Rough figures are enough to start
Start with simple answers and approximate amounts only.
Applies NHS Continuing Healthcare criteria and current council rules
Free care home funding check for England
Care Home Funding: Could the NHS or Your Council Pay Your Care Home Fees?
There may be funding your family hasn't been told about. See whether NHS Continuing Healthcare, local authority funding, or a Deferred Payment Agreement may apply, and how long your savings could last.
Start free funding check
No login required. Upgrade to the full Care Home Funding Report for £69 if you need exact figures and next steps.
Updated for 2026/27 rules and NHS rates.
About 10 minutes
Coverage across 152 local authorities
No payment details required
Independent — funded by families
No bank logins needed
We do not ask for account access or exact balances.
Independent for families
We do not pass your details to care homes.
Built around current England rules
Uses current England care funding rules and local authority benchmarks.
2026/27 funding rules now loaded. Charging thresholds and NHS rates are updated for the new financial year. Local authority fee benchmarks use the latest published MSIF data (2025/26).
Funding overview
Care Home Funding: Who Pays for Care Home Fees?
Most care home fees UK families face come from one of three routes: NHS funding, care home local authority funding, or self-funding. This page helps you work out who pays for care home fees in England, while our separate care cost calculator gives a quicker postcode-based estimate if that is all you need first.
It also helps you judge care home costs in the UK against local council rates, so you can see what typical care home fees in the UK may mean for your own weekly contribution.
Care Home Local Authority Funding: Council vs Self-Funding
The first question is who pays for care home fees when savings fall below the means test threshold, property is involved, and the council rate is lower than the home fee. Use the full funding check for CHC, means test, and next-step guidance. Use the free calculator only if you want a quicker savings timeline estimate.
- Who pays for care home fees at your current council rate
- The weekly care home top up fees gap once council funding starts
- Whether NHS Continuing Healthcare could replace self-funding entirely
Need background on typical fees before you start? See our care costs 2026 by region guide, or jump straight to the Care Home Cost Calculator if you only want a quick estimate before taking the full funding check.
Uses 2026/27 England funding rules and the latest published MSIF council benchmarks (2025/26) · Not financial advice
Choose your starting point
Two free entry points, two different jobs
The full free funding check is the main route on this page. The care cost calculator is a separate free tool for a quicker estimate.
Best starting point for most families
Full free funding check
Use the full funding check when you need to understand which route is most likely before you make a funding decision.
- About 10 minutes
- No login required
- Upgrade only if you need exact figures, longer-term projections, and a clearer next-step plan
If you only want a quick estimate first
Care Home Cost Calculator
Use the separate calculator only if you want a quick postcode-based estimate before deciding whether to go deeper.
- Around 2 minutes
- Focused on savings runway and top-up pressure
- Lives separately in our free tools section
Funding cluster 1
NHS Continuing Healthcare: Do You Qualify?
Continuing Healthcare Checklist: Assess Eligibility
What is continuing healthcare? NHS Continuing Healthcare is full NHS care funding for people whose primary need is a health need rather than a social care need. If it applies, the NHS can pay care home fees in full with no means test on savings or property.
Our assessment works like a continuing healthcare checklist. It screens the same 12 NHS continuing healthcare criteria used in the Decision Support Tool so families can see whether a full assessment may be worth requesting.
Funding cluster 2
Deferred Payment Care Home: Can You Avoid Selling Your Home?
Who Pays for Care Home Fees? Local Authority Funding and DPA Options
A deferred payment care home arrangement lets the local authority pay eligible fees while a legal charge is placed on the property, so the house does not have to be sold immediately.
For families paying for care home fees, the real decision is not just house versus savings. The report checks Deferred Payment Agreements, council support, self-funding, and how long savings may last in one place.
Funding cluster 3
Care Home Top Up Fees: Are You Paying More Than the Local Rate?
Care home top up fees appear when the local authority rate is lower than what the home actually charges. Many families do not see the gap until council funding starts.
The report compares your weekly fee with the latest local authority benchmark so you can see the local rate, the weekly shortfall, and the point at which a family may be asked to cover the difference.
Funding cluster 4
Funded Nursing Care: What Is It?
NHS Funded Nursing Care: The Weekly Benefit
NHS funded nursing care is the weekly NHS contribution paid directly to a nursing home when nursing care is being provided and full CHC is not in place. For families comparing quotes, it should be treated as a distinct funding stream rather than rolled into general fee assumptions.
