Who pays for care home fees?
The NHS pays the whole cost where an assessment finds your need is primarily a health need.
The NHS pays the whole cost where an assessment finds your need is primarily a health need.
Otherwise the council means-tests you: above £23,250 of capital you pay in full, between £14,250 and £23,250 you pay from income plus a charge on your capital, and below £14,250 you pay from income only.
The advisers for this subject: Sunny Bharj and Tony Springer
NHS continuing healthcare is a package of care arranged and funded solely by the NHS for an adult assessed as having a primary health need. It can be given in any setting. In a care home the NHS contracts with the home and pays the full fees for accommodation, board and care.
The NHS starts with a checklist. Where the checklist shows you may qualify, a team of at least two health or care professionals carries out a full assessment. The council must tell the NHS where it appears you may be eligible.
Where you do not qualify and you live in a care home with nursing, the NHS pays NHS-funded nursing care of £267.68 a week from 1 April 2026, directly to the home. You are considered for continuing healthcare first.
Tariff income is £1 a week for every £250 of capital between £14,250 and £23,250, rounded up.Care and support statutory guidance
Eligibility turns on whether you have a primary health need. Where you qualify, the NHS funds the whole package, including the care home fees.
Ask the council for a financial assessment. From that point it charges you what the means test says you can afford, and it is reassessed when your resources change.
No. The council assesses the person going into care on their own resources. Jointly held capital is treated as split equally unless there is evidence of a different share.
No. Scotland and Wales set their own limits. Care funding in Scotland, care funding in Wales, care funding in Northern Ireland
Our advisers can work out how long your income and capital would cover care home fees, and advise on the products that pay for them.
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