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How we work out what you can afford to pay

What we count as money coming in

  • pension income
  • certain benefits
  • other income from investments – but only after you’ve paid tax and National Insurance
  • any assets or income that you have a legal right or claim to. This includes assets such as shares, savings and other investments, which may be held in joint names

What expenses we consider

  • If you need care in your own home, we will look at your expenses. People receiving local authority-arranged care and support other than in a care home need to retain a certain level of income to cover their living costs. 
  • Under the Care Act 2014, charges must not reduce people’s income below a certain amount, but local authorities can allow people to keep more of their income if they wish. This is a weekly amount and is known as the Minimum Income Guarantee.
  • If we have considered any income related to a disability you may have, we will also make an additional standard allowance of £34.05 a week for extra expenses that you incur because of that disability (called Disability Related Expenditure). 
  • However, if you incur expenses greater than £34.05 a week, you will be able to request additional amounts to be considered. You will be asked to supply documentation to support these. 
  • We also take account of some of your housing costs. These will include your rent or mortgage repayments and council tax. If you are one of a couple, we will assume that you are responsible for half of all joint expenses. 

Deprivation of assets

If you have given away money or assets that the Council thinks should have been used to pay for your care, we will check if you did this to avoid or lower your payment. This is called deprivation, meaning you have intentionally reduced your money or assets that should have been used for your care.

If the Council decides that deprivation has happened, we might still count the value of the money or assets you gave away when working out your weekly payment. The Council can also legally reclaim the value from the person who received the money or assets. 

Non-residential charges 2024 to 2025

Conventional Home Care (per visit)

ServiceTypeChargeFrequency
15 minutes to 60 minutes eachDiscretionaryDependent on financial assessmentminutes

Reablement Home Care (per visit)

ServiceTypeChargeFrequency
Up to 6 weeks of reablement provision is provided to the client free of charge (dependent on individual progress).DiscretionaryIf reablement provision continues beyond six weeks, it becomes chargeable.per hour

Emergency Link-Line (per week)

ServiceTypeChargeFrequency
Gold ServiceDiscretionary£6.30per week
Telecare Gold ServicesDiscretionary£7.60per week
Silver ServiceDiscretionary£4.95per week
Telecare Silver ServicesDiscretionary£6.40per week

Day Care

ServiceTypeChargeFrequency
Cost is dependent on the particular contract usedDiscretionaryvariousper session

Respite Care

ServiceTypeChargeFrequency
The rates for respite care are subject to change and are variableDiscretionaryvariousper week

For more information on fees, please see our Adult Social Care Charging Policy.