Do I have to pay for social care?
Is social care free?
In England and Wales, you may have to pay for some social care.
In Northern Ireland, the health and social care trust are able to charge you for the services you are assessed as needing. But this is rare, and health and social care trusts don’t usually charge for care services in your home.
If you’re over 75 and live in Northern Ireland in your own home, you will not be charged for social care services in your home.
In Scotland, personal care is free. Personal care covers things like helping you with showering, dressing, preparing meals and going to the toilet. Some social care isn’t covered, like help with housework and laundry, and you may have to pay for this.
NHS continuing healthcare
If you have complex healthcare needs, you may be able to receive NHS continuing healthcare. NHS continuing healthcare is a funding package which can pay for all of your care, including care home fees or carers if you’re living in your own home.
If you are very ill or approaching the end of your life, you may be able to get NHS continuing healthcare put in place quicker. We have more information on our page, Getting NHS continuing health care fast-tracked.
How do they work out how much I pay?
You may be financially assessed to see how much you’re able to pay towards the cost of your care. This is known as a means test. To decide how much you’ll have to pay, the council or trust will look at:
- your savings or assets
- your income
- any benefits you receive
- your pension.
After the financial assessment, the local authority (or trust) will either decide to fund all your care, pay for some of it, or decide you are able to pay for it all.
If you have savings and assets which are more than a certain amount, you may have to pay for some or all of your care. If you need a carer to come into your home, the value of your house won't be counted in that amount.
A certain amount of your money is protected to make sure you’ve got enough to live on. The council or trust must make sure that the charges they give you aren’t reducing your income below a certain level. If you think a charge is unreasonable, you can make a complaint to your council or trust.
Do my benefits get taken into account?
In England, Scotland and Wales, all benefits count towards your income except:
- Child Tax Credit
- The mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- The savings credit element of Pension Credit is partly ignored.
Disability-related benefits such as the care component of DLA, the daily living component of PIP, and Attendance Allowance are counted.
In Northern Ireland, your benefits may be taken into account if the trust is doing a financial assessment for you to go into a care home.
Disability Rights UK has more information on how your benefits will affect paying for social care.
How is my social care organised?
The money you get from social care is called your personal budget (or self-directed support in Scotland).
You can only use it to pay for the social care needs you have. These needs will have been written in your care plan.
Your personal budget (or self-directed support in Scotland) can be managed in different ways. You can:
- get your council or trust to manage your budget on your behalf
- get an independent organisation such as a local disabled people’s organisation to manage your budget (known as managed accounts)
- take your personal budget as a direct payment to you or someone you choose.
You can also choose to have a mix of all three of these options.
Direct payments
If you choose to arrange and pay for social care services yourself, your council or trust will send you payments called direct payments. The money will either be transferred to your bank account, or given to you on a pre-paid card. You can only use direct payments for things related to your care.
Direct payments can’t be used for:
- long-term care home accommodation
- equipment or adaptations that should be provided by the NHS
- NHS services in England, Wales and Scotland or health and social care services in Northern Ireland
- services already provided by social care
- paying a close relative to be your carer (in most circumstances).
Direct payments can be paid to someone else to manage the payments on your behalf.
If you’re offered direct payments, you don’t have to accept them if you’d rather have your social care managed another way.
External websites
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About this information
This information is not intended to replace any advice from health or social care professionals. We suggest that you consult with a qualified professional about your individual circumstances. Read more about how our information is created and how it's used.
