Paying for care

Financial assessment

Once we have agreed your care and support, we will carry out a financial assessment.

The financial assessment will look at your income and any assets you own, like a house. We will then calculate how much you can afford to contribute toward your care and support costs.

For more information, see the Care Act factsheets on GOV.UK.

Rate of contributions

If your savings and assets (capital) total:

• more than £23,250, you will have to pay the total cost of your support
• less than £23,250, we will carry out a financial assessment to work out how much you can afford to contribute

The calculation excludes the value of your main home.

If you do not want to tell the council about your finances, you can opt to pay the full cost of your support.

More information about paying for care is available in the following documents:

Free services

Some of our services do not need you to make a contribution.

These are:

• assessment, support planning, care management and intermediate care
• community equipment services costing less than £1,000
• services for children except where the child has, in their own right, substantial income or capital which generates income

Appeals

We use a consistent and fair method of asking people to contribute to their care and support costs.

If you are not happy with a decision we have made about your contribution, you can make an appeal. You can find more information about appeals in the 'Paying for care services in Bracknell Forest' document.

Deferred payment agreements

A deferred payment agreement is a loan which is secured against your property.

With an agreement in place, we will pay the cost of your care until you choose to sell your home, or until after your death.

Deferred payment agreements will suit some people’s circumstances better than others.

There may be a fee to set up the agreement and we can charge interest on the amount that you owe.

There are other ways to pay for care. We recommend that you seek advice from an expert before making your choice.

You can find more information on the Department of Health and Social Care's website.

Top-up payments

The amount identified in your personal budget must be enough to meet your needs. We will make sure that at least one care home option is available within your personal budget.

You can choose to live somewhere that costs more than the amount in your personal budget. Top-up payments cover the difference between your personal budget and the actual cost. They can give you more choice when you are selecting a care home.

You or a third-party must be able to cover the cost of top-up payments for the likely duration of the arrangement.

We will assess the top-up payer to make sure they have the resources to meet the extra cost for at least 2 years.

As long as you or a third party are able to cover the cost, we will arrange for you to stay in the home of your choice.

For full details, read our top-up payment policy.

We recommend you seek independent financial advice about paying for care before you make a final decision.