Paying for care

If you have more than £23,250 in savings and capital, you won't be eligible for financial help towards your care and support costs. You are classed as a self-funder.

You therefore won't need a personal budget from us - you're free to choose the care you want and how much you pay.

What is a self-funder

A self-funder is someone who pays for the full cost of their social care and support. You're a self-funder if either:

• You choose to find and pay for your care without involving us
• We've assessed you as needing care and support but you have assets worth more than £23,250

Can you still help me arrange my care?

We can still help you even if you're not eligible for financial help from us. For example, you can ask us to arrange any non-residential services for you.

Get financial advice for self-funding

There are organisations that can help you plan and make choices about your care if you self-fund. It's a good idea to get independent financial advice on funding your care. If you decide to use an independent financial advisor, check they understand care funding. For example, that they have qualifications.

An independent financial advisor can help by:

• Ensuring you're receiving all the benefits you are entitled to
• Reducing the risk of running out of money (for example, budgeting effectively or avoiding scams)
• Recommending ways to protect your money
• Helping to protect your assets
• Reviewing your assets, including your property and personal goods, to boost your income

There's information about financial advisors on Money Advice Service's website.

The Norfolk Community Directory also lists organisations who can provide financial advice and support.

What if my financial situation changes

You'll no longer need to pay the full cost of your care services if your assets drop below £23,250. To help us prepare, contact our adult social care team as soon as possible  when your savings fall below £40,000.

We can reassess your finances by doing another financial assessment (see our Will I have to pay for my care? page). Depending on how long ago you had a Care Act assessment, we might do this again too.

If we contribute to your care costs, it might be the overall amount you've been used to paying for your care (as a self funder) changes. This is because you'll get a personal budget when we are financially involved. Our guide on If we contribute to your care costs explains more about this. Services you get need to be within this budget. We will provide information about other providers who are within your personal budget.

However, if you wish to continue with the provider you've been paying as a self-funder, this may be possible. For example, if you want to stay in the same care home, you might be able to:

• Get a Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA). If you're eligible, you can use the value of your home to pay for your care home costs. See Will I have to sell my home to pay for my care home costs for more information on DPAs.
• Get a care home top-up (also known as a third party care home top-up). It's where someone (like a relative) pays the shortfall. You can't pay your own top up fees - because we've assessed you as needing financial help from us. Age UK and Which have more information on care home top-up fees.

Contact us

If you need more information, email the financial assessment team at fab@norfolk.gov.uk. Or call 01603 222133 (option 2).