Paying for care

If you have more than £23,250 in savings and capital, you will not be eligible for financial help towards your care and support costs.

If you have less than £23,250 in savings and capital, you'll get financial help from us towards your care and support costs.

See more information on:

If you pay for your own care

If we contribute to your care costs

We determine how much you contribute to your care costs by doing a financial assessment with you.

The financial assessment explained

If you've had a Care Act assessment and are eligible for our help, we'll do a financial assessment with you. This tells us how much you need to contribute towards your care costs. You will get a copy of our financial assessment.

The financial assessment will only look at your finances, not consider your partner's or spouse's. However, you should tell us about any savings or capital held in joint names.

We can do the assessment over the telephone, online, or face-to-face. It depends on your needs.

Do not give money or assets away to avoid paying for your own care or to receive financial help sooner. We may ask the person who received it to pay for some (or all) of your care.

If you just want an idea of what help you might get before doing a financial assessment, use our online financial calculator. You don't need to include the value of your home if you are looking to have care at home.

The financial assessment will only look at your finances, not consider your partner's or spouse's. However, you should tell us about any savings or capital held in joint names.

Will you look at the value of my home?

We will not include your home's value if you need care at home. We also will not include it if you're moving into a care home temporarily.

If you are moving into a care home permanently, Age UK tell you when your home will not be counted in the financial assessment. For example, because certain people still live there.

We know many people worry they'll have to sell their home to pay for care home costs. We've put together a guide on will I have to sell my home to pay for my care home costs.

Bring details (like letters or statements) about:

• Assets:
  • Buildings
  • Land
  • Cash
  • Savings in building society accounts and bank current accounts
• Other types of capital:
  • National Savings certificates and Ulster Savings certificates
  • Premium bonds
  • Stocks and shares
  • Capital held by the court of protection or a deputy appointed by that court
  • Trust funds (in certain circumstances)
• Savings in deposit accounts or special investment accounts (including half of any joint accounts):
  • Savings held in the national savings bank, girobank and trustee savings bank
  • SAYE schemes
  • Unit trusts
  • Co-operatives share accounts
• Income:
  • Your state or occupational pension
  • Benefits (including joint claims). This includes disability living allowance (DLA), personal independence payment (PIP), attendance allowance (AA), employment support allowance, universal credit, pension credit. 
  • Any earnings, statutory sick pay, or maternity pay

Tell us about essential expenditure

You should tell us about any essential outgoings you have, including:

• Disability related expenses (DRE) - we'll only look at these as past of your financial assessment for non-residential care. DREs are extra costs that you may have to pay because of your disability or care need. DREs can affect how much you pay for your care. We might take these off the amount we consider to be your available income, reducing the amount you pay. Our disability related expenses guide explains more about DREs, like what expenses are included. It includes an easy read guide.
• Rent or mortgage
• Council tax

Unsure what to bring?

If you have questions about what you need to bring to your assessment, email us at fab@norfolk.gov.uk or call 01603 222133 (option 2) 

If you have less than £23,250 in savings and capital, you'll get financial help from us towards your care and support costs.

As we're contributing to your care costs, we'll give you a 'final personal budget'. The is the actual amount of money needed to cover the services that we've agreed will meet your eligible needs. The final personal budget will override the indicative budget we gave you originally on your care and support plan. The final budget may be higher or lower than the indicative budget we gave you, as this was just an estimate. We will update your care and support plan with the final personal budget. It will tell you how much you're contributing to it and how much we are, based on the financial assessment.

You can get your personal budget paid directly to you so you have more control over the care you receive. This is called a direct payment. We only give you the part we are contributing. For example, if your care costs are £500 and we've assessed you as being able to pay £100, your direct payment would be £400.

We have a Direct Payment Support Service who provide information and support about:

• Understanding personal budgets and arranging your own support
• Managing direct payments
• Recruiting, employing and managing personal assistants

We can also arrange services on your behalf so you don't have to have a direct payment.

My choice of care home is more than my final personal budget

If you are going into a care home and your chosen place costs more than your final personal budget allows, you might be able to use a care home top-up fee. This is 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.

For more information on care home top-up fees, go to:

• Age UK's care home top-up fees guide
• Which's care home top-fees guide 

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).

Many people worry they'll need to sell their home to be able to pay their care home costs.

For example, your financial assessment (see Will I have to pay for my care?) might have worked out you need to pay for your care home costs. But to pay that cost, you'd have to sell your home because that's where your capital is.

Read Age UK's guide on Do I have to sell my home to pay for care.

How a Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA) could prevent you from selling your house

A Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA) allows you to use the value of your home to pay for your care home costs. During the first 12 weeks you are in a care home, we'll ignore your home in your financial assessment. This gives you time to think how you will pay for your care and whether you might sell your home.

If you are eligible for the scheme, you'll enter into a legal agreement with us after the 12 weeks.

A DPA is only one way to pay for the costs and it will not suit everyone's circumstances. We advise you speak to a financial adviser or an independent organisation first. They can help you understand what other options are available.

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

Eligibility

You should be eligible for a DPA if you:

• Are receiving or about to receive long-term care in a care home or supported living accommodation, including housing with care
• Own your home (unless your partner or certain others are living there)
• Ensure your home is registered with the Land Registry. If it isn't, you'll need to register it during the application process.
• Have savings and investments of less than £23,250, excluding the value of your home or your pension pot
• Have mental capacity to agree to a DPA. If not, you'll need to have a legally appointed representative who agrees to it. Read our guide on making decisions for someone else.

We might exclude your home's value when assessing your finances if certain people still live in your home. Read Age UK's guide on Do I have to sell my home to pay for care to see who these people must be. If this is the case, you wouldn't need a DPA.

If you're already living in a care home, you can still apply for a DPA.

How it works

The care home cost you can't afford (because it's tied up in your home), we'll pay on your behalf. This is the deferred payment.  You'll need to repay us at a later date. We put what's called a 'legal charge' onto your property so we can ensure we will get our money back.

A DPA is effectively a loan, but you don't get a lump sum of money from us. We'll pay the cost on your behalf, directly to the care home.

You'll get an agreement from us which will tell you:

• The maximum amount of money we will pay on your behalf
• The interest rates and administrative fees
• What our responsibilities are and what are yours. For example, you'll need to make sure you insure your home and keep it maintained.

You can end the agreement at any time. For example, if you sell your home, you can then repay us back in full. We cannot cancel the agreement without your consent.

A DPA usually begins 12 weeks after you've been in the care home.

How much you can defer

How much you can defer depends on the value of your house. That value determines your 'equity limit'.  We don't allow you to use all your property's equity. This is so you still have money left over to pay sale costs of your property (solicitor's fees etc). And it protects us if there's a drop in house prices.

We'll ask you to arrange estate agent valuations of your property, which are usually free. If you are unable to arrange valuations yourself, we can this for you for a fee.

How do I repay what I owe

The deferred payment will build up as a debt that you'll need to repay. The agreement ends automatically following your death.

For most people, they'll pay us back from the money they get from selling their home either now or later on. Some people choose to keep their house until their death, so we will be repaid from your estate. Your executor will usually need to do this within 90 days.

Or, you might rent your home out and use this money to repay us. If you do rent out your home, you should use the income to reduce the amount you are asking us to defer. This will minimise your overall deferred payment debt.

You can also pay the debt back from another source if you want to. For example, a family member or friend might pay.

If the money you owe is repaid without selling your home, the executor can follow any instructions you've left on what to do with it.

Setting up a deferred payment agreement on someone's behalf

Carers and families can help people to make decisions about their care and how to pay for it.

The person applying for the DPA must have capacity to understand what they are entering into. If they don't, then another person may need to represent them. Only a person who is legally authorised can represent someone in applying for a DPA. Read our page on making decisions for someone else.

Interest rate and administration fees

We do not make a profit out of DPAs. We need to make sure that we can invest in the scheme so people can keeping benefiting from it.

We charge interest on the amount owed to us, and an administrative fee to cover our costs.

The interest rate is set nationally and reviewed every six months.

You'll receive a statement every six months detailing the costs. It'll include what your deferred payment debt is to date.

If a professional assesses someone as lacking mental capacity, they'll need someone to make decisions for them.

People may lack mental capacity because:

• They've had a serious brain injury or illness
• They have dementia
• They have severe learning disabilities

You can appoint someone to make decisions for you in case you lose mental capacity. It's called a lasting power of attorney (LPA).

If someone already lacks mental capacity, a deputy or an appointee can be put in place to help them.

Lasting power of attorney (LPA)

You must be 18 years-old or over and have mental capacity when making a LPA.

There are two types of LPA and you can apply for one or both:

• Health and welfare. For example, making decisions about daily routine like:
  • Washing and dressing
  • Moving into care
  • Receiving life-sustaining treatment
• Property and financial affairs, such as:
  • Managing bank or building society accounts
  • Paying bills
  • Collecting benefits or selling property

How to apply

Create an LPA and find more information on GOV.UK's website.

Deputyship

If someone lacks mental capacity, it's not possible for them to put a LPA  in place. However, someone else can apply to the Court of Protection to become their deputy.

There are two types of deputy and you can apply for one or both:

• Personal welfare deputy. Making decisions about daily routine like:
  • Washing and dressing
  • Medical care
  • Moving into care
• Property and financial affairs deputy, such as:
  • Managing bank or building society accounts
  • Paying bills
  • Collecting benefits or selling property

How to apply

Find out more information and how to apply to become a deputy on GOV.UK's website.

Appointeeship

A person can apply to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to deal with state benefits for someone who can't manage their finances.

An appointee can be:

• A friend or relative
• An organisation or representative of an organisation. For example, a solicitor or local council.

How to apply

To apply for an appointeeship, you'll need to contact the organisation that provides the person's benefits. Find information about making an appointee application and contact details on GOV.UK's website.

Safeguarding the person's interests

If you make decisions that are not in the best interest of the person you're representing, an investigation may happen. This could be by the local authority, Office of the Public Guardian, or police.

For example, if you break the rules around making gifts or charge unreasonable expenses.

When we take authority

If a person doesn't have anyone who can manage their finances for them, we can represent them as a last resort. The person must receive social care from us. Their social care practitioner will need to refer them to us. They must only refer someone to us if it's in the best interests of the person receiving care.

We will take over managing their finances if there are no other options and we have all their financial details.

Further information

If you want more information about making decisions for someone else, you can:

• Download our appointee and deputyship policy (PDF) [248KB]
• Email us at CFAT@norfolk.gov.uk or call 01603 224219.

If we've sent you an invoice (eg for your contribution towards you care), you can pay the invoice online.

Pay your invoice online

Information on care charges and charging policies for residential and non residential care:

• Residential care home and nursing home charges including our residential charging policy
• Download a guide to charges for NORSE-run housing with care (PDF) [254KB]
• Download a guide to charges for home care and other non-residential care services (PDF) [219KB]
• Download our non-residential care charging policy (PDF) [408KB]