Will Cheshire East Council pay for care at home?

Quick summary

It depends on savings. Above £23,250 in capital, your loved one pays the full cost. Below £14,250, they pay only from income. Between the two they contribute on a sliding scale of £1 a week for every £250 above the lower limit. The house they live in is not counted for care at home.

How do I start?

Ring Cheshire East Council’s adult social care team on 0300 123 5010 and ask for a care needs assessment.

It is free, it is a legal right under the Care Act 2014, and it happens before anyone looks at money. Someone visits, usually for around an hour, and writes down what your mum can and cannot manage day to day.

Ask for it even if you are certain she will pay for everything. The assessment tells you what she is assessed as needing, which is useful when you are buying care privately and have no idea what normal looks like. The council also has a duty to provide information and advice regardless of her finances.

What happens in the financial assessment?

A separate process, after the needs assessment, looking at income and capital.

For 2026/27 in England the upper capital limit is £23,250 and the lower limit is £14,250 (Department of Health and Social Care). Where someone sits between them decides what happens.

Cheshire East states that you will never be asked to pay more than you can reasonably afford, and that the amount is worked out between you and the council through the financial assessment. It will also look at whether disability benefits are being claimed in full as part of that process.

Is the house counted?

Not for care at home.

This is the single biggest misunderstanding in the whole subject, and it stops people asking for help they are entitled to. The value of the property someone lives in is disregarded in the financial assessment for care in their own home.

The rules are different for a permanent move into a care home, where the property may be taken into account, and where deferred payment agreements exist to avoid a forced sale. That is a different question from this one, and the fear attached to it leaks backwards into home care decisions where it does not belong.

What counts as income and capital?

Capital means savings, investments, second properties and similar. Income means pensions, most benefits and any earnings.

Two things are worth knowing. Someone is left with a protected amount of income, the Minimum Income Guarantee, which the charge cannot take them below. And deliberately giving money away to fall below the limits is treated as deprivation of assets, which councils can and do investigate, sometimes going back years.

If the finances are complicated, get independent advice rather than guessing. Citizens Advice, Age UK and MoneyHelper all give it free.

Can she choose her own carers if the council pays?

Yes, through a direct payment, and most families are never told this exists.

Cheshire East describes a direct payment as a cash payment made to you so that you can buy the care and support you need yourself, available to anyone assessed as needing care and support under the Care Act 2014. If you would rather not manage it, the council can arrange care instead.

The practical difference is real. If the council arranges the care, you will usually get a provider it holds a contract with. With a direct payment, you choose, and you can top up privately if you want a service costing more than the council’s rate.

Cheshire East also offers a managed account, where a third party handles the administration for you, at a cost, and you can take part of the budget as a direct payment and leave the rest with the council.

How long does all this take?

Longer than most families have.

That is not a criticism of anyone, it is a description of the system, and it is why so many people start paying privately while the assessment works its way through. If care is needed this week, arrange something now and pursue the assessment in parallel. The assessment does not become less valid because you did not wait for it.

If someone is coming out of hospital, ask the ward about reablement or intermediate care before agreeing to pay anyone. It is normally free for up to six weeks.

If you live in Buxton, Leek or Biddulph, this page does not apply to you

Roughly a third of this area is not Cheshire East, and the differences are practical rather than theoretical.

• Derbyshire County Council covers Buxton, Harpur Hill, Whaley Bridge, Taxal, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Dove Holes. Call Derbyshire on 01629 533190.
• Staffordshire County Council covers Leek, Meerbrook, Longnor, Hollinsclough, Biddulph, Biddulph Moor and Kidsgrove. Staffordshire Cares on 0300 111 8010.

The capital limits are set nationally and are the same everywhere. Charging policies, maximum charges, assessment processes and waiting arrangements are not.

One more wrinkle for the border towns. Council Tax and care funding are handled by different bodies. In Buxton, Council Tax goes to High Peak Borough Council while care funding goes to Derbyshire County Council, so the number you need depends on what you are ringing about.

Frequently asked questions

Will the council pay for my mum’s care?

Only if she is assessed as having eligible needs and has capital below £23,250. Above that she pays in full, though she is still entitled to a free needs assessment and to advice.

Do I have to pay for home care if I have savings?

Above £23,250 in capital, yes, for the care itself. But Attendance Allowance and the Council Tax disregard are not means-tested and apply regardless of savings, so check both.

Can I refuse the financial assessment?

You can decline it, and the council will then treat the person as paying the full cost. If capital is clearly well above the upper limit, some families choose that to save time, though it means giving up the chance of a contribution being calculated.

Does a private pension count?

Yes, pension income is counted in the financial assessment for council-funded care. It has no effect at all on Attendance Allowance, which is not means-tested.

What if her needs change after the assessment?

Ask for a review. Needs assessments are not one-off events, and a change of circumstances, including a fall or a hospital stay, is a reason to request one rather than waiting for an annual cycle.

Can we top up if the council’s rate does not cover the provider we want?

With a direct payment, yes, that is one of its main advantages. Confirm the arrangement with the council first so that everyone agrees what the budget covers.

About Visiting Angels Cheshire East

Visiting Angels Cheshire East provides care at home across Macclesfield, Congleton, Knutsford, Wilmslow, Alsager and the surrounding villages, including the High Peak and the Staffordshire border towns.

• You choose your caregiver. You meet them before care starts, and if it is not right you say so and we send someone else.
• No visit is ever shorter than an hour. There is no such thing as a fifteen minute call here.
• You see the same faces. Our carer turnover is 12 per cent, against a sector figure of 23.7 per cent (Skills for Care, 2025).
• Carers trained in dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke recovery and complex care.
• Live-in care available, up to full time.

David’s mother in law is becoming increasingly confused:

“Visiting angels have been a massive help in the care for my mother in law, who is getting increasingly confused. They provide companionship and support every day proving to be very reliable and consistent. They are there at times we can’t be, due to all the commitments of work and grand children.”

David Figg, Google review

Not sure what you need yet? Start with a free assessment

Our free home care assessment is a visit at a time that suits you, with no obligation afterwards. In it we will:

• Work out what is actually difficult, and which times of day, which is usually what a visit should be built around.
• Talk through a realistic package, and what it would cost.
• Look at the money with you, and point you towards the funding, benefits and grants you may be entitled to, including the ones most families are never told about.
• Tell you honestly if you do not need us yet, or if someone else is a better fit.

If you would like help working out what you are entitled to before you ring the council, call us on 01625 720157. You can also WhatsApp us or send an enquiry, or read more about the areas we cover.

Authored by Dr Niall Jawad, Director, Visiting Angels Cheshire East.

Published 6 September 2026. Last updated 6 September 2026.

This article is general information about care funding, not financial or legal advice, and it is no substitute for advice about an individual’s circumstances. We are not regulated financial advisers. Capital limits, charging policies and benefit rates change, usually each April; the figures here were correct at the date of publication, and each council sets its own charging policy, so check the current position with the relevant council. Free independent advice is available from Citizens Advice, Age UK and MoneyHelper. To the fullest extent permitted by law, GB Care at Home Ltd accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this article.