Paying for care

Short term support at home

If you need a short period of intense care and support in your own home following a stay in hospital or recovering from a serious illness, this can be provided for free. After the first few weeks, we will then review your circumstances and discuss whether you need longer term help.

If long term social care support is needed, you will then need to complete a financial assessment to see how much you may need to pay for this continued support.

How much you will pay for long term support at home

When you have care at home, we do not include the value of your main home as a financial asset so you will not have to sell it to fund your care.

If you have capital of £23,250 or more 

If your capital is over £23,250, you will be asked to pay the full cost of your care.

Capital between £14,250 and £23,250

When you have capital between £14,250 and £23,250, we will ask you to contribute towards the cost of your care. To work out how much you will be asked to pay we will look at:

• your assessable income
• any savings over £14,250: for every £250 (or part of £250) over £14,250, will be taken as providing you with a £1 weekly income. This will be added to your normal income 
• any disability related costs

Couples may be assessed jointly, using both your own and your partner’s income and savings. 

Capital below £14,250 

If you have capital less than £14,250, we will not ask you to use these savings to help pay for your care costs.

After your contribution is calculated, we will make sure that you are left with enough to live on with a weekly personal expenses allowance. This weekly amount is set by central government each year.

If your financial circumstances change 

We expect you to tell us if your financial circumstances change at any time. Each year, we will review the amount you are due to pay for your care. We will also take into account changes to benefit and pension levels.

Please be aware that if your financial circumstances change, and you do not tell us, we may backdate your charges to the date of that change. A sudden increase in capital, a sale of a property or a welfare benefits award may all be considered as a change in financial circumstances.

The cost of the nursing element of your care is the responsibility of the local NHS. Part of your accommodation and your care costs may be paid by us - this will be confirmed when you complete your financial assessment.  

A financial assessment will also need to be completed if you are going into a care home for just a short period.

How much you will pay for residential care

If you have capital of £23,250 or more 

You will be required to pay the full cost for your accommodation if you have capital worth £23,250 or more. 

Capital between £14,250 and £23,250 

When you have capital between £14,250 and £23,250, we will ask you to contribute towards the cost of your care. To work out how much you will be asked to pay we will look at:

• your assessable income
• any savings over £14,250: for every £250 (or part of £250) over £14,250, will be taken as providing you with a £1 weekly income. This will be added to your normal income 
• any disability related costs

Capital below £14,250 

If you have capital less than £14,250, we will not ask you to use these savings to help pay for your care costs.

After your contribution is calculated, we will make sure that you are left with enough to live on with a weekly personal expenses allowance. This  weekly amount is set by central government each year.

If you own a property 

We take into consideration the value of your home when assessing the amount of capital you have.

In some circumstances, the property you own will not be included in your financial assessment. For example, if you are a part owner of the property, or your property is disregarded for the first 12 weeks following the start of your permanent stay in care. We will discuss these with you as part of your financial assessment.

Deferred payment scheme 

This scheme allows you to keep your property after the initial 12-week period (if applicable). It allows you to use the value of your home to pay for your residential care costs if you can’t pay them because your capital is tied up in your property. A legal charge is placed on the property to protect the council’s interest.

Full details of this scheme will be discussed as part of your financial assessment. 

If you have extra support from another person 

You can receive extra financial assistance from someone other than your spouse. We will not count this support as part of your income provided you use it to:

• pay for something extra that the council would not provide; or
• choose a more expensive care home than we would normally pay for

Already living in care and need extra support 

If you are already living in a care home and your capital falls below £23,250, ask us to arrange for a care manager to assess your care needs. If you wish to stay in the same home, and we agree that the level of care provided meets your needs, then we may help with the cost.

If you wish to remain living in a home which charges more than the council normally pays, you can arrange for a relative / friend to pay the difference. This is called a Third Party Top Up payment. It must be paid as part of a formal contractual agreement - with the contract between the person paying the additional amount, the council and the owner of the care home. This amount cannot be paid for out of your own capital or income.

If your financial circumstances change 

We expect you to tell us if your financial circumstances change at any time. Each year, we will review the amount you are due to pay for your care. We will also take into account changes to benefit and pension levels.

