For all of us, there comes a time when we, or someone we love, needs a little extra help. Working out the right care, at the right moment, can feel like a lot to take in, and the question of how to pay for it often makes it feel heavier still.

The good news is that there's more than one way to fund care, and you don't have to figure it out alone. At Edyn, we talk through these decisions with families every single day, and we know how much lighter the whole thing feels once the options are laid out clearly. This guide is your starting point: a plain-English overview of how care funding works in the UK, who pays for what, and where to go next.

Consider it a map of the landscape rather than personalised financial advice. When you're ready to talk specifics, our Family Care Advisors are here to help.

Do I need to fund my own care?

It's a common surprise to many families that care isn't simply free the way NHS healthcare is. Here's the key distinction:

• Healthcare: provided by the NHS, free at the point of need.
• Social care: means-tested, which means you may pay some, all, or none of the cost, depending on your circumstances.

Whether you pay anything depends on two things working together:

1. Your needs: assessed by your local authority under the relevant legislation (the Care Act 2014 in England, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 in Wales, and equivalent frameworks in Scotland and Northern Ireland).
2. Your finances: your income and assets, such as savings, pensions, investments and, in some cases, property.

So the natural first step is to contact your local authority and ask for a care needs assessment. It's free and statutory, and it's your right to request one. This establishes what level of care is needed and where it's best provided (in your own home, or in a residential setting). After that, a financial assessment (or "means test") looks at what you can afford to contribute.

How the means test works

Broadly speaking, the more assets you have, the more you'll be expected to contribute. Each UK nation sets its own thresholds, and they differ quite a bit, so it's worth knowing where you stand:

• England and Northern Ireland: if your assets are above £23,250, you'll usually pay the full cost of your care. Below £14,250, only your income is counted; between the two, you contribute on a sliding scale.
• Scotland: the upper threshold is £35,000 and the lower is £21,500. Scotland also provides free personal care for those assessed as needing it.
• Wales: there's a single threshold of £50,000 for residential care (below it, the council helps; above it, you self-fund). Wales also caps non-residential (home care) charges at £100 per week.

One especially important point for anyone considering care at home: in England, the value of your property is not counted in the financial assessment when you're receiving care in your own home. (It's generally only included if you move permanently into a residential home, and even then, not if a partner or certain other relatives still live there.) This can make a real difference to whether you qualify for support, and it's one of the quiet advantages of live-in care.

The two main routes to funding care

Once you understand where you stand, funding care generally comes down to two broad routes, and many families end up using a combination of both.

1. Self-funding

If your assets place you above the threshold, you'll fund some or all of your care yourself. There are more ways to do this than people often realise, including:

• Savings, pensions, shares and investments
• Care fee annuities (immediate needs annuities)
• Equity release, such as a lifetime mortgage
• Downsizing to a smaller home
• Deferred payment agreements with your local authority

We explore each of these in detail, including the important things to weigh up, in our guide to self-funding care.

2. State or local authority funding

If you're eligible for support, this comes through your local council (and, in some cases, the NHS). The main elements include:

• Your local authority's needs and financial assessments
• The national eligibility criteria
• A personal budget to meet your assessed needs
• Direct payments, giving you choice over how care is arranged
• Deferred payment agreements
• NHS Continuing Healthcare: fully NHS-funded care for those with a primary health need, which isn't means-tested

We walk through all of this in our guide to state and local authority funding.

Don't forget non-means-tested support

Whatever route you take, it's always worth checking whether you're claiming everything you're entitled to first, because some support isn't means-tested at all. Attendance Allowance, for example, is available to people over State Pension age who need help with personal care, regardless of savings or income, and can be put straight towards your care costs. NHS Continuing Healthcare is also free and not means-tested for those who qualify.

It's surprising how often families pay for everything privately without realising help was there for the asking.

A quick word on the social care "cap"

You may have heard about planned reforms to care funding in England, including an £86,000 lifetime cap on care costs and more generous capital thresholds. These were proposed by a previous government but have since been cancelled and are not in force. As of 2026, the thresholds described above remain in place, and an independent commission is examining future reform. So for now, plan around the current rules.

Let us help you make sense of it

Funding care can feel like a maze of assessments, thresholