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Elderly Care & Local Authority Means Test

Care Home Fees Funding Calculator

Calculate your total assessable assets against your nation's Capital Limits to see if you will be a "self-funder" or if the local council will step in to help.

Care Home Funding
Check if you qualify for council support

Rules and capital limits differ dramatically across the UK.

Turn off if a spouse, civil partner, or dependent child still lives in the home (Property Disregard).

Awaiting Assets

Enter your total assets, property value, and location to determine your status against the UK Capital Limits.

Deprivation of Assets

Deliberately giving away money, properties, or placing them into a Trust to avoid care home fees is classed as "Deprivation of Assets" by local councils. They can legally reverse these transactions or treat you as if you still own the assets.

Understanding UK Care Home Funding

The Means Test: Upper vs Lower Capital Limits

When someone needs to move into a residential care home, the local council will conduct a financial assessment (the means test) to decide who pays.

They look at your **capital** (savings, investments, and sometimes property) and compare it against two national limits. If you have assets above the upper limit, you get zero help with fees.

How Your Assets Dictate Who Pays

Above the Upper Limit

You are a **Self-Funder**. You must pay the full cost of your care home fees until your savings dwindle down to the limit. Care homes are extremely expensive (averaging £800-£1,400 per week), so this can drain an estate rapidly.

Below the Lower Limit

The Council steps in to fully fund the capital side of your care. Note: All of your state and private pensions (minus a small £30.15/week Personal Expenses Allowance) will still be taken to contribute towards the fees.

Care Funding FAQs

Financial Disclaimer

This calculator provides a simplified guide to Local Authority means testing for residential care in the UK. Care funding is highly complex. The value of investment bonds, certain types of trusts, and 50% of jointly owned assets can have varied treatments. You should always seek professional advice from an independent financial adviser who specialises in care funding (often called SOLLA accredited advisers).

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