Paying for care: where to start
A plain-English guide to what care costs, who might help pay, and the steps to take first.
Working out how to pay for care can feel like the most daunting part of the whole thing. The good news: there's more help available than most families realise, and you don't have to figure it out alone. This guide walks you through the basics in the order they usually matter.
Step 1: Ask the council for a needs assessment
Before money comes into it, the starting point for almost everyone is a free care needs assessment from your local authority. Anyone can request one — for themselves or someone they look after — regardless of income or savings.
The assessment looks at what support a person needs day to day. It's the gateway to any council-arranged or council-funded care, so it's worth doing even if you think you'll end up paying yourselves.
Step 2: The financial assessment (means test)
If the needs assessment shows care is needed, the council then looks at finances to decide how much — if anything — they'll contribute. This is called a means test, and it weighs up income and savings against national thresholds.
Important for home care: when care is provided in someone's own home, the value of that home is not counted in the means test. This surprises a lot of families who assume they'll have to sell up — for care at home, you won't.
Step 3: Know the main ways care gets funded
Council-funded care
If your finances fall below the thresholds, the council may arrange care or give you the money to arrange it yourself through a 'direct payment' — which gives you far more choice over who provides it.
Self-funding
If you're above the threshold, you'll pay for care privately. The upside is complete freedom to choose your provider and shape the support around what you actually want.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
Where someone has significant, ongoing health needs (not just care needs), the NHS may fund the entire package through Continuing Healthcare. It's worth asking about if health needs are complex — it's not means-tested.
Benefits that can help
Attendance Allowance (for those over State Pension age) and Personal Independence Payment (for working-age adults) can put money towards care. Neither is means-tested, and you don't have to spend them on care specifically — but they help.
Step 4: What home care actually costs
Costs vary by where you live and how much support is needed, but as a rough national guide for 2026, hourly home care typically runs between £26 and £38 an hour, with an average around £32. Overnight and live-in care are priced differently again.
The honest bit: Very low headline rates usually mean a cost is being carried somewhere else — in the carer's pay, their travel time, or your own admin. A fair, sustainable rate is what keeps good carers turning up for the same family, week after week.
Step 5: Get it in writing
Whoever you choose, insist on a clear written breakdown before anything starts: the hourly rate, what's included, any minimum visit length, and the notice period to change or cancel. A good provider will offer this without being asked.
A simple order of things to do
How we can help: We can talk you through the funding routes, tell you honestly whether the council is likely to help, and put your own package in writing after a free assessment — so you know exactly where you stand before committing to anything.
Questions? Call us on 07394 446099 — we're happy to explain any of this in plain English.
This guide provides general information about paying for care in England and was accurate at the time of writing. Rules, rates and thresholds change, and individual circumstances vary. For advice specific to your situation, speak to your local authority, an independent financial adviser, or a charity such as Age UK or Citizens Advice.
Talk it through with someone who does this every day.
Free, no obligation — we'll tell you honestly what support would help and what it would cost.