What will care actually cost?
Care funding in Scotland is different from the rest of the UK — there's free personal and nursing care, and a council means test that decides what you pay towards the rest. This free calculator gives a plain-language estimate of the weekly and monthly cost.
Important: this is a guide and estimate only, not a benefits or financial assessment. The exact figures depend on your council's assessment of your needs and finances.
A few questions
1Where will the care be provided?
2Weekly fee of the care home
If you don't know it yet, use a typical figure. In Scotland a residential home is roughly £1,100–£1,550/week (indicative).
£
3Savings & capital
Money, savings and investments in the person's name. Don't include the value of their home here.
£
4Weekly income
Their state pension, any private/works pension and most benefits, per week. A rough figure is fine. Leave blank if unsure.
£
5Do they own their own home?
6Attendance Allowance / Pension Age Disability Payment
A benefit for extra care needs, not means-tested. In Scotland it's moving to Pension Age Disability Payment.
Knowledge Centre
Plain Language answers to the questions families ask most about paying for care.
Why is care funding different in Scotland?
Scotland provides free personal care (and free nursing care) to everyone assessed as needing it — funded by the state, not means-tested. You may still pay toward accommodation ("board and lodging") in a care home, depending on your income and savings. This is different from England, so UK-wide guides can mislead. mygov.scot →
Free Personal & Nursing Care — the amounts
For 2026/27, the council pays £260.30/week toward personal care and, if nursing care is needed, a further £117.10/week — so up to £377.40/week combined in a nursing home. These are paid whatever your savings. Current amounts →
The means test — your savings
For care-home accommodation costs, the council looks at your capital: above £36,750 you pay the accommodation cost yourself; below £22,750 your savings are ignored. In between, a "tariff income" of £1/week is counted for every £250 of savings above the lower limit. You also contribute most of your income (pension), keeping £37.65/week for yourself. Capital limits →
What about the family home?
If your husband, wife, partner — or a relative aged 60+ or who is disabled — still lives in the home, its value is completely ignored. Otherwise, the home is disregarded for the first 12 weeks of a permanent stay, then usually counts as capital. How your home is treated →
Care at home is different — and often free
Personal care at home is free for anyone assessed as needing it (washing, dressing, help with meals, mobility). Only non-personal help — housework, laundry, shopping, meals delivery, day centres — can be charged, after a financial assessment. Many people pay little or nothing. Care at home costs →
Pension Age Disability Payment (was Attendance Allowance)
A benefit for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care — not means-tested, worth £76.70 or £114.60/week. In Scotland it's now Pension Age Disability Payment (replacing Attendance Allowance; same rates). Note: it usually stops after 28 days if the council funds a care-home place, but self-funders keep it. Pension Age Disability Payment →
Third-party top-up fees
If you choose a care home that costs more than the council will pay, a family member (or friend/charity) can pay the difference — a "top-up". The council must be satisfied it's affordable long-term, and the agreement should say whether the annual fee increases are shared or fall entirely on the top-up payer. Always get it in writing. Top-up fees →
Deferred payments in Scotland
If most of your money is tied up in your home, a deferred payment lets the council pay the fees now and reclaim them when the home is sold — secured against the property. Unlike England, in Scotland this is discretionary, not a legal right, so ask your local Health & Social Care Partnership what they offer. Deferred payments →
Your first step: a free assessment
None of this is decided by you — the council carries out a free care needs assessment (what care is needed) and a financial assessment (what you pay). Ask for both; they cost nothing and put the real figures in front of you. Ask for an assessment →
What the council actually spends on care
The calculator above works out what you might pay. This is the other side of it — what North Ayrshire Council spends on care and health across all its suppliers, from the council's own published figures. It is context, not a guide to your own costs.