How much does care at home cost in the UK?
Care at Home package costs can vary based on where you live in the UK. We’ve developed a series of guides on what to expect when arranging domiciliary care — otherwise known as home care or care at home — wherever you live within the UK.
Regardless of where you live, you should always prioritise a care needs assessment (sometimes called a community care assessment) to establish the full scope of your care requirements.
Booking an assessment is the first step you should take to ensure your needs will be met in the right care setting, be it at your own home, or in a care home. Completing the assessment also helps ensure you’re following requirements to receive funding.
Home care package costs in England
Do you want to learn more about paying for care at home and home help services in England?
Based on the UK Homecare Association's estimate of what councils should pay, as a minimum, it will be £28.53 an hour in England (2024/25).
You may qualify for local authority funding, but if you don’t qualify for this based on financial need, you can still look into Attendance Allowance and funding for home adaptations.
Home care package costs in Scotland
Discover what to expect with in home care costs in Scotland. If you’re aged over 65 and live in Scotland, you should receive free personal care if you’re assessed as requiring it.
However, your council may require you to pay for any other care you need, and charges vary depending on where in Scotland you live. Some councils do not provide their own care, but organise it through a care agency instead.
Guidelines from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) recommends councils disregard the first £10,000 of your savings if you are over State Pension age.
If you have more than £10,000, a weekly tariff income of £1 for each £500 over £10,000 is assumed. This means that if you have £14,000, you will be assessed as having a £8 weekly tariff income.
If you are below State Pension age, the first £6,000 will be disregarded and the tariff income will be £1 per £250.
Home care package costs in Wales
Although social care is not free in Wales - unless you have savings or capital under the £24,000 - the Welsh Government caps the amount a person may be charged for home care or home help services. In Wales, the threshold for people who are being cared for at home is £24,000. If a care recipient has more than £24,000 in savings or other capital, they will need to pay for their own care and be completely self-funded, regardless of income.
However, there is a maximum weekly charge of care services at home in Wales of £100.
Home care package costs in Northern Ireland
We can also help you understand the process of finding domiciliary care providers in Northern Ireland.
Trusts in Northern Ireland tend not to charge for care at home services. Home help is sometimes charged on a means-tested basis. However, no one over the age of 75 is required to pay for home help.
Discover your options when a home care package isn’t possible
Unfortunately, care at home may not always be an option. So, if you’re searching instead for care home costs in the UK , we can help with that as well.
We’ve created a series of guides to help you understand the different types of care home costs you’ll need to consider.
The guides also explain the level of care home funding which may be available to support your care needs, depending on your financial circumstances and where you live within the UK.