Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Benefits and money
  3. Benefits and financial support
  4. In retirement

Paying your residential care or nursing home fees

The local Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust works out how much you need to pay for your residential care or nursing home fees.

Your financial assessment

Before you move into a home, the Trust assesses your finances. They look at your income and capital to calculate how much you must pay.

Examples of income include:

  • interest on your savings
  • private or State Pension or both
  • Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance or the care component of Disability Living Allowance

Your capital might include:

  • savings
  • investments
  • any property you own (like your own home or a holiday home)

Before your financial assessment, make sure you get all the benefits you're entitled to. This is important because your contribution to your home fees will be based on all income, including benefits.

When you pay towards your home fees, you must have £27.19 remaining a week to spend as you want. This is known as the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA). If you get the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, you will keep getting it.

You'll also get up to £5.75 a week savings credit if you are over 65.

  • Are you missing out on unclaimed benefits
  • Financial support
  • In retirement

Capital and the value of your home

If you have over £23,250 in capital, the Trust assesses you as able to pay for all your care.

They assess your capital according to information shown in table below:

Capital you have How your capital is used to calculate your contribution to your care home fees
Over £23,250 You're assessed as able to pay for all your care
Between £14,250 and £23,250 Capital between these amounts will be calculated as providing you with an income of £1 per week for every £250 of your savings
£14,250 or under Your capital will be ignored in calculating how much you have  to pay towards your care

If you own your home, it counts as capital 12 weeks after you move permanently into a care home.

The value of your own home doesn't count as capital if certain close relatives still live there.

  • Your home, your assets and your residential care or nursing home fees

Getting your needs assessed

You will have a needs assessment before a financial assessment.

The local Trust will tell you how much they usually pay for a residential care or nursing home that will meet your needs. They will arrange a suitable residential care or nursing home for you.

You can choose a home that charges the same price. This is important if you are paying your own fees but think you might need to ask your local Trust for help later.

  • Arranging health and social care

Moving into a more expensive residential care or nursing home

You can choose a home that is more expensive than your local Trust usually pays for a person with your assessed needs. But you need to pay the difference.

If the Trust can suggest a place that meets your needs but you want to move into a more expensive home, you can ask a relative or friend to pay the extra. This is called a 'third party contribution'.

You will not be able to pay this yourself as you will have been financially assessed to pay what you can afford.

If the local Trust cannot suggest a place that meets your needs in your area, they must pay more than their usual amount towards your care. 

  • Choosing a residential care or nursing home

HSC contribution towards nursing costs in nursing homes

If you live in a nursing home and have assessed nursing needs, the local Trust will pay £100 a week towards the cost of the nursing.

Hospital staff, your local doctor (GP) or social worker can help arrange an assessment if you think you qualify. 

  • Your local doctor (GP)

If you disagree with the decision made after your assessment, you can:

  • ask for your case to be reconsidered
  • complaint to your local Trust

Direct payments

Direct payments from your local Trust are intended to support adults in independent living but not in permanent residential care.

You may be able to use direct payments to secure occasional short periods (usually not more than four weeks) in residential accommodation if your local Trust agrees.

If you live in a residential care or nursing home

Some people who live in residential care have temporary access to direct payments.

For example, this could allow you to try independent living arrangements before deciding to leave residential care.

  • Financial support

More useful links

  • Managing money
  • Pensions and retirement planning
  • War Widow(er) Pension – gov.uk
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

In retirement

  • 60+ SmartPass and Senior (65+) SmartPass
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Carer's Allowance
  • Cold Weather Payment
  • Energy saving grants
  • Free TV licences
  • Help with health costs
  • Lone Pensioner Allowance
  • Over 80 Pension
  • Paying your residential care or nursing home fees
  • Pension Credit
  • Pensions and retirement planning
  • Residential care and nursing homes and benefits
  • Tax and allowances in retirement
  • Understanding Pension Credit
  • Winter Fuel Payment
  • Your home, assets and residential care or nursing home fees

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS