Calculating your contribution to your care
When conducting a financial assessment, we'll take into consideration your income and capital assets.
Your income includes:
- benefits you receive (some benefits are not included when calculating your income)
- pensions you have
- any other money you may be receiving.
Your capital assets include:
- savings
- money from investments, but not the value of your home.
You can receive support from benefits if your income and savings are low enough
Benefits are complicated and many ill and disabled people and their carers miss out, so it’s a good idea to get a benefit check.
if you are a self funder, you should be able to get financial support to help pay for homecare from Attendance Allowance if you are over State Pension age. If you’re under State Pension age, you may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead.
If you have a carer, they could be eligible for Carer’s Allowance or extra support from means tested benefits.
Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance aren’t means-tested benefits, so don't take into account your income and savings.
Having capital below or over £23,250
If your capital is worth more than £23,250, then you'll need to pay for the full cost of your social care. If you expect your capital to fall below the £23,250 threshold after you begin paying for your care, please let us know.
Even if you're not eligible for financial assistance, we can arrange your care and support services at your home for you. At present, we don't charge an administration fee to do this.
If your capital is less than £23,250 then the amount you're expected to pay towards your care will be means-tested under the Care Act 2014.
If the total value of your capital is £14,250 or under, it will be disregarded when calculating your contribution, and only your income will be taken into account.
If the amount of your capital assets is between £14,250 and £23,250, then you'll be asked to pay £1 a week for every £250 interval within this range.
The table below explains how this works in greater detail.
| Value of capital assets | Amount to pay | What this means |
|---|---|---|
| Capital assets of £15,250 | £4 a week | There are four intervals of £250 above the £14,250 threshold: 4 x £250 = £1,000 |
| Capital assets of £16,999 | £10 a week | There are ten intervals of £250 above the £14,250 threshold (as the value of assets is £1 below the next interval): 10 x £250 = £2,500 |
Using this information, we'll work out the total amount of your weekly income and earnings from capital.
We'll then deduct any allowable expenses (such as rent or mortgage payments) and any protected income (such as the Minimum Income Guarantee) from your weekly income. The remaining figure is your assessed charge and what you are deemed able to pay towards your social care.
Paying the assessed charge
If the combined amount of your income and earnings from capital are less than your Minimum Income Guarantee, then you won't have to pay towards the cost of social care in your own home.
You'll never be asked to pay more than your assessed charge towards the cost of your care, but you may pay less.
You'll pay the:
- assessed charge if the weekly cost of care outlined in your personal budget is more than the amount of your assessed charge
- lesser charge if the weekly cost of care outlined in your personal budget is less than your assessed charge.
For example, if your assessed charge is calculated to be £40.50 per week, and the weekly cost of your care is £100 then you will pay £40.50 per week towards your care. If your assessed charge is £134 per week, and your weekly cost of care is £73, then you will pay £73.
You may also be entitled to benefits that you are not currently receiving. For help:
- contact the Every Pound Counts service
- see Which benefits can I get?