Paying for care at home (non-residential care) from the council

This guide is for people who have eligible needs and are getting support from the council. If you are funding your own care, please see our self-funding page.

This information is valid from April 2025 until end March 2026.

What 'non-residential' care is

Non-residential care includes:

• personal care and support in a person's own home (including the cost of two carers where these are necessary) except any reablement or enablement service
• support to access the community (Community Support)
• day care and outreach support
• transport
• respite/replacement care or short term placement in a residential/nursing home (no more than 56 consecutive nights)
• all services arranged within a direct payment, including the cost of brokerage services provided outside the council
• housing support charges such as the 'core care charge' in Extra Care Housing Schemes
• Shared Lives services
• Technology Enabled Care (TEC)

You can find the standard charges for non-residential services below.

Will you need to pay

Whether you contribute towards the charges for your care depends upon your personal financial circumstances. You may need to pay the full cost of your care or services, pay some of the cost, or you may not need to pay. The amount you need to pay is known as your contribution.

If you are eligible for support from the council, we will do a financial assessment. We can also give you advice about what benefits may be available to you. See our charges for your social care page for more information on financial assessments.

During the financial assessment, we will calculate your contribution.
 

If you don't want to tell us your financial details

If you do not want to have a full financial assessment but want to access council support, the council must have satisfactory evidence that you can afford, and continue to afford, to pay for your care. You must complete a financial assessment form and provide enough information and evidence as required. This is called a light-touch financial assessment.

It is to your advantage to fully disclose your financial information to ensure that you are charged correctly and for the Assessment Officer to provide advice about benefit entitlement.

If you do not fully disclose your finances, you will be charged the full cost of your care and support. You will also be charged an administration fee for the council to arrange your care.

How we calculate your contribution

The financial assessment will look at the income and 'assets' you have.

Assets can include:

• cash
• savings
• premium bonds
• stocks and shares
• funds held in bank, building society and Post Office accounts
• the value of land or property (apart from the home you live in), although some property can be disregarded.

Assets held in joint names will have an equal portion assumed to each person, unless there is evidence to the contrary.

There are two thresholds. The upper threshold is £23,250. The lower threshold is £14,250.

If you have more than £23,250 in assets

If you have more than £23,250 in assets, you will be charged the standard rate for all of the services you receive.

You will also be charged an administration fee of £365 each year for arranging your care and support.
 

The administration fee

The administration fee takes into account the cost of negotiating and/or managing the contract with a provider and any administration costs. It is currently £365 per year. If the only service that you receive from the council is a core charge because you live in an Extra Care Housing scheme or get a telecare service, the fee will not apply.

We will send you an invoice for the administration fee every four weeks. The fee will apply for as long as the council administers the care contract. This means that we may still need to invoice you for the fee even in weeks where you don't get any care.
 

Arranging your own care

The reasons for asking the council to arrange care instead of arranging it yourself are individual to you. Your finances could influence your decision, but you may prefer to have more control over the care choices and contracts you have.

If the council commissions your care, the care provider will be one of the providers on our approved provider list. We are unable to guarantee that your care will be provided at a specific time, as it will depend on the care provider's rotas.

You can see the council's rates for care and support services below. The rates are standard and do not vary for weekends or bank holidays. The council's fees and charges usually increase on 1st April each year. You can compare the council's standard rates with the rates of local care providers. Your social care practitioner/social worker will be able to provide you with a list of care providers in the area. 

If you arrange your care directly with a care provider, you will need to negotiate and manage your own contract. The council will not be involved.

If you have less than £23,250 in assets

If you have less than £23,250 in assets, we will calculate your contribution towards the cost of your care. This calculation is:

• your income
• plus your 'tariff income' calculated from your assets
• minus an allowance for your general living expenses ('Minimum Income Guarantee')
• minus any extra expenses that you have due to age, illness or disability ('disability related expenses')
• minus your housing costs, including council tax, rent or mortgage payments that are not covered by benefit - if you own your own home, we will also deduct buildings insurance

Anything that is left must be used to pay towards the cost of your care and support.

We've explained each part of the calculation below.
 

Income

We will ask for details of all your income and savings. Income paid to a partner that is based on your joint financial circumstances (for example Pension Credit or Universal Credit) must be declared. You will be expected to claim in full any welfare benefits you are entitled to. We will give you advice on benefits as part of your financial assessment.

