Calculate cost of elderly parent care

Paying for care can be a minefield, so we are here to help you calculate what care might cost you for your elderly parent or relative. The Care Cap Calculator for people to understand how the £72,000 government care cap may affect them financially from April 2016.

While the care cap model is still in development, it is important to plan ahead for the future and understand how the cap may have an impact on you or your loved ones in years to come.

Simply use the care calculator below to get an idea of how much it might be for you.

Please note this calculator does not extend to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

Who Pays for Elderly Care Home Fees in the UK?

When you or a loved one are facing the big step of moving into a care home in the UK, worrying about what it’s going to cost is the last thing you need.

Unfortunately the bureaucracy around care home fees can be tricky to navigate. How much will you have to pay? Will the local authority pick up any of the bill? Will you have to sell your home? What if the home you choose is more expensive than the ones the council funds?

All these questions need answers, so here’s a short guide to the basics which may help. The local authority will firstly assess your care needs to see if you need to go into a care home before assessing how much you can afford to contribute to the cost.

When the local authority pays

As UK law stands at the moment, anyone with savings of less than £14,250 gets their care home fees paid for by their local authority. If you’re in this position you’ll still have to pay any income you get towards your care, but you keep £23.90 a week for personal expenses.

When you pay

If your assets (including savings) are between £14,250 and £23,250, you’ll have to pay some of your care home fees, and the local authority will pay the rest. The way this is worked out is that you pay a pound for every £250 you have over the £14,250 threshold.

If your savings are of £23,250 or over, you’ll need to pay all of your care home fees yourself. However, once you’ve used up your savings to the extent they dip below this level, the local authority will step in.

Third party top up

Your local authority will specify the amount of money it will pay in fees for a home which is deemed to match your needs. It can even be in a different county if that’s what works best for you. If the home you choose is more expensive than the council is prepared to fund and you don’t have the money to pay for it, you can ask someone else to top up the difference if they’re able to do so long term. You’re not allowed to top up the fees yourself if your savings are less than £23,250.

How the local authority works out what you pay

Selling your home

When you’re being means-tested to see how much of your care home fees you’ll have to pay, the value of your home will be included in the calculation if there’ll be no-one living in it when you’ve moved out. If your other half is still living in your joint home, the council won’t take the value of your home into account.  To avoid selling your home, social services may be able to lend you the money for care home fees based on its value.

Joint bank accounts

If you have a joint bank account, the local authority will take half of what’s in it into account when they’re working out what you’ll pay towards care home fees.

The NHS

The NHS will pay for any nursing care it provides in your care home if you need it. They will pay the local authority directly.

Planning Ahead

Paying For Care has designed the Care Cap Calculator for people to understand how the £72,000 government care cap may affect them financially from April 2016. While the care cap model is still in development, it is important to plan ahead for the future and understand how the cap may have an impact on you or your loved ones in years to come.

PayingForCare is a national information and advice service helping older people, their families, friends and carers make informed choices when faced with having to pay for their own care. The service is impartial, not for profit and free to use.