If you think your money and savings will go below £23,250 because of paying for care, you should tell the council as part of the financial assessment. This way, they can confirm when this might happen and plan how and when to support you.
Care Options
Paying For Care
There are two main ways to pay for your care. You can pay for care services yourself or you might be able to get help to pay for your care from Adult Social Care.
To get help from the council, they will check the support you need and your money. If you don't want them to do this, you will have to pay for all your care yourself.
Support from the council
Before you can have a financial assessment you must have a needs a needs assessment to find out what kind of support will help you best
If the council identifies support needs they will discuss the cost of services as well as help available to pay the costs
To see if you need to pay, the council will check your money, savings, and income. Most people will have to pay something for their care.
If you have savings between £14,250 and £23,250, you will need to pay some money for your care. If you have more than £23,250, you will have to pay for all your care yourself.
You can use our Care Cost Calculator to quickly see if you can get help with the cost of care, without doing a full assessment.
If you are wanting support outside of what is covered by your needs assessment you will need to pay for them yourself.
For example - if you can get help from the council to pay for a care home, they will give you a choice of homes that fit their budget.
If you want to live somewhere else that costs more then someone can pay extra for you, they will have to pay the council the difference. This extra payment is called a 'third party top-up'. You can't pay this extra money yourself, except in special cases. Usually, a family member, friend, or charity will pay it and has to sign an agreement with the council that they will continue to pay the top-up, even if the care home raises the amount.
Self-Funding Your Care
If you decide to pay for care yourself you need to keep in mind that it can cost a lot. You should also keep in mind that you may be paying these costs for a long time, and your situation may change over time.
The council says you should get advice from experts before making any decisions. Make sure you talk to financial advisers who are qualified and regulated.
Here are some important things to consider
The Council cannot give you financial advice, but they suggest you talk to experts who know about care fees. The Society of Later Life Advisers has a list of independent financial advisers who can help you.
There are also some organizations that give free advice about paying for care and support. These are good places to start if you need information and want to know your options.
Age UK Tel: 0800 678 1602
Citizens Advice Tel: 0800 144 8848
Money Helper Tel: 0800 138 7777
It's important to make sure you get all the benefits you should. Leeds City Council's Welfare Rights Unit can help you check if you are getting everything you are entitled to.
These might include;
Attendance Allowance
Attendance Allowance helps with extra costs if you have a disability or health condition severe enough that you need someone to help look after you.
You usually can't get Attendance Allowance if you live in a care home and the council pays for your care. But you can get it if you pay for all your care home costs yourself.
Personal Independence Payment
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is money for people who have extra care needs or mobility needs (difficulty getting around) because of a disability. If you get the mobility part of Personal Independence Payment, you will still get this money even if you live in a care home. It won't be counted in your financial assessment.
Universal and Pension Credits
You might also want to apply for Universal Credit if you are under pension age, or Pension Credit if you are over pension age.