If you think you need help from Adult Social Care, the first thing to do is arrange a needs assessment.
Your needs assessment will identify what care and support services you need.
The cost of your care
Unlike health care, adult social care services are not free. We will work out the cost of the support you need. This is called your personal budget.
Where we arrange services, the total cost of the care is usually within a set price range. These costs are set out in our fees and charges.
Who pays for your care?
There are a variety of ways that your care can be paid for:
- For some people, the Council pays for all or most of the care they need
- For other people, they need to make a contribution to their care costs, and the Council pays the rest
- Some people pay for all the care they need themselves. This is known as self funding
- People that own their own home can defer the cost of their care if they move into a residential care home. This is called a deferred payment arrangement and is repaid from the sale of their property
Visit our Direct Payments page for more information
The amount you pay for care will vary depending on your individual situation and your financial circumstances. This is called your client contribution, or financial contribution.
You can apply for assistance to pay for your care. We have an online financial eligibility checker to find out if you may be able to receive financial help.
At the moment (since April 2024), the threshold for receiving financial assistance is £23,250. This means that if you have assets worth less than £23,250, you may be eligible for some help with the cost of your care. We can calculate how much help you are entitled to based on your:
- capital
- assets
- income
- savings
- benefits
You may have to pay for all of the costs, or you may be able to apply for financial help.
How to check if you are eligible for financial help
You can use our online financial eligibility checker to find out if you may be able to receive financial help.
Check if you are eligible for financial assistance
You can find out more in:
- Charging Policy
- our Charging Policy easy read
- help with paying for adult social care
- help with paying for adult social care easy read
Where we arrange services, the total cost of the care is usually within a set price range. These costs are set out in our fees and charges.
View our fees and charges
Applying for financial assistance
Once you have checked if you are eligible for financial assistance , we have a financial assessment process. This will determine how much you will have to contribute towards the cost of your care.
This will look at the amount of money you have:
- coming in
- going out
- saved
- in assets such as stocks and shares, or property
It is possible to complete the financial assessment anonymously, to receive an estimated figure.
Apply for a financial assessment
You don’t have to have a financial assessment. If you think you would be able to pay for your care yourself, or do not wish to have an assessment, then you do not have to have one.
If you choose this option, you will need to pay the full cost of your care. You can ask for a full financial assessment at a later date if you change your mind.
Find out more about the different funding options
Paying for your own care - self funding
If you have assets worth more than £23,250, or choose not to have a financial assessment, you must pay for your own care. That is called ‘self funding’.
You can choose whatever care or services you need, negotiate prices, and make the arrangements yourself. If you would like us to arrange your self-funded care for you, we can do that. There is an arrangement fee, which is currently £300 to set up a care package. There will be an additional cost of £300 for any changes to your care package that we need to make in the future.
You can find out more about self-funding your care on our Self Funders page, where we also list some resources that you might find helpful.
The Council pays more for some of your care costs
If the Council is paying for some of your care costs, then you will have discussions with your social care practitioner around the care you need, and how that is organised.
This could be through a Direct Payment, an Individual Service Fund, or through the Council organising your services. You can find out more about how these different options work on our Direct Payments pages.
View more on Direct Payment pages
If your assets fall between £23,250 and £14,250, then you will be asked to contribute towards your care costs from your assets and your income. This is called your client contribution.
If your assets are less than £14,250, you will be asked to contribute to your care only from your income.
This could be through a Direct Payment, an Individual Service Fund, or through the Council organising your services. You can find out more about how these different options work on our Direct Payments pages.
How to pay your client contributions
We have extensive information on the different ways in which you can pay your client contribution. This includes full billing information, what to do if there’s a problem, and how to adjust payment amounts.
Deferring paying for your care
Deferred payment is a form of loan arrangement with the Council. It is for people entering residential or nursing care who own their own home and who can use the value of their home to cover the cost of their care.
The loan is secured against the person's property, and becomes payable from their estate when the person dies and/or when their property is sold.
This is a very complicated area, and there are exceptions and conditions around it. Not everyone is eligible for a deferred payment, and it is not the best solution for everyone. You can read more on the Deferred Payments page, where you will also find the costs for setting up and running a deferred payment arrangement.
Read more about deferred payments
What happens if I run out of money?
If you are paying for your own care, and your income drops below the funding threshold, currently £23,250 (as of April 2025), then you will need to take part in a financial assessment. This will determine how much the council will pay towards your care costs and how much you will need to contribute to those costs.
We have an ‘out of funds’ calculator tool. You can use this to show when you might reach the funding threshold, using your current care costs, and other financial information.
To use the calculator, please read the data protection statement below. This shows what happens to the information you share with us. Then press the blue ‘Continue’ button.
What happens to my information?
Cornwall Council handles information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and Freedom of Information Act 2000. It is the data controller for the purpose of the Data Protection Act. Your information will only be used to handle your enquiry.
Data protection and freedom of information - Cornwall Council
If you are over the funding threshold you can use our 'out of funds' calculator below. This will show when you may reach the funding threshold.
Once you have read what happens to your information, please click on the blue 'continue' button to access the calculator.
Cornwall Council handles information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and Freedom of Information Act 2000 and is the data controller for the purpose of the Data Protection Act. Your information will only be used to handle your enquiry. For more information about how Cornwall council handles information please see our Data protection and freedom of information - Cornwall Council.
Change of circumstances
If your circumstances change, and you run out of funds, it may be necessary for you to move to an alternative care home. If you have been paying more than the Council can pay for, and the Council has to take over paying towards your care, then you may be moved to accommodation that comes within the Council’s budget.
Example: Frank has been in a care home that he has been paying for himself, at £1,500 per week. His money has run out, and the Council will now be paying towards his care at £800 per week. He may be transferred to a care home that has a room available at the lower rate.
Deliberate hiding of funds – also knows as “ deprivation of assets”
You should be aware that hiding of finances, or giving away assets, to avoid them being included in the financial assessment calculations, is considered to be fraud. When a financial assessment is carried out, historical information will be taken into account. Recent transfer of property or high-value assets will be considered.
If it is deemed to be an attempt to evade paying for care costs, then the asset will be considered in the financial assessment as if it still belonged to the person receiving care, and costs will be reclaimed from it. This is known as ‘Deliberate Deprivation’.
Example: Mary gives away her house to her son just before going into a care home, to avoid having to sell it to pay for her care costs. This is deemed to be Deliberate Deprivation, and the value of the house will be included in the calculations around who pays for Mary’s care home fees. Her son may have to sell the house in order to cover the costs, as the value of the house puts Mary’s assets well over the threshold.
Taking care of someone else’s finances
If you are a carer or family member for another person, you might decide, together, that you need to look after their finances for them. You can arrange Power of Attorney, covering finances and property, which allows you to manage their money.
You can find out more on Power of Attorney pageCornwall Council can act on behalf of someone who cannot manage their own finances, specifically when paying for care. You can find more about this on our page about Appointeeship and Deputyship.