Paying for care homes

If your social care assessment shows that residential or nursing care is the best way to meet your needs, we will look at your finances to work out how much you have to pay.

Residential and nursing care can be expensive. If you are paying for it yourself, we can offer you information and advice about getting the most for your money.

Your financial assessment

We look at your savings, property and income to work out how much you have to pay towards your care home fees. If you have savings or capital of more than £23,250 you will have to pay the full cost.

Once we have assessed your finances we will tell you how much you need to pay per week. We call this your maximum weekly charge.

We will not ask you to pay more than this unless your financial situation changes. So if your health worsens and you need more care your maximum weekly charge will remain the same.

If you are going into temporary residential care we will not count the value of your home when we work out how much you have to pay. We will agree with you in advance how long your stay in the residential home will be.

If you are going into permanent residential care we will take the value of your home into account when we work out how much you will have to pay.

And we will not take the value of your home into account if any of the following people live in it:

  • your partner (this means your husband, wife or civil partner, or someone you live with as if they were your husband, wife or civil partner)
  • a member of your family who is 60 or over
  • a member of your family who is ill or disabled (this means they are receiving, or could be receiving, a disability benefit)
  • a child you are responsible for who is under 16 years old
  • any other person (for example, a carer) if we think this is reasonable.

Maximum payments

Every year we set a maximum amount that we will pay for different kinds of residential care. We call this the ‘usual cost'.

The usual cost is based on the amount that residential care homes in East Sussex charge for meeting different needs.

If you qualify for financial support from us, then we will pay the difference between what our assessment says you can afford (your ‘maximum weekly charge') and the amount it usually costs to pay for a care home that meets your needs (our ‘usual cost').

Choosing a care home

If you are paying the full cost of your residential care then the home you choose is entirely up to you. We can still give you information and advice to help you make your choice.

If we are paying a contribution towards your fees then you may still choose your own care home provided that it:

  • is able to meet your assessed needs
  • does not exceed the usual cost of a care home for someone with your assessed needs
  • has a place available for you.

If you choose a more expensive home

If you want to go into a home that charges more than the usual cost, someone will have to pay the difference. This is called a ‘top up' charge.

The law says you are not allowed to pay the top up charge yourself, and neither is your husband, wife or civil partner. This is because we will already have carried out your financial assessment to see how much you are able to pay towards your residential or nursing home fees.

Ways to pay top-up charges:

  • A friend or relative can pay.
  • We can lend money to homeowners, which you pay back when your property is sold. This is known as the Deferred payment scheme.
  • Some homeowners may qualify for short-term help, known as the the 12 week property disregard period.

Information for homeowners

How to pay

If you are staying in a care home, you can arrange to pay your contribution direct to the home.

Or, we can send a bill each month – to you, or someone who has agreed to act legally on your behalf.

Claiming benefits while you are in residential care

You can continue to claim certain benefits when you are in residential care or a nursing home.

We count your benefits when we work out how much you can afford to pay towards your care. However, you are entitled to keep a personal allowance to cover things like newspapers, toiletries and snacks. The Government sets this amount every year.

More information

The websites below offer useful advice on how moving into residential care will affect your finances.

Help and enquiries