See how much people pay for their care homes and how we work out the amount of financial help they get.
We use a financial assessment, also known as a means test, to work out how much people should pay towards their care home costs. You'll find examples of financial assessments on this page.
Example 1: savings less than £14,250 and no property
Example
Michael is permanently in a care home. He does not own any property and his savings are less than £14,250. He qualifies for help to pay.
As a result of his financial assessment, Michael pays £205.33 per week for his care. He also gets to keep back a personal expenses allowance of £30.15 per week.
See how we worked this out
His care costs
Michael's care fees cost £694 per week.
What he pays
To pay for his care, Michael's income includes:
- state pension of £209.67 per week
- private pension of £25.81 per week
Total income: £235.48 per week
Michael does not have to use all of his income to pay for care because he can keep back:
- personal expenses allowance of £30.15 per week
£235.48 income − £30.15 personal allowance = £205.33
Michael can afford to pay a total of £205.33 per week.
What the council pays
After Michael pays £205.33, there is still £488.67 of his care costs left to pay per week. This is what the council pays.
Find out more about
how we look at your money in a financial assessment.
Example 2: savings of £18,436 and no property
Example
Grace is permanently in a nursing home for the elderly and mentally impaired. She has savings less than £23,250 and does not own any property. She qualifies for help to pay.
As a result of her financial assessment, Grace pays £261.58 per week for her care. She also gets to keep back a personal expenses allowance of £30.15 per week.
See how we worked this out
Her care costs
Grace's care fees cost £854 per week.
What she pays
Grace has £18,436 in savings. This is more than £14,250, but less than £23,250, so she qualifies for help to pay.
Each week she must put some of this money towards her care costs until her savings fall below £14,250. This weekly amount from her savings is called a tariff income.
To pay for her care, Grace's income includes:
- state pension of £229.64 per week
- private pension of £45.09 per week
- tariff income (from savings) of £17 per week
Total income: £291.73 per week
Grace does not have to use all of her income to pay for care because she can keep back:
- personal expenses allowance of £30.15 per week
£291.73 income − £30.15 personal allowance = £261.58
Grace can afford to pay a total of £261.58 per week.
What the council pays
After Grace pays £261.58, there is still £592.42 of her care costs left to pay per week. This is what the council pays.
Find out more about
how we look at your money in a financial assessment.
