Who pays for care home fees, and what is the savings threshold?
In England, the NHS website explains that you are not usually entitled to council help with care home costs if you have savings or capital over £23,250, the upper capital limit, which can include the value of your home. Below that, the council carries out a means test and you contribute from your income.
The limits differ across the UK. In Wales the limit for residential care is £50,000. In Scotland, Care Information Scotland gives an upper limit of £36,750 from 6 April 2026, and personal and nursing care are free regardless of income, with residents paying for accommodation.
There is no single official average fee for all care homes. Council spending per person on long-term care is in the Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report, which covers council-funded places, not people who fund themselves.
When is the next figure out?
DHSC provider statistics come out quarterly at 9:30am on a Thursday, with the next date in each release. DfE publishes childcare take-up in July, the provider survey in December, children in need in autumn and children looked after in November, at 9:30am. Skills for Care publishes its workforce estimates each June and its state of the sector report each autumn.
Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.
Where the figures come from
- Social care, childcare and children's social care statistics (DHSC, NHS England, Skills for Care, DfE, ONS and devolved bodies)Where to find official figures on care homes, social care staff, delayed discharge, unpaid carers, free childcare, childcare costs and children in care.
Related questions
- How many care homes and care home residents are there in the UK?
- How much do councils spend on adult social care?
- How many free childcare hours can parents get in England?
This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about social care and childcare: all Social care and childcare questions.