Completing a financial assessment
After your care needs assessment, we will ask if you would like a financial assessment. This will help us work out what you will pay for your care, and how much we will contribute.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone is treated fairly. With a principle that people should only pay what they can afford.
Completing a financial assessment tells us how much you can afford to pay towards your care and support. It looks at your:
- assets, such as savings, investments, property and land
- income, such as pensions and benefits
- expenses, which will be different for care at home and residential care
- any capital, assets or income you have gifted or transferred
If your combined income and assets are:
- less than £23,250, you may be eligible for support to help pay for your care
- more than £23,250, you will have to pay the full cost of your care, however we can support you to arrange care
Why complete an assessment
It is important that an assessment is completed promptly to ensure funding is in place and set correctly. We aim to make sure everyone who needs an assessment can access one as soon as possible.
As part of the assessment, we will confirm:
- if you are eligible for support we will tell you the chargeable cost of your package of care and how much your contribution will be.
- if you are entitled to a financial contribution towards the services from us. This will be recorded within your personal budget.
- if you are not eligible for financial support you will need to fund your own care
Do I have to provide my financial information?
You do not have to tell us about your finances. However, if you don't, we will assume that you are prepared to pay or self-fund the full cost of your care.
If you do provide your financial information, we can work out how much you can afford to pay and how much we will contribute.
Required evidence
You will need to have various information and documents to hand to complete the self-assessment form. We have created a list of things that we will ask about during the assessment to help you prepare.
All details you provide will be processed in accordance with data protection legislation and our Adult care services privacy notice.
We will ask about:
- personal information such as National Insurance number
- details of any representatives and legal authority documents
- property, land and assets, etc
- current or savings accounts - sole/joint bank, building society or post office accounts, saving bonds and any cash held by you or someone on your behalf
- investments such as stocks, shares, investment bonds and premium bonds etc
- pensions and annuities (including any deferred pensions)
- any benefits, income or trust funds
- details of any essential expenditure such as mortgage payments, building insurance, rent, council tax, etc
- any capital or assets gifted or transferred in the last 2 years or at any time since having a care need or self-funding your own care.
We will request evidence to ensure our assessment is accurate. This allows us to determine the level of funding you qualify for. Providing us with evidence allows us to calculate a fair contribution toward your care based on what you can reasonably afford.
How to submit your evidence
When submitting your evidence, please do not send original documents, as we cannot guarantee their safe return. We are happy to accept clear photos or digital scans of your documents by email. If you prefer to use the post, please send photocopies only. When sending your evidence, please remember to include your name or reference number so we can match it to your case.
What if I do not have the required documentation?
Please complete your financial assessment as soon as possible. You can do this even if you do not have all your paperwork to hand. This helps us tell you how much you might have to pay toward your care.
We will work with you to ensure the assessment is full and accurate. Additional evidence can be submitted later and during the assessment process through our secure online document upload, via email, or by post.
Essential Information
We will need your contact details and information about your situation. If someone else helps you with your finances, we will need their details too. This could be a Power of Attorney, Deputy, or Financial Representative.
If you have a legal representative, we will need to see evidence of one the following documents:
- an Enduring Power of Attorney or a Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs,
- a Property and Financial Affairs Deputyship (court authority)
- or a DWP Appointeeship (this permits the person to make decisions regarding your state pension and benefits).
Property, land and assets
Where applicable, we will ask about any property, land and assets you own, or have a share of either in the UK, or abroad.
| We will ask about | Evidence |
|---|---|
|
Your properties (both commercial and residential) Any businesses you own, or have a share in Any land owned (eg arable, pasture, brownfield etc) Other property assets such as caravans, park homes, boats or beach huts, or any additional dwelling you do not occupy, etc |
proof of properties owned in the last 2 years. Or, where applicable, prior to the start of any care / admission to care home latest statement for any mortgage, equity release or secured loan completion statement for sale of previous property property valuation certificate proof of joint ownership trust deeds (where applicable) document showing your financial interest in any Businesses |
Current accounts and savings
We will ask you to provide details of any current accounts, savings and cash in your name and any joint accounts.
| We will ask about | Evidence |
|---|---|
|
Current / savings accounts (bank, building society, post office accounts, etc) Cash ISA accounts PayPal type accounts Fixed or variable rate savings bonds Any cash you hold |
statements for all accounts required for the 1 month immediately prior to care start date. if previously self-funded then statements are needed for the whole period of care plus 1 month prior to start of care / admission to care home closure statements for any accounts closed the value of any cash held |
Investments and Trust Funds
Where applicable, we will ask you to provide details of any investment holdings in your name and any joint names. As well as any Trust Funds of which you are a current or potential beneficiary.
| We will ask about | Evidence |
|---|---|
|
Individual stocks and shares held Stocks and shares ISA accounts Investment bonds Cash value of all premium bonds in your name Any national savings certificates Timeshares (or holiday ownership) |
|
Pensions and annuities
Where applicable, we will ask you about any pension or annuities income you receive.
| We will ask about | Evidence |
|---|---|
|
State retirement pension and/or occupational pensions Any annuity income (income received from the annuity rather than the capital value) War Widows/ War Pension Bereavement or inherited pensions Any other pension or annuities received by the applicant Any deferred pensions you are not currently accessing |
|
Benefits
Where applicable, we will ask you about any benefits you receive. We will also access information provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). To confirm your benefit entitlement and ensure an accurate assessment.
| We will ask about | Evidence |
|---|---|
|
Council tax support Housing benefit Industrial injury disablement benefit Armed forces compensation scheme Child benefit War pensions |
|
Income
Where applicable, we will ask you to provide details of any income you receive.
| This could include | Evidence |
|---|---|
|
Rental Income Earnings from employment Lodger income Maintenance payments (spouse) Any other income you receive |
|
Essential Expenditure
Where applicable, we will ask you about any essential expenditure that you pay out on a regular basis.
Some essential expenditure is considered within your financial assessment when we calculate your contribution. We may be able to include property expenses for your main home. This applies if you are receiving care at home, or if your stay in a residential or nursing home is only short-term.
| This could include | Evidence |
|---|---|
|
Mortgage payments Building insurance Rent Council tax Service charge/ground Building maintenance |
|
Gifted or transferred
You will be asked to provide us with information about any property, assets or income you have gifted or transferred.
Where applicable, we will need to know about all gifting or transfers within the last 2 years. Even if they are below the government's limit for tax purposes. If you have previously self-funded your own care, this period could be back to the date your self-funded care started.
For each gift made, please confirm the following and provide any relevant supporting documentation:
- the date and amount of the gift
- the recipient of the gift (name & relationship)
- the reason the gift was made
- the reason that specific amount was gifted
- the reason the gift was made at that particular date
The law says you cannot give away your assets, or sell them for less than they're worth, if you think you're going to need care and support. This applies whether that care is formal, informal, or unpaid, in the community or a care home.
Jointly owned property, savings or assets
The total value of property/savings will usually be divided equally between the relevant legal owners. Where a property is jointly owned only your interest in the property will be included in your assessment.
If a joint bank account is held in two names but the capital in the account belongs to only one person. We will treat the account as that person’s sole account for the purposes of the financial assessment. This means the full balance may be taken into account unless evidence shows it should be divided differently.
Help or Advice
If you have any questions about the evidence required. Please contact us and a member of our team will provide additional support.
Completing the assessment
Completing the financial assessment helps us determine how much you may need to contribute towards your care and support. And make sure you are charged the correct amount. The sooner we receive your information, the sooner we can complete your assessment and reduce any charges that may build up in the meantime.
We request that you return your completed financial assessment and all supporting evidence within 14 days of notification. If you are finding it difficult to meet this timescale, please contact us as possible. We will contact you with reminders and offer support with completing the assessment and gathering the evidence you need.
If the assessment form and required evidence are not returned within 28 days of notification, and you have not contacted us to explain the delay or request more time. We are required to treat you as a self‑funder. This means that you may be charged the full cost of your care until your financial assessment is completed.
Getting your information ready
You will be asked to provide key personal and financial information as part of the assessment. You will need to send us copies of some documents to support your assessment.
- we recommend you review the required evidence and get everything you need ready before you begin.
- you do not need to send us original documents unless specifically requested.
- you can take photos of your evidence or send us copies of documents electronically via email to help reduce delays and make things easier for you.
- if posting, please send photocopies only. For your own security, do not send original documents.
- when sending us your evidence, please remember to include your name or reference number. So that we can match the evidence to your case.
- if you do not have all the evidence available right away, we recommend you still complete the assessment form and return it to us, and submit your evidence later.
Do I need to complete the whole form
Unless you are choosing not to disclose your financial circumstances or you have capital over the upper capital limit of £23,250. We recommend you complete each section of the form. You do not need to complete sections that are not relevant to you.
What happens next
We will use the information you give us to work out your care contribution and send you a letter to explain your outcome.
To help us consider your case promptly please ensure you include as much information as possible. If we need additional information a member of our team will contact you. Or your representative to inform you of the information required and how to submit this.
What if I need help or support to complete the assessment
If you need help or advice to complete your financial assessment form, you can contact us using our online contact form.
A member of the team will get back to you with the support you need.
Understanding the outcome
Once you submit your form, our Financial Assessment team will review the details. And confirm in writing the outcome of your financial assessment.
How we calculate your contribution
We review all the information you have provided to calculate your contribution.
If you have more than £23,250 in savings or assets you will be responsible for paying the full cost of your care. This also applies if you choose not to share your financial details with us during the assessment.
We look at your income and your expenses as part of the assessment. This is to make sure you always have enough money to live on. This a protected amount is called the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) if you are cared for at home, or the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA) if you live in a care home.
| The calculation | |
|---|---|
| Consider your capital |
|
| Calcultate your total income |
|
| Deduct any disregarded income |
|
| Deduct any allowances |
|
| Deduct any expenses |
|
| Net assessible income |
|
| Your contribution |
|
If you and a partner both receive care, we will assess each of you as individuals. This ensures that you both have your own separate weekly charge based on your personal finances.
We will provide a full breakdown as part of the outcome. Along with guidance to give more detail on our calculation.
For more information on how we calculate your contribution. Please review our Care charges and charging policy.
Will my charges change
Your contribution will change every year and may also change dependent on any change in services you receive. For more information, please see our information on change of circumstances.
If you cannot afford your care charge
Your financial assessment works out how much you can afford to contribute towards your care and support. It's individual to you, based on your personal circumstances. The assessment ensures your contribution is within your means. It also leaves you with the guaranteed minimum level of income set by the Government.
If you cannot afford the contribution, you can get independent advice on budgeting and managing your finances. It can also help you check that you are getting all the benefits and support you can.
You can visit our Help and Advice section to find more information about organisations that can offer support.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome
If you feel that your assessment is incorrect, you can ask for your financial assessment to be reviewed.
You will need to complete our contact us form and select the option to request a review of an assessment outcome.
- we will check the original assessment and make sure that it has been done correctly.
- you will need to tell us why the decision needs to be reviewed. If you have any new information to provide, you will be able to include this and upload any documents too.
- we will review the case and contact you with our decision.
How to complain
If you are not happy with the review of your case, talk to the staff member you have been working with. They will help you understand the results and listen to your concerns. They will work with you to find a solution.
Should you not feel the situation has been resolved you can also contact the Customer Relations Team. They are independent of operational services and will guide you through the complaint process.