Paying for care and support services

Depending on your financial situation, if you are eligible for care and support services, you may be asked to pay all or part of the cost of your care and support services.

Some people arrange and pay for their own care and support services. This is sometimes called being a ‘self-funder’. Other people need the council to arrange care and support services on their behalf. If your services are arranged by the council, you may be asked to make a contribution to the cost.

Charges for services arranged by the council are calculated slightly differently for care provided in the home and community to care provided in a care home. More information about residential and nursing home charges is provided on the paying for a care home page.

Before you are provided with care and support services, you will usually need to be assessed by a social care worker. Please contact Warrington Borough Council’s Adult Social Care First Response team to discuss or arrange an assessment.

Will I have to pay for my care and support?

To find out whether we can help you with your care costs, we will do a financial assessment. This looks at your income, savings, capital and outgoings to work out how much you should pay towards the cost of your care and support.

Usually, if you have more than £23,250 in savings or other investments, we will ask you to pay the full cost of your services. This means that you are a 'self-funder'.  If you are a self-funder you may choose to arrange your own services and support.

If you have less than £23,500, you may still be required to make a contribution towards the cost of care and support, but may not have to pay for all of it.

Which parts of my finances counts towards the £23,500?

Your ‘capital’ includes any money you hold in bank accounts, ISAs, shares, cash, land or property that you own (but do not live in) or any other investment.

The property that you live in will only be taken into account if you need to go into residential or nursing care. More information about this is provided on the paying for a care home page.

Your ‘income’ includes some (but not all) state benefits, state retirement pension and private or work pensions.

We can provide more personalised details about what parts of your capital, savings and income will be included or excluded, as well as which outgoings are taken into account, during your full financial assessment.

Find out how much you may have to pay

Our online calculator can tell you how much you may need to contribute towards your care costs.

If you, or someone you know, need care, it is useful to get an idea of what the costs could be if it is arranged by the council.

The calculator will give you an estimated amount that you may need to pay towards long-term residential care, care in your home or a short stay in a residential home (respite).

It is a free, confidential and easy-to-use tool. It can take as little as 10 minutes to complete, depending on the level of detail you give. Only you will see your results, they will not be shared with anyone else.

Try to give as much information as you can; so that you get the most accurate result possible. Before you start you may find it useful to get together documents related to:

    • Your income, from your pensions and benefits.

    • Your savings and investments, such as ISAs and shares.

    • Your essential bills and spending, for example your council tax, rent and mortgage.

Care cost calculator

How do I pay?

You will usually receive a bill every four weeks listing the services you have received and the amount you have to pay.

There are several ways you can pay your bill either at post offices, by cheque, by standing order or by debit card over the phone. All the payment options are explained clearly on the back of any bill.

Are any care and support services free or charged differently?

Community disability equipment and minor home adaptations (costing under £1000) are provided free of charge if provided to meet your eligible needs. This could be part of a wider package of care that you can be charged for. Please see help in your home and community page for further information.

Intermediate care and reablement services are short-term periods of rehabilitation aimed at either preventing hospital admission or building up your abilities and confidence after hospital discharge. These services may be provided free of charge, for a maximum of 6 weeks. Some people receive services free of charge for less than 6 weeks, if the purpose of their rehabilitation service has been achieved sooner.

Telecare (assistive technology) equipment is provided free of charge. However, some telecare equipment requires installation of the Carecall personal alarm system for which there is a small charge of as little as £4 per week.

Day services charges may include the cost of meal provision. There may also be additional charges if you need to use community transport.

A wide range of activities, groups and services are provided by local voluntary organisations. Many of these services are free of charge or low cost. The Warrington Wellbeing Service may be able to advise you on low cost or free community services.

What help can I get if I pay for my own care (self-funding)?

Even if you pay for your own care (self-funding) the council can still do an assessment to check what care you might need. A needs assessment is free for anyone who appears to have care and support needs.

If you are a self-funder we can also provide information and advice on how to choose and arrange your care and support. More information about care and support services as well as a list of local care providers is available within this directory.

If you are unable to arrange your care and support yourself and have no one to assist you, the Council can help you to arrange a service and pay the provider, subject to a small weekly administrative fee. In addition, there will also be a one off set up fee of £55 for the Council to assist you in arranging care and support.

If you are funding your own care, you may wish to seek further advice. The Society of Later Life Advisors (SOLLA) provides details of accredited financial advisors. Paying for Care is a free independent website offering advice.

Further information on paying for your own care (self-funding) is available at the NHS Choices website.

What are direct payments and personal budgets?

Personal budgets
A personal budget is an amount of money you are entitled to receive to pay for services and support to meet your assessed care and support needs.

Direct Payments
A direct payment is one of a number of ways you can choose to spend your personal budget. It is where the Council pays all or part of your personal budget directly to you, so that you can pay for and arrange your own services and support.

For further information see our money and legal advice page.