Will I have to pay for residential care?

This section covers:

• What is capital and how will the local authority assess this?
• What is income and how will the local authority assess this?
• What is the most I will have to pay?
• What are top-up fees?
• What are Deferred Payment Arrangements (DPA)?

If your local authority decides you need residential care to help in coping with your mental health, they may charge you if you are able to pay for these services. The local authority will carry out a financial assessment – also known as a means-test assessment – and this will work out how much you will have to pay towards the cost of the care home. They will assess you as an individual, which means they won’t take your partner’s income into account and this includes a same-sex partner. You will need to give the local authority information about the money that you have.

The local authority may use different rules if you go into the accommodation for a short time.