The funded nursing care rate UK families need to check changes the effective weekly fee in nursing settings, so it belongs on the funding page itself rather than being left only to cost guides.
Attendance allowance in care home is a separate question. Families often confuse it with funded nursing care, even though the eligibility rules and the way the money is applied are different.
Funding cluster 5
Attendance Allowance in a Care Home: Does It Still Apply?
What Self-Funders Often Miss
Attendance allowance in a care home is one of the most misunderstood benefits. If you pay your own care home fees, you can usually still claim it, but the position changes the moment the NHS or your council starts paying towards your care.
The report checks whether attendance allowance may apply to your situation, which weekly rate is likely, and how it interacts with the rest of your funding, so you neither miss money you are owed nor rely on a payment that may later be withdrawn.
Funding cluster 6
Section 117 Aftercare: Could This Mean Free Care?
When Local Authority Funding Does Not Apply
Section 117 aftercare can mean care is free and not means-tested when a placement follows specific Mental Health Act sections. This is one of the highest-value funding routes families miss.
Most families asking about a section 117 care home case are trying to answer one question: does the normal means test still apply, or should care be funded in full?
Care Home Funding Report
Many families pay full care home fees without realising they may qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare. The Care Home Funding Report identifies potential eligibility and explains how to apply — including what evidence to prepare.
Based on report methodology
What families say
How families have used the check
The screening made us realise we should have asked for a CHC assessment much earlier. We would not have known where to start otherwise.
Patricia W., Oxfordshire
Seeing the likely council shortfall in advance helped us plan before savings ran down. That changed the conversation for the whole family.
Robert H., Hampshire
It was the first time we could explain the funding position clearly to everyone involved. It felt specific to our council, not like another generic article.
Linda C., Hertfordshire
Compare the free check with the full report
What changes when you move from the free check to the £69 report
Start with the free check if you want to see what may apply. Use the full report if you need exact figures, longer-term projections, and a clearer next-step plan.
Free Check
£0no card required
A quick first step. See whether NHS funding or council support may apply before you spend more time or money.
- CHC screening indication
- Council funding likelihood
- Potential savings estimate
- 7-day access
- Detailed analysis & projections
- Personalised action plan
- Ready-to-send letters
- Evidence preparation toolkit
Full report
Care Home Funding Report
£69one-time payment
The full report for families who need more than a screening indication: clearer eligibility analysis, means test estimates, and a practical next-step plan.
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Full CHC analysis with domain breakdown
- Means test estimate using current rules
- 5-year financial projections
- Independent analysis in plain English
- PDF export to share with family
- 90-day access
- Ready-to-send letters
Free Check shows what may apply. Care Home Funding Report explains your likely position in more detail and what may be worth doing next. Care Funding Action Pack is only for families who are ready to move into letters, evidence, and follow-through.
Next step after your full report
Care Funding Action Pack is for families who want help taking action
Most families do not need this first. Start with the Care Home Funding Report, then upgrade only if you want editable templates, checklists, and a more structured follow-through plan.
When £69 is enough
- You mainly want to understand the rules applied to your situation.
- You need likely figures, funding routes, and clearer projections first.
- You are not yet ready to draft letters or manage follow-through paperwork.
When £199 becomes worth it
- You want editable templates instead of writing to the NHS or council from scratch.
- You want a clearer sequence for what to do over the next few weeks.
- You are ready to move from understanding the position to taking action.
6–8 editable letter templates — review and personalise before sending
Evidence checklist — which records to gather first
8-week action plan — step-by-step with deadlines
What changes when you move from £69 to £199?
This is the practical difference: the Guide explains the position, the Action Pack adds the paperwork and follow-through.
Care Home Funding Report £69
Understand your means test result
Care Funding Action Pack £199
Letter to the council: formal statement of your position
Care Home Funding Report £69
Know if CHC might apply to your parent
Care Funding Action Pack £199
CHC evidence checklist: what to record and how to present it
Care Home Funding Report £69
Understand DPA and 12-week disregard
Care Funding Action Pack £199
8-week action plan: what to do each week, in order
Care Home Funding Report £69
Know your options
Care Funding Action Pack £199
Appeal templates: if the council or NHS says no
You understand your situation
You have documents ready to send
| Care Home Funding Report £69 | Care Funding Action Pack £199 |
|---|---|
| Understand your means test result | Letter to the council: formal statement of your position |
| Know if CHC might apply to your parent | CHC evidence checklist: what to record and how to present it |
| Understand DPA and 12-week disregard | 8-week action plan: what to do each week, in order |
| Know your options | Appeal templates: if the council or NHS says no |
| You understand your situation | You have documents ready to send |
Most families should start with Care Home Funding Report. Upgrade to Care Funding Action Pack when you want editable templates, a clearer sequence, and an action-focused toolkit.