When you provide details of your finances we will need to see proof of the figures that you give us.

Some income can be disregarded and so we would always recommend that you engage in the financial assessment process.

Tariff income

The 'tariff income' is a weekly amount calculated from the value of your assets. It is calculated as £1 per week tariff income for every £250 of assets you own between £14,250 and £23,250. 

For example, if you have £15,250, that would be £1000 above £14,250. There are 4 lots of £250 in £1000, so your tariff income would be £4 per week.

Some assets can be disregarded and so we would always recommend that you engage in the financial assessment process.

General living allowance ('Minimum Income Guarantee')

Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) is an allowance for general living expenses. This means you will keep a level of income that covers your living costs. The amount is set by the government. 

The amount of Minimum Income Guarantee you are allowed depends on your age and circumstances:

Disability related expenses

Disability Related Expenditure (DRE) is any reasonable additional cost that a person has to meet their specific needs due to age, a medical condition or disability.

DRE will be considered when all three criteria below are met:

• the extra cost is needed due to age, a medical condition or disability as identified in the person's community care assessment; and
• the cost is reasonable and can be verified (receipts will be requested); and
• it is not reasonable for a lower cost alternative item or service to be used

Examples of items that could be considered as a disability related expense are:

• additional costs due to incontinence or dietary needs (confirmation from a GP may be required)
• above average heating costs
• specialist clothing or footwear or additional wear and tear to clothing or footwear
• purchase, maintenance and repair of disability equipment
• transport costs necessitated by illness or disability over and above the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment
• reasonable costs of basic gardening maintenance, cleaning or domestic help if not met by social services (see information below)

Voluntary unpaid support from family and/or friends is not a disability-related expense.

The above list is not exhaustive and each case will be considered on an individual basis.

What are 'reasonable costs' of gardening, cleaning and domestic help?

To work out the reasonable costs of basic garden maintenance, cleaning or domestic help, we will consider whether the person accessing care and support is the only person responsible for the tasks. We'll also consider if they choose to live in a property that is not fully occupied or with a large garden.

Basic gardening is limited to grass cutting and minimal hedge trimming, at an agreed hourly rate.

Cleaning will be limited to the rooms necessary for the person accessing care and support, at an agreed hourly rate.

Home maintenance is not usually a disability related expense. See our looking after your home page for services and advice relating to maintaining your home.

Giving away your money (deprivation of assets and income)

If you give away some money to family or friends on purpose to avoid paying for care, we may still include it when we decide how much you should pay. This is known as 'deprivation' of assets or income. Deprivation is deliberate when someone gives away money or assets, or does not claim an income they are entitled to, to put themselves in a better position for the financial assessment to try and reduce their care charges.

If you give away money on purpose, you will be treated as if you still have that money and you may have to pay the full cost. During the financial assessment process we can look for evidence of deliberately or intentionally giving away money.

There are many ways that people might give away money or not claim an income they are entitled to. For example:

• a lump sum payment such as a gift, or to pay off another person's debt
• transferring the title deeds of a property to someone else
• putting money into a trust that cannot be revoked
• converting money into another form that has to be disregarded from the financial assessment, (for example: personal possessions, investment bonds with life assurance)
• reducing assets through spending a lot of money on items, such as expensive holidays
• selling an asset for less than its true value
• not claiming a private pension or deferring your state pension

To assess whether deprivation of assets or income is deliberate, we will want to know the reason for giving away or spending the money (also known as 'transfer' or 'disposal'), why, and when it was done. We may want to see receipts or documentary evidence. We will look to see if the transaction took place at a time when care needs were being considered and consider if gifts were made previously and regularly. Unlike other rules such as Income Tax, Capital Gains or Inheritance Tax, there is no limit to how far back the council can consider possible deprivation. Similarly, tax rules surrounding gifting do not apply.

If you are found to have deliberately deprived yourself of assets you can be treated as having 'notional assets'. This means we will include the value of the assets that you have disposed of in your financial assessment. If the notional assets added to your actual assets comes to more than £23,250, the council may assess you as being able to meet the full cost of your care and support. If you are found to have deprived yourself of income you can be treated as having 'notional income' of the maximum income you are entitled to receive from the income source (for example: a private pension pot).

After the financial assessment

We will calculate the maximum amount that you might be required to pay in a charging week (from Monday to Sunday). This is your 'maximum assessed contribution'.

We will then write to you to explain how much you have to pay towards the cost of your care.

The amount you will have to pay will not be above your maximum assessed contribution, but may be less.
 

For example, your maximum assessed contribution is £80 per week. You have 10 hours of personal care a week, which costs more than £80. You would be charged £80, as this is the maximum you can pay towards your care.

As another example, your maximum assessed contribution is £80 per week. You have 2 hours of personal care a week, which costs less than £80. You would pay the cost of 2 hours of personal care. If the amount of support then increased, you would pay the increased cost up to the value of £80 a week.

The council has a minimum assessed contribution of £1.25 per week. If your weekly assessed contribution is below £1.25, you will not be charged.

If you are unsure of how this will apply to you, please contact the Financial Assessment and Charging Officer dealing with your assessment.

Invoices

You, or a person nominated by you, will receive invoices every four weeks. You will receive thirteen invoices a year. The charges will be for the care you received during the dates shown on the invoice. The back of the invoice will include instructions on how to pay.

We can only raise an invoice when the care provider has confirmed the amount of support that you have received. If there is a delay in processing the details of your support, there may be a delay in sending you the invoice. If you have been informed that you will need to contribute towards your care you should ensure that you make provision to pay any invoice even if there is a delay in receipt.

If the invoice is for your contribution towards a direct payment, you must not pay that invoice from the same bank account that is used to receive your direct payments.

If you think your financial assessment is incorrect

If you think your financial assessment is incorrect, please contact the Financial Assessment and Charging Officer who completed the assessment. They will check the assessment with you to make sure the information included is accurate.

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome of the financial assessment, the council has a Charging for Adult Social Care Review and Appeals process which is in two stages. The first stage is a review of the financial assessment by the Financial Assessment and Charging Team Manager. This will make sure that assessment has followed the council's Adult Social Care charging policy and contains no errors.

If you are not satisfied with any decision made in the first stage, you can progress to the second stage. At stage two, the case is considered by an appeal panel consisting of senior managers.

If you feel that we have not assessed you correctly, contact the Financial Assessment and Charging Team.

Reviews

We will contact you every year to review your charge and make sure it is still correct.

You must let the Financial Assessment and Charging Team know about any changes to your financial circumstances, as soon as they happen. This includes any of the financial information we used in an assessment, including:

• increases or decreases in income and/or benefits, pensions
• increased or decreases in assets or in the way that assets or investments are held
• changes in expenses

This may affect the amount that you have been assessed to pay. 

Changes that may affect your charge

Changes that may affect the amount you pay:

• we do not provide the service agreed
• you give notice to the service provider that you don't require the service
• you are sick or in hospital and don't require the planned support

If you fail to notify the service provider at least 24 hours in advance that you don't require the service you will be charged as though you have received the service.

If a service provider has attended your home to provide care and support but is turned away by you, you will be charged a small amount. This could be up to the cost of a 15 minute call.

Small variations in the service that you get may not affect the amount that you are charged, especially if you get a lot of care but have a low maximum assessed contribution.

Getting independent advice

You can find out about independent financial advice on our planning for future care costs page.

Standard non-residential care charges

The amounts below are the standard charges for the non-residential services listed. The amount that you pay will depend upon the outcome of your financial assessment (see 'will I need to pay' section below).
 

The council's fees and charges usually increase on 1st April each year. This will affect the amount you are charged. You will be notified of any changes in writing.

Standard charges for 2025-26

Any transport arranged by the council or meals taken at the day centre will be charged in addition to the outcome of any financial assessment.

Housing Support Charges

The council funds support in a number of Extra Care housing schemes in West Berkshire and residents will be financially assessed for a contribution towards the cost of the support provided in these schemes:

Shared Lives charges

You can  read our full Adult Social Care Charging Policy [635KB] .

Download this guidance, large print and Easy Read

You can Guidance Notes - Charging for Non-Residential Care [728KB] , or download a large print version [734KB] . You can also read our  Easy Read charges for your care guide [1MB] .

If you need this information in a different format, such as audio recording or in another language, please contact the Financial Assessment and Charging Team or email adultcare@westberks.gov.uk.