Estimate how much you may need to pay towards your care

Entitlement to financial assistance

The rules around paying for care are set by central government. See The Care Act 2014 Guidance.

If your disposable capital assets, such as money in a bank account, or any money you have that is not tied up in the home you live in, are:

more than £23,250, you will not be eligible for our financial assistance. You will need to pay the full cost of any care you receive, usually direct to the provider of the care
between £14,250 and £23,250, as well as taking account of your income, you will need to make a contribution from your capital each week towards the cost of your care. This contribution is called tariff income and is £1 for each £250. Another £1 is taken off for any remaining amount that is not a complete £250

Find out more about the financial assessment process and how we calculate how much you will pay.

The assessment process

When you have a care needs assessment, we calculate how much it will cost to meet your care needs. The result of this calculation is known as your personal budget.  We can then go on to complete a means tested financial assessment to work out the maximum amount you will need to pay towards the cost of your care. This is called your maximum ability to pay amount.

If your maximum ability to pay amount is:

more than your personal budget, you will have to pay for all your care
less than your personal budget, we will pay the provider for your care and charge you the lower of the actual cost of care or your maximum contribution each week
zero, we will pay for your care

Using the estimator

The estimator is a tool you can use to estimate how much you may need to pay towards:

temporary care in a residential or nursing home - also known as respite
permanent care in a residential or nursing home
care at home in the community

You can use the estimator at any time but it's best to use it before you need a full financial assessment.

If you enter full and accurate information, it will estimate your maximum ability to pay amount.

The figure the estimator comes up with is just that, an estimate, to give you a feel for how much you may need to pay. The estimate does not replace the detailed financial assessment we will carry out.

You will have the opportunity to download a PDF version of your estimate.

Before you start

To estimate how much you may need to pay, you'll need to provide details about:

your shares, savings, current accounts and investments
your pensions - how much you receive and how often
any other income you receive
which benefits you get, how much you receive and how often
your housing costs - include Council Tax, ground rent, mortgage or rent and service charges

When we complete your financial assessment, we will ask for all this information again. This is so we can tailor the calculation to your personal circumstances. This is very likely to produce a different final result to this estimator.

Our detailed financial assessment may include assumed benefits we believe you may be entitled to, which we can help you claim.

The estimator

The estimator is made up of two forms, one for long-term residential care and one for non-residential care.

Cost of long-term residential care

Estimate the cost you may need to pay as a permanent resident in a registered care or nursing home.

Start now

Cost of non-residential care

Estimate the cost you may need to pay for different types of non-residential care, including:

care provided in your own home
supported living placements
temporary residential stays such as respite
direct payments
day centre visits
shared lives provision