{"id":7425,"date":"2026-09-15T15:26:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T15:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/?p=7425"},"modified":"2026-09-15T15:46:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T15:46:07","slug":"will-cheshire-east-council-pay-for-care-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visiting-angels.co.uk\/cheshire-east\/will-cheshire-east-council-pay-for-care-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Cheshire East Council pay for care at home?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Will Cheshire East Council pay for care at home?<\/b><\/h1>

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Quick summary<\/b><\/h3>

It depends on savings. Above \u00a323,250 in capital, your loved one pays the full cost. Below \u00a314,250, they pay only from income. Between the two they contribute on a sliding scale of \u00a31 a week for every \u00a3250 above the lower limit. The house they live in is not counted for care at home.<\/span><\/p>

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How do I start?<\/b><\/h3>

Ring Cheshire East Council’s adult social care team on <\/span>0300 123 5010<\/b> and ask for a care needs assessment.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

Ask for it even if you are certain she will pay for everything.<\/b> 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.<\/span><\/p>

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What happens in the financial assessment?<\/b><\/h3>

A separate process, after the needs assessment, looking at income and capital.<\/span><\/p>

For 2026\/27 in England the upper capital limit is <\/span>\u00a323,250<\/b> and the lower limit is <\/span>\u00a314,250<\/b> (Department of Health and Social Care). Where someone sits between them decides what happens.<\/span><\/p>

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Capital<\/strong><\/p><\/th>

What it means<\/strong><\/p><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>

Above \u00a323,250<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Pays the full cost of care. The council will still assess needs and give advice<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

\u00a314,250 to \u00a323,250<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Contributes from income, plus a tariff of \u00a31 a week for every \u00a3250 of capital above \u00a314,250<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Below \u00a314,250<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Capital is ignored. Contribution is worked out from income only<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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Is the house counted?<\/b><\/h3>

Not for care at home.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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What counts as income and capital?<\/b><\/h3>

Capital means savings, investments, second properties and similar. Income means pensions, most benefits and any earnings.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

If the finances are complicated, get independent advice rather than guessing. Citizens Advice, Age UK and MoneyHelper all give it free.<\/span><\/p>

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Can she choose her own carers if the council pays?<\/b><\/h3>

Yes, through a direct payment, and most families are never told this exists.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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How long does all this take?<\/b><\/h3>

Longer than most families have.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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If you live in Buxton, Leek or Biddulph, this page does not apply to you<\/b><\/h3>

Roughly a third of this area is not Cheshire East, and the differences are practical rather than theoretical.<\/span><\/p>