Cost of your care
After your financial assessment, you will be sent a letter telling you the outcome. It will tell you how much you need to pay and you will need to pay the invoice monthly.
The letter will include a Direct Debit form. If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, you can complete it and upload your Direct Debit form. To make a payment, see Ways to pay for your care.
Your personal care budget
After agreeing your care plan, if you are receiving care at home we can set up your personal care budget. A personal budget is the amount of money used to pay for your care and support, this includes:
- the money we give you
- the money you pay towards the cost of your care.
The amount you get depends on your care and support needs, and what is available or already in place to meet these needs.
You can only use it to pay for things that are in your care plan. It will be paid monthly and a month in advance into your bank account. The bank account should be separate from your main bank account. This is so it will be easy to see and track your spending.
The personal budget account should always have the advance funds available in the account. You can choose to have it paid into the bank account for yourself or someone who represents you, such as a family member. If you choose to do this, a new account will need to be opened for yourself or the representative.
If you have been assessed to pay a client contribution, you will need to pay this into the personal budget account that you have opened, the contribution will need to be paid weekly or 4 weekly from your personal account to the personal budget account. Some of the ways you can spend your personal care budget include:
- Paying for personal care through a payroll company ie HAD, self employed carer or through a care agency
- Paying for a day opportunity. This can include a day in a day centre support.
There are a few different ways that you can manage your budget.
To find out more about personal care budgets, see our direct payment guide. To discuss direct payments, call us on 020 8736 6700.
Paying as a self-funder
A self-funder pays all the costs for their care and support.
You are a self-funder if you:
- have savings, capital, assets, or income of more than £23,250
- have not been assessed for care and support but want to arrange private care
- don’t want to tell us about your finances and may want to make private arrangements.
If you live at home and pay for your own care arranged by us,we will charge an initial set up fee of £515 followed by an annual administration fee of £279 to set up these services.
If you own a property and qualify for a residential or nursing home, the Deferred Payment Scheme can assist with care costs.
Pay by deferred payment
Deferred payments are only for those who are moving into a care home. It is a way to pay for care if you do not have the money upfront. It lets you delay paying the full cost until later.
We will cover your care home fees, and you will pay them back later, usually when your home is sold. You don’t have to sell your house straight away, so you have more time to decide.
A deferred payment gives you peace of mind. Your care is paid for, even if you do not have the money right now.
To find out more about deferred payments, call us on 020 8736 6802. For more advice about paying for your care, see:
More expensive care homes and top-up agreements
If you decide not to take the home we offer and choose a more expensive care home, a friend or family member can pay the extra cost.
This cost is on top of your contribution. It shows the difference between our usual payment and the real care home fees. It is called a third-party top-up.
Choosing and paying for care homes
For a list of local care homes, and the different ways to pay, see our Care Homes page.