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Paying for care, made clear
What care actually costs, and who pays for it, is the hardest part to pin down — and the part families most often get wrong. Here are two free calculators, the key numbers, and plain-English guides, all in one place.
How long?
Property equity → care runway
Enter a postcode to estimate how many years a home’s equity would fund residential or nursing care before the council steps in — using local sold-price data and your council’s published fee rates.
Estimate the runwayHow much?
Care home vs care at home
Compare hourly home-care visits, live-in care and a residential or nursing home — side by side, weekly and yearly — and see where the cheapest option changes over as needs grow.
Compare the costsWho pays?
Care funding & means-test calculator
Enter your savings and property value to see whether you fund your own care or the council should help — the £23,250 limit, the 12-week property disregard, Attendance Allowance and NHS Continuing Healthcare.
Check what you payThe numbers that decide it
Care funding at a glance
Upper capital limit (England) — above this you fund your own care
Lower limit — below it your savings are left out of the assessment
Your property is disregarded at the start of a permanent care-home stay
Attendance Allowance & NHS Continuing Healthcare ignore your savings
England figures for 2026/27; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland differ — the funding calculator adjusts for each.
Not sure what type of care you need yet?
Start with the 60-second care quiz — it points you to the right kind of care, then back here to work out the cost.
Read the guides
Funding & cost advice
Fast-Track NHS Continuing Healthcare: Free NHS Care at the End of Life (2026)
How the fast-track route to NHS continuing healthcare works when someone is nearing the end of life: who qualifies, who fills in the form, and how quickly care should start.
Direct Payments for Home Care: How They Work (2026)
Direct payments let you take the council's share of your care costs as money and arrange home care yourself. Who can get them, what they pay for and the rules.
Respite Care Costs: Weekly Care Home Fees and Who Pays (2026)
What care homes publish as their weekly fee, how respite stays are charged, and the help with costs from the council, benefits and charities.
How Much Does a Nursing Home Cost in the UK? 2026 Fees by Region
What nursing homes charge per week in each part of the UK, based on fees published on AskBart, and the NHS and council help towards the cost.
Deprivation of Assets: What Counts and What Doesn't (2026)
How councils in England decide whether giving away money or property counts as "deprivation of assets" when working out what you pay for care, and what happens if it does.
The 12-Week Property Disregard Explained (2026)
When the council must ignore the value of your home for the first 12 weeks in a care home, who it helps, and what happens when the 12 weeks end.
Still have questions about paying for care? Ask Bart, our AI concierge.