How will you assess my financial circumstances if I am moving into a care home for temporary care and my partner is staying at home?
If you have a partner and you are going into a care home for temporary care, we will only assess your financial circumstances - not your partner's. This means that the contribution we ask you to pay will be based only on your income and capital.
If you are going into care and your partner is staying at home, the financial assessor will normally ask about their income. This is only to make sure that they are left with enough money to live on while you are in the care home. Currently, we make sure that your partner is left with at least £218.15 a week.
How will you assess my financial circumstances If I am moving into a care home permanently and my partner is staying at home?
Pensions
If you are moving into a care home permanently and you have an occupational pension or a private pension or you receive a payment from a retirement annuity contract, we can ignore 50% of this if you choose to give this amount to your partner at home. This may not always benefit your partner, as it can affect other state benefits they may get.
Benefits
If you are one of a couple and you are going into a care home permanently, we will treat you and your partner as two single people for the purpose of working out your benefits. This can sometimes mean complicated changes to your benefits. This may involve telling different benefit offices about your change of circumstances, and making new benefit claims. The financial assessor can help you to do this.
Should I split joint capital?
We assess joint capital (capital that you and your partner own together) as being equally owned between you. It may be worth separating your capital if:
- your share of joint capital is £35,000 or over;
- you are entering a care home permanently and your partner is staying at home.
For example, you and your partner have joint capital worth £76,500, we assess your share as half of this (£38,250), which is £3,250 above the upper capital limit to quality for financial help. If you then use £3,250 of your capital to pay for your care, you still may not qualify for financial help because your share of the capital that is left may still be higher than the upper capital limit.
Capital (not separated): £76,500
Less £3,250
= £73,250
Your half share of the £73,250 would be £36,625, which is still £1,625 above the limit to qualify for financial help.
If you separated the capital, your share of the joint capital would still be £38,250 (half of £76,500), which would still be £3,250 above the upper limit to qualify for financial
help. However, if you then use £3,250 of your capital to pay for your care, your capital will reduce to £35,000 because we do not take your partner's share into account.
Capital (separated): £38,250
Less £3,250
= £35,000
Because we only assess your share of the capital, your capital has reduced to the upper limit (£35,000) and you qualify for financial help.
This example shows that if you do not separate your capital, you may have to use some of your partner's share of your capital to pay for your care before you qualify for financial help. It may not be easy to separate joint capital, depending upon the type of investment. You should get advice about this from an independent person, such as a solicitor or the Citizen's Advice Bureau.
How will you assess our financial circumstances if my partner and I are both moving into a care home permanently?
If you and your partner both need to go into a care home, we will treat you as two separate service users even if you will be living together in the same room.
You may each be entitled to financial help from us and we will assess each of you separately to decide whether you qualify for free personal-care or nursing-care payments (or both), as well as any extra financial help. Our assessment will be based on your individual income and capital, including your share of any joint capital. If you sell your jointly owned home, we will share the money from the sale equally between you for the financial assessment.
Benefits
The Department for Work and Pensions will also treat you as two separate customers. They will assess your income and capital separately, even if you are sharing the same room in the care home. You will need to claim benefits separately. The financial assessor can help you claim the benefits you are entitled to.
What happens to my benefits when I move into a care home?
State Pension
Your State Pension will continue to be paid at your normal rate when you are living in a care home.
Adult Disability Payment – Daily Living Component
If you receive financial help from us with your care home fees, your Adult Disability Payment – Daily Living Component will stop 28 days after you move into a care home. You may lose it sooner if you were in hospital or temporary care before your admission to the care home.
If you are admitted to hospital, discharged from hospital or move into a care home you should contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.
Adult Disability Payment – Mobility Component
You will continue to receive the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment when you move into a care home. If you were in hospital for more than 28 days prior to your care home admission your mobility component should have stopped.
If this is the case you should contact Social Security Scotland on your discharge from hospital by phoning 0800 182 2222. They will then start paying the mobility component again.
Attendance Allowance
If you receive any financial help from us with your care-home fees, your Attendance Allowance will stop 28 days after you move into the care home. You may lose it sooner if you were in hospital or temporary care before you moved to the care home.
If you are admitted to hospital, discharged from hospital or you move into a care home, you should tell the Disability Benefit Unit. You can phone them on 0800 731 0122.
Disability Living Allowance / Personal Independence Payment
Care daily living component - the care component of Disability living Allowance and the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment are treated in the same way as Attendance Allowance. Please read the section above.
Mobility component - you will continue to receive the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment when you move into a care home. If you were in hospital for more than 28 days before moving into a care home, your mobility component payment should have stopped.
If this is the case, when you are discharged from hospital you should tell the Disability Benefit Unit by phoning 0800 731 0122. They will then start paying the mobility component payment again.
Carer’s Allowance
Any Carer's Allowance you are entitled to (even if you are not paid it because of another benefit you receive) stops at the same time as the Attendance Allowance or Disability living Allowance (care component).
If you receive the carer's premium as part of Income Support, Employment Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, this will continue for eight weeks after your Carer's Allowance stops.
Universal Credit
You may be entitled to Universal Credit if you move into a care home permanently, but this depends on your age. You should speak to the Financial Assessment Team about this.
If you are moving into a care home permanently and you already receive Universal Credit, you should tell the office which issues your payments that your circumstances have changed.
Pension Credit
You may be entitled to Pension Credit if you move into a care home permanently, but this depends on your age. You should speak to the Financial Assessment Team about this.
If you are moving into a care home permanently and you already receive Pension Credit, you should tell the Department for Work and Pensions that your circumstances have changed. You can phone them on 0800 731 0469.
Housing Benefit/Council Tax Reduction
You can continue to qualify for Housing Benefit/Council Tax Reduction during any temporary periods in a care home.
You are not entitled to Housing Benefit/Council Tax Reduction once you move into a care home permanently.
You must notify the Housing Benefit/Council Tax Reduction office. You can do this by completing a change in circumstances form online or phone 03452 777 778.
Council Tax
If you live alone and you go into a care home permanently, your home may be exempt from Council Tax (you may not have to pay any Council Tax on it).
You should notify the council by completing the change of circumstances form.
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