Paying for your care

Social care, unlike healthcare, is not free for everyone. You are responsible for the full cost of your care. Depending on your financial situation the council may contribute towards the cost based on a financial assessment, which considers what you can afford to pay.

How is the amount you pay calculated?

Individual budgets or direct payments

For home care and other non-residential services: 

1. We calculate your weekly income (this includes tariff income from your savings) 
2. From your income figure, we deduct a Personal Allowance (this is a minimum income you need, and  is set by the Government)
3. We then deduct your housing costs and disability related expenditure 
4. The balance of the calculation is your weekly contribution towards your care

Income Includes any benefits, pensions (state and private), pension credit, employment support allowance, disability benefits, disability living allowance (DLA) – care component, personal independence payment (PIP) - care component, attendance allowance. Certain benefits are not counted as income, including mobility component of PIP or DLA, earnings, war benefits, working tax credit, child tax credit and a certain amount of the savings element of pension credit. 

Tariff income assumes £1 of income for every £250 of savings above £14,250.

Capital, savings, assets include all current and savings accounts, shares, ISAs,investments premium bonds and any other properties that you have a beneficial interest in other than the property you live in.

Allowances are set by the Government and is the amount of income you are allowed to keep covering your everyday living expenses (housing, and disability costs are calculated separately).  

Housing costs include mortgage payments, rent, council tax and some service charges. If the service user owns their property, the value of the property is not included in the calculation if they live there as their main home. A second property, land or a home they do not live in is considered as capital or asset. 

Disability costs are any additional regular costs that are required due to individual’s disability. Costs can be anything from paying for incontinence pads, paying for a gardener to large one-off costs such as buying disability related equipment e.g. stair lift or a powered bed. 35% of DLA care, PIP care or attendance allowance are automatically applied when calculating contributions to allow for the additional costs of having a disability.