30-day money-back guarantee
Before you buy
This personalised digital report applies publicly available care-funding and means-test rules to the details you provided. It helps you understand your likely position before speaking with your council or adviser. It is not regulated financial advice and does not replace advice about property, pensions, investments or long-term financial planning.
Read what the report coversNeed help with a different decision?
Costs and funding
Do I have to sell the house? What will the council pay?
Care Home Funding Report
£69
24 hrs · No subscription
Need a recommendation
I need an independent recommendation I can trust
Care Home Matching Report
£119
24 hrs · No subscription
Checking one home
I've found a home — but is it really safe?
Care Home Check
£49
1 hr · No subscription
Why pay for this?
Why not just use GOV.UK or speak to an adviser?
Free guidance helps you understand the rules. A regulated adviser helps with formal recommendations. The Care Home Funding Report sits in the middle: it applies the care funding rules to your family's situation first.
Free guidance
£0
GOV.UK and Age UK explain the rules in general terms, but they do not apply them to your family’s figures.
- Good for understanding the system
- Not personalised to your council or savings
- You still have to work out what applies to you
Most families start here
Care Home Funding Report
£69
The practical middle step for most families: apply the rules to your situation before deciding whether you need paid professional advice.
- Personalised means test and funding route view
- Council-specific context and 5-year projections
- Plain-English explanation of what may be worth doing next
SOLLA adviser
£300–£600
Regulated later-life financial advice when you need recommendations on products, planning, or complex decisions.
- Regulated financial advice
- Can recommend specific products
- Best after you already understand your likely position
Most families use the Care Home Funding Report to understand their likely position first, then decide whether they actually need regulated financial advice.
Not ready to start the assessment? Get the funding basics by email
CHC screening pointers, the means test thresholds, and what to gather before any funding conversation — a short email series so nothing gets missed.
No spam · Unsubscribe anytime · 5 emails over 2 weeks
Read the exact funding guides behind the report
These three guides go deeper on the funding questions that most often decide the outcome: the care home means test, Deferred Payment Agreements, and care home top up fees.
Care Home Means Test 2026: How the Financial Assessment Actually Works (With Worked Examples)
How the care home means test works in 2026/27. Capital thresholds, tariff income, property treatment and three worked examples showing where you stand.
Deferred Payment Agreements for Care Homes: How They Work
How deferred payment agreements work for care home fees in the UK. Real numbers, worked examples, and when a DPA is (and isn't) the right choice for your family.
Care Home Top-Up Fees Explained: 2026 UK Guide
A practical guide to care-home top-up fees: when they are lawful, what must be in writing, and the checks families should make before signing.
Get a clear answer before more money is spent
See which routes may apply, where the answer is still uncertain, and what may be worth doing next.
- Free to start
- No login required
- Built around current England rules
Takes about 10 minutes. Rough figures are enough to start.
This is an information service, not financial or legal advice. Always consult a qualified adviser before making financial decisions about care funding.
Before we generate your report
This personalised digital report applies publicly available care-funding and means-test rules to the details you provided. It helps you understand your likely position before speaking with your council or adviser. It is not regulated financial advice and does not replace advice about property, pensions, investments or long-term financial planning.
Read what the report coversFunding guides and tools for the exact next question
Use these supporting pages when the next question is narrower than the full Care Home Funding Report: CHC appeal, the care home means test, Deferred Payment Agreements, care home top up fees, or nursing home costs and Funded Nursing Care.
NHS Continuing Healthcare appeal help
Use this if CHC was refused and you need the next-step route for evidence, challenge, and follow-up.
Care Home Means Test UK 2026
The exact thresholds, tariff income rules, and how care home local authority funding is worked out.
Deferred Payment Agreement care home guide
A deeper guide to keeping the property, delaying sale pressure, and when a DPA becomes relevant.
Care Home Top Up Fees guide
How top up fees work, when they are lawful, and what families should check before signing.
Care Home Top Up Fees checker
A free tool for the local council-rate gap behind care home top up fees.
Nursing home costs and Funded Nursing Care
Regional nursing fees, the FNC deduction, and where nursing costs differ from standard care home fees.