Adult Social Care

Financial assessments

A financial assessment is a means test to see how much you can afford to pay for your care. If the amount of money you have is not enough, you may qualify for help to pay for your care.

When we do a financial assessment we must follow rules set out by the government in the Care Act 2014.

Financial assessments are free and can be done in person, by post or email. 

How to get a financial assessment

You must have a care needs assessment that shows you should get care and support at home or live in a care home.

After your care assessment, a social worker will refer you for a financial assessment. Your care will start when you need it, even if you are waiting for your financial assessment. 

We will let you know if your financial assessment will take place in person. Or we might send you the forms to complete and send back by post or email as soon as you can.

If you are in a care home you may need to pay a minimum payment while you wait for the assessment. We will tell you how much, if anything.

During the assessment

We will need proof of your income and savings, so please have this information available:

  • bank accounts including current, deposit and special investment accounts
  • building society accounts
  • Post Office and national savings accounts
  • Premium Bonds
  • ISAs
  • stocks, shares and unit trusts
  • money owed to you by third parties
  • benefit books or recent benefit award letters from the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions
  • details of any property or land you own
  • other savings

Someone to help

You can have a relative, friend or other representative with you during the assessment, or to help you complete the form if we have sent it to you.

Or you can ask for help and support from an independent advocate.

If a person has lost mental capacity we cannot do a financial assessment unless there is someone who has the legal right to manage their money and represent them. 

What happens next?

When the financial assessment is complete, we will write to you to confirm how much you can contribute to the cost of your care, if anything. This will normally take about four weeks.

We will reassess each year to recalculate the amount. If your circumstances change before the year is up, we will ask to make a reassessment.

You can request a reassessment at any time by completing a care payment enquiry.

You will receive a statement every four weeks telling you about the care you receive, and any payments made during that time. It will also state your opening and closing balance.

If you think the contribution you have been asked to pay is unfair, you can request a review.

Refer to the appeals process for more information. 

The council has a debt recovery policy which is implemented if you do not pay your charges for four weeks. Non-payment may result in court action.

  • Council Debt Policy

    Download this document: Council Debt Policy (PDF: 348 KB)

    This policy sets out, in clear and transparent terms, the council's approach to collection and recovery of debts, charges and local taxation.

    First published: 7/07/2022

    Last updated: 2/02/2024

If you are unwilling to pay for services or are struggling to pay, please complete a care payment enquiry so we can understand your reasons and discuss these with you. This may involve speaking with your social worker.

If you don’t want a financial assessment you’ll be classed as a self-funder and will need to pay the full cost of your care, regardless of your financial circumstances.

If we have sent you a financial assessment form but you need help to complete it, you can request support by completing a care payment enquiry.

A financial assessment will work out the amount you will be expected to contribute and is based on two calculations: Assessed income and contribution amount.

For more information and some examples, see how much people pay.

You can also use our online financial assessment calculator to work out your estimated contribution.

All financial assessments are carried out as single person assessments. This means that we only look at the income and assets of the person receiving the service.

If there is joint income (such as Pension Credit or Employment Support Allowance) this will be halved for the financial assessment. If there are joint accounts these will also be halved.

If you jointly own your home with someone, its value may be ignored in the financial assessment if there is someone else living there who needs to stay, such as a spouse, partner, dependent child, a family member over 60 or someone who is vulnerable.