Financial assessments

Contents

Overview

Care and Support is not a free service like the NHS. Councils are required to carry out a financial assessment, sometimes called a 'means test,' to work out what you can afford to pay towards the cost of care.

Request a financial assessment

You can calculate your contribution to give you an estimate of how much you will need to pay.

How a financial assessment works

A financial assessment looks at your individual circumstances to work out how much you should contribute. The aim is to make sure you only pay what you can reasonably afford. 

  • If you have savings and assets below £23,250, you may be eligible for some support to help pay for your care  
  • If you have over £23,250, you will normally pay the full cost of your care

Some care services are always free, for example, short-term rehabilitation care (up to six weeks) and NHS continuing healthcare.

You can find more detailed information about financial assessments for residential and non-residential care services in our factsheet.

What you will need to provide

You may be asked to provide documents for the assessment, such as bank statements, benefit letters, or proof of savings. Find out more about what you will be asked in the assessment.

Results of the assessment

There are three possible decisions that the Council can make:  

  • You will be assessed as able to pay for the full cost of your care services
  • You will be assessed as able to contribute to your care services
  • You will be assessed as not required to contribute your care services

Once you complete your assessment, you will receive a letter explaining the results. We will also explain how you can pay. Read more about understanding the outcome.

If you choose not to complete the financial assessment 

You do not have to complete a financial assessment, but if you choose not to, you will be treated as if you can pay the full cost of your care. This means we will not provide financial support towards your care fees. 

You can still ask for a financial assessment at a later date if you change your mind or if your circumstances change.