You are able to access and gain information, advice and assessments of what help you and your carer may need free of charge. However, if you are assessed as needing the following services, you may be asked to contribute towards the cost.
Paying for homecare and day care
Everyone who receives home care or day care services will need to have a financial assessment to work out what, if anything, they can afford to pay. You can choose not to have a financial assessment if you wish but this means that you may have to pay the full cost of your care.
You may be entitled to benefits like Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance to help meet the cost of care at home. Visit our Finance and funding - benefits page for further information about the range of benefits you may be entitled to and how to apply.
More information about paying for your care is available is the publication available to download below:
Contributing towards the cost of your home care (PDF 56kb)
Contributing towards the cost of your day care (PDF 55kb)
Contributing towards the cost of your respite care (PDF 55kb)
Paying for residential and nursing care
If you need to go into residential or nursing care, the 'National Assistance Act' requires that you pay something towards the cost of your accommodation. You may have to pay the full costs of your care yourself or Social Services may agree to pay part of the costs.
In the following circumstances, you would have to pay the full costs of your care charges and you would not receive any financial assistance from Social Services:
- If you have over a certain amount of capital (for example, savings), you will have to pay the full cost of your accommodation, regardless of how much or how little income you have.
- If your income exceeds the costs of your care, you will have to pay the full cost of your accommodation.
If you cannot afford to pay the full cost of your accommodation, then Social Services will carry out a financial assessment to determine how much, if anything, you can afford to pay. Social Services will then pay the remainder of the costs of your care. The purpose of the financial assessment is to make sure that you are not asked to pay more than you can reasonably afford.
The financial assessment process is also used to calculate how much you may have to pay towards short-term (respite) care.
You can choose not to have a financial assessment if you wish but this means that you may have to pay the full cost of your care.
The financial assessment process
The financial assessment process we have to follow and adhere to is laid down by the Welsh Government. This process enables us to calculate how much you can afford to pay towards your care or services.
These rules include certain allowances for 'capital thresholds' and 'personal expenses', which are reviewed annually, with changes taking effect from April of each year.
We will ask you to fill in a form giving us details of your financial circumstances (which includes your income, benefits, savings and capital, and also any property that you own or part-own).
Your care manager will usually arrange for someone from our Income Maximisation Team to visit you to fill in the form with you. They can answer your questions, and can also help with any benefits you or anyone else in your household may be eligible for.
More detailed information about paying for residential/ nursing care and the financial assessment process is set out in the publication available to download below:
Contributing towards the cost of your residential and nursing care (PDF 33kb)