care (FNC) (formerly known as the registered nursing care contribution).

Anyone entering a care home with nursing needs can be assessed to see if they qualify for NHS-funded nursing care. If they do, this money will be paid directly to the care home. The assessment is repeated annually thereafter, and it is possible that individuals will find themselves re-banded after each assessment.

Continuing Health Care

Some people with ongoing health needs may be entitled to some support from the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG), or Local Health Boards (LHB) in Wales. To be eligible, a continuing care health assessment is conducted by a designated nurse and is taken to a panel for discussion on whether the individual meets certain criteria. The assessment should be conducted with the knowledge and input of the resident, next of kin and other professionals involved in the person’s care. In some circumstances, the assessment process can be fast-tracked, for example when a person is diagnosed as terminally ill with a life expectancy of one month or less.

Which kinds of funding do you accept?

As a charitable business, we can accept funding from those paying for their own care (self-funding residents) and publicly funded residents (Local Authority and NHS). CHC-funded residents are assessed on an individual basis. For specific information, including the amount of third-party contribution that may be required for a Local Authority funded resident.

What if any are the State Benefits we may be entitled to?

Possibly, as most state benefits are means-tested. Attendance Allowance is an exception; it is a non-means tested, tax-free state benefit, payable to all individuals over the age of 65 who have needed care (defined as help with essential daily tasks, such as washing and dressing) for longer than six consecutive months.

Attendance Allowance is means tested depending on who is funding your care and maybe available at two rates; a lower rate, for those who need help during the day or the night and a higher rate, for those needing care during both the day and night. The current weekly figures (2024/25) are £72.65 lower rate and £108.55 for the higher rate.

Individuals needing care under the age of 65 will still qualify for an allowance, but this is paid in the form of a Personal Independence Payment.

My relative needs to go into care now – what can we do?

As stated above, if their capital and savings and/or income push them outside the means test thresholds, they will generally be responsible for the funding of their own care fees until such a time as their money falls below the appropriate threshold.

However, with careful planning it may be possible to structure their finances in such a way that care fees can be paid indefinitely, without worry about the money running out. Most families wish to ensure that their relative can stay in their chosen care home for the rest of their lives as well as safeguarding as much of the existing capital as possible. Speak to an Independent Financial Advisor or consider an organisation that specialises in care fee planning, such as some from the list below. Please note that we do not endorse one particular organisation.