Please be aware that if your financial circumstances change, and you do not tell us, we may backdate your charges to the date of that change. A sudden increase in capital, a sale of a property or a welfare benefits award may all be considered as a change in financial circumstances.

These give you control over your care - allowing you to choose how to spend your personal budget to meet your care plan to help you live independently at home.

Personal budgets 

A personal budget is the amount of money we will pay towards the social care and support you need.

We will work out the amount of money in your budget after we have completed a social care needs assessment with you to identify:

• what kind of care and support you need, for example washing and dressing, help at mealtimes or with shopping
• how much it will cost
• how much you can afford to contribute and pay yourself towards the cost of your care - this will be determined after you have completed a financial assessment

Direct payments 

You can choose to take some, or all of your personal budget as a direct payment. These payments enable you to arrange and pay for the care and support we have agreed you need, instead of us doing it for you. This gives you more flexibility and control to employ someone you like to support you.

We will give this money to you on a regular basis. It will be paid into a dedicated bank account, in your name, for the sole purpose of using this money to pay for your care and support. You can:

• manage this bank account yourself; or
• we will support you to open a managed bank account if you prefer

We will ask you to sign a direct payment agreement once your care plan and the amount of money you need to buy care and support has been agreed. The money will then be paid directly to your bank account - the amount of money you receive will depend on the assessment of your social care needs and how much you’ve been asked to pay yourself following your financial assessment.

This money does not affect any other benefits you may receive.

What you can buy with direct payments 

The direct payment money you receive can only be spent on services and equipment which are lawful, keep you safe and help you with your agreed social care needs. 

You can use direct payments to pay for:

• employing your own staff (sometimes called personal assistants) to help with personal care, social activities, maintaining relationships and support around the home
• buying services from a care and support agency
• buying services from voluntary and community organisations
• arranging short breaks
• buying assistive equipment for your home
• help to support you with living a healthy lifestyle

You cannot use direct payments to pay for:

• permanent residential and nursing care
• NHS services or health equipment
• employing someone living in the same household as you
• services provided by North Yorkshire Council 
• personal household items
• accommodation and housing costs
• alcohol, drugs, gambling and so on

Your social worker will provide more information about what you can and cannot spend your direct payment on, depending on your individual circumstances.

This video provides an example of how direct payments are used by local resident, Gordon:

Using your direct payment 

Whilst direct payments give you more choice and control, you, or the person you choose to manage your direct payments, are still accountable to us for how the money is spent. You will need to keep records of how your direct payment is spent and share these records with us on a regular basis.

If you choose to receive a direct payment, you are taking on the responsibility of buying and arranging your own support. This might include responsibilities as an employer.

If your financial assessment outlined that you have to pay a contribution yourself towards your care, you will need to arrange to pay this into your direct payment bank account either weekly or every four-weeks. Setting up a standing order from your personal account is usually the easiest way.

Who can request a direct payment 

You can get a direct payment if:

• you have eligible social care needs
• you can make decisions for yourself
• you can manage a direct payment alone or with help
• it will help you to meet your eligible needs

If you already receive care and support services, you can speak to your social worker who will explain how a direct payment can work for you.

If you are requesting social care services for the first time, your social worker should discuss direct payments with you when they assess your social care needs. 

Helping you manage your direct payment

If you choose to receive a direct payment, you will be allocated a direct payments advisor to help you manage your payments. They will offer you support, information and advice about all aspects of your direct payment including:

• costing your care and support
• recruiting personal assistants
• employer responsibilities
• employment contracts
• registering with a payroll provider
• buying services from agencies
• setting up a dedicated bank account
• connecting you to other direct payment users
• submitting information to show us how your direct payment is spent
• reviews to discuss how your direct payment is working for you

At any time, you can decide to stop receiving direct payments and ask to receive support in a different way. You should discuss this with your social worker or your direct payments advisor.

When to make a payment after being invoiced for your care

Once you start receiving services, the council will invoice the person in receipt of services on a regular basis four weeks in arrears. Payment should be made within 14 days of the date of the invoice.

What will happen if you do not pay 

Failure to pay a charge by the due date will lead to reminder letters and if necessary, a visit to determine the reason(s) why the person has not paid their charges. If a person refuses to pay their charges, then the continuation of their care will be at risk and legal proceedings may be taken in the courts to enforce payment.