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Part 1 · Know What You're Actually Paying For
💷 Get the real weekly fee — not just the headline number
Care homes vary hugely in what's included by default
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Start here, before any money changes hands. Care home fees aren't standardised — two homes quoting a similar weekly rate can include very different things. A clear picture now avoids nasty surprises on the first invoice.
Getting this in writing matters. If a dispute comes up later about what was promised, a written fee schedule is far stronger evidence than a conversation you remember differently to the home.
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Part 2 · The Financial Assessment (Means Test)
🧮 Find out what the council will actually contribute
England's capital thresholds for 2026/27, and how the taper works
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This is the step that decides who pays what. It can feel intrusive, but it's a legal right, not a favour — and the sooner it happens, the sooner you know where you actually stand.
Worked example: savings of £18,250 sit £4,000 above the £14,250 lower limit. £4,000 ÷ £250 = 16, so the weekly tariff income is 16 × £1 = £16 a week from savings. The council covers the rest of the assessed contribution — it isn't an all-or-nothing cliff edge.
If capital is above the upper limit (£23,250), the person is classed as a self-funder and pays the full cost themselves — Part 3 covers what that means in practice, including options that don't involve an immediate house sale.
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Part 3 · Self-Funding, Deferred Payment Agreements & Property
🏦 If you're paying it all yourself, you still have options
You don't have to sell the house the day someone moves in
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Self-funding doesn't mean "no support." The council still has a duty to offer certain arrangements, even to people paying their own way in full.
A DPA isn't automatic — you have to ask for it, and the council will usually want the property as security. It's worth raising this in the same conversation as the financial assessment, not afterwards.
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Part 4 · NHS Continuing Healthcare & Funded Nursing Care
🩺 Check whether the NHS should be paying — before assuming the family will
Two different NHS payments, often confused with each other
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This is the most commonly missed step. Many families pay privately for months or years without ever being offered a CHC checklist. It costs nothing to ask.
CHC eligibility has fallen in recent years, so it's worth being persistent. If a CHC checklist comes back negative but the person's needs feel complex, you can ask for a review of that decision rather than accepting FNC as the final answer.
📖 NHS Continuing Healthcare & FNC Guide — coming soon
🔗 NHS England — Continuing Healthcare
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Part 5 · Top-Up Fees
🛡️ Know what a top-up is — and when you're not obliged to pay one
Voluntary, third-party, and only lawful in specific circumstances
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Top-up fees are legal — but they're the exception, not the default. Councils sometimes ask for them more readily than the rules actually allow. It's worth knowing the boundaries before agreeing to anything.
If someone is fully funded under NHS Continuing Healthcare, a top-up shouldn't apply at all — those costs aren't charged to the resident or family in the first place.