Free tool
Care funding calculator
Work out how much care will cost and who pays, your contribution, local authority support and NHS funding. A clear, no-sign-up estimate in under a minute.
- Covers England, Scotland, Wales & NI
- Residential and nursing care
- Your contribution vs council vs NHS
- Flags Deferred Payment eligibility
Location
About the care funding calculator
Working out who pays for care is one of the most confusing parts of arranging it. Care funding in the UK is means-tested, and the rules, capital thresholds, the personal expenses allowance, tariff income and NHS contributions like Funded Nursing Care, differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our free care funding calculator brings all of that together into a clear, personalised estimate in under a minute, with no sign-up and no jargon, so families can understand roughly what residential or nursing care will cost and who will pay before they ever speak to a local authority.
To use it, choose your nation, select residential or nursing care, then enter your savings, whether you own your home (and whether a partner still lives there), your total weekly income and the weekly care fee. The calculator applies the correct means-test thresholds for your nation, works out any tariff income, factors in NHS or Funded Nursing Care contributions, and tells you whether you're likely to be self-funding, in the partial-funding band or eligible for full council support, together with a weekly breakdown of what you, the council and the NHS would each pay, and whether a Deferred Payment Agreement might apply. It's a guide rather than financial advice, but it gives a realistic picture before a formal financial assessment.
Care funding, explained
How much does a care home cost in the UK?+
Residential care typically costs around £800 to £1,200 per week and nursing care £1,000 to £1,500+ per week, varying significantly by region. London and the South East are usually higher.
What is the capital threshold for care funding?+
In England and Northern Ireland, if your total assets (savings plus property, where assessable) are below £23,250 your local authority must contribute. Below £14,250 you pay nothing from capital. Scotland and Wales use different thresholds.
Does the NHS pay towards a nursing home?+
If you have a primary health need, NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund the full cost. Separately, in a registered nursing home the NHS pays a weekly Funded Nursing Care (FNC) contribution directly to the home, this isn’t means tested.
What is a Deferred Payment Agreement?+
A DPA lets you use your home’s value to pay for care without selling it now, the local authority pays your fees and recovers the cost later, usually when the property is sold.
Helping families understand funding?
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