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If you are in a couple and one of you needs to go into a care home, it is important to be aware of how the local authority financial assessment rules work.
If you enter a care home on a short-term basis of up to eight weeks, the local authority can choose to assess and charge you based on the rules as if you still live at home as a couple. See factsheet 46, Paying for care and support at home, for more information.
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This factsheet explains how being part of a couple affects your eligibility for local authority funding if you need to move into a care home. It looks at your rights to welfare benefits also. It focusses mainly on if you are seeking state support rather than if you are privately arranging your residential care.
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- How Is Funding For My Care calculated?
- When Will My Jointly Owned Property Be Included in The Means Test?
- Will My Partner Be Able to Continue Living there?
If you are applying for funding towards your care, the local authority will conduct a means test to establish how much funding you are eligible for. This is when they add up your capital, which is your assets, savings and investments, and your income. How much this total comes to determines whether you are eligible for full funding, partial funding...
If your partner still lives there
If your partner is still living in your jointly owned property, it will not be included in the means test.
If you are separated but still live together
If you are separated or divorced but still living together then the property will be included in the means test, unless they also care for your child (who is under 18), a relative who is over 60 or a disabled relative. The person they care for must also live in the property for it to be excluded from the means test.
If you are staying in a care home temporarily
The property won’t be counted if you are going to a care home temporarily or if you are having a means test because you want to receive home care.
If your property isn’t included in the means test, your partner will be able to continue living there. If it is included, it may be necessary for them to move, depending on the individual circumstances.
Currently, if someone goes in to care they will have to pay for the care themselves known as “self-funding”. They will continue to pay for care until the value of their assets such as homes and cash in the bank depletes to an upper threshold limit of £23,250.
If you have a private pension when you move into a care home, half of this can be passed over to your spouse, if you have one. That half then won't be taken into consideration for the means test. If the local authority agrees to pay some or all of your care home fees, your income will be affected in the following ways:
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Jun 6, 2023 · A total lifetime cap on care costs of £86,000 is also due to be introduced. However, these caps will only cover care costs, not accommodation, food or other living costs. Care home residents or their families will continue to foot the bill for these costs.
