Chestnut Financial Services
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Independent Financial Advisers
Solving Problems For Our Clients
Advice on paying care fees
We all hope to enjoy a long and healthy retirement, maintaining our independence. But this is unfortunately not always possible. Whether care is required in your own home or in a residential home, when paying care fees, the cost can quickly erode an individual's wealth.
We are here to guide you through the options available whether you are planning on paying care fees for yourself, acting as an attorney for somebody who is paying care fees, or simply assisting a family member with paying care fees.
Let's start by considering eligibility for free NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS Funded Nursing Care, local authority support, and key state benefits.
Once we understand the shortfall between what help is available, your current income and assets, and the future cost of care, we can look at what might be the best strategy for your investments and property.
Our aim is always to provide peace of mind during a time when difficult decisions need to be made.
We Answer Your Questions About Paying Care Fees
For example:
- What help should I be getting from the NHS or Local Authority to pay for care fees?
- How do I complete the Local Authority financial assessment questionnaire?
- What are the different ways to pay for care?
- What if I can't afford care home fees - now or in the future?
- How do I appeal NHS continuing healthcare (CHC) decisions?
- Do I have to sell my house to pay for care?
- What can I do as an Attorney with investments and property?
No matter how seemingly silly or difficult, our aim is to answer your questions and give you confidence about care fees.
Our help for you
Our role as independent financial advisers is simple - help you understand your options and reduce "complexity" into "simplicity".
Using savings, investments and selling your home
In whatever form - the bank account (which is normally a bad idea), savings accounts, investments, and money from the sale of your home (if that is needed and appropriate). This might be the right solution, especially if it isn't likely to be a long term need for care in a nursing home. It might be a better use of the money than a care needs plan.
For any surplus funds that need to be invested, we strongly recommend talking to us about a suitable investment strategy. We have lots of resources to recommend a suitable range of investments that are low risk and hopefully return income better than current rates of interest from holding the money in the bank. We look at bonds, gilts, money markets and other opportunities, designed to fit around your care fee needs.
Your home may be the best - or an only - asset that you can rely on to pay for care fees over a lengthy period. If equity release or renting isn't an option, then you might want to consider selling it. The money raised from selling your home would then benefit from investing into a suitable strategy to make sure it didn't go down in value unnecessarily and be available to meet your care fee needs at the right times.
Using an immediate care annuity
An immediate care annuity is a type of insurance policy. It generates a guaranteed level of income for life, based on the individual's state of health, and is free of income tax when paid directly to the care provider. It can be bought as soon as the need for care fees arises and, as the name suggests, benefits the recipient immediately. Alternatively, a "deferred needs care fees plan" could be bought which gives more flexibility for those unsure of committing a significant lump sum at an early stage of needing care. This means there is no reason to "run out of money" and your remaining capital is ring-fenced from future care costs.
These care plans will require you to provide details of your health, but unlike other types of insurance, the worse your health is, the lower will be the cost of the plan. The amount of income paid out by the annuity each year can be fixed, or you can choose to have it increase by a fixed percentage, or by the rate of inflation. This is often a good idea as care needs, and costs, are quite likely to rise over time, and if you move care homes, the plan simply moves with you.
Of course, such an annuity will not be the best solution for everyone's individual circumstances.
An example of using an immediate care annuity can be found in our article
Deferred payment arrangement (DPA)
If your assets are below £23,250, the Local Authority may agree that you can enter a DPA, so you do not need to sell your home, but in return, the Local Authority will place a charge on your property and charge you a small amount of interest. It is a loan to pay for the care costs that are repaid when the person's property is sold or dies.
If a DPA is of interest to you, please do get in touch, we would be happy to give advice on its advantages and disadvantages.
What's on your mind? Let's talk...
We offer a free, no-obligation, initial telephone consultation for new clients to answer some initial questions and help you with some first steps.
After that, we will then ask if you would like to set aside more time at a good time of day for you, when we can meet in person (with or without Farley), on video, or by phone, whichever is most convenient for you.
What it means to be SOLLA accredited
Clients requiring financial planning in their later life benefit from advice that is clear and concise. Such advice comes from an adviser that is suitably qualified and experienced to advise them and manage their financial planning.
We have been advising clients on long term care solutions for several years now, backed up not just by professional qualifications but also by the membership of various professional bodies, most notably the;
What our clients have said
"When my mum came out of the hospital and straight to a care home with dementia, my mind was a whirlwind - making sure she was ok, panicking about money. I didn't know where to get help about who was doing what, why, and how to look after things.
From my first call to Ian I felt a weight had been lifted from my mind. I owe so much to Ian's service, knowing my mum is being looked after and the bills are paid."
Tom, Lincoln
Related Care Pages
Important Information
Please note that not all care fees advice is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Contact Us:
Call 01522 788887
Email ian@chestnutfs.co.uk
Chestnut Financial Services Limited
2a Sadler Court, Lincoln, LN6 3RG
Other Pages of Interest:
The guidance and/or advice contained within this website is subject to the UK regulatory regime. It is therefore targeted at consumers based in the UK. Chestnut Financial Services Limited. Registered in England no 9918363, 2a Sadler Court, Lincoln, LN6 3RG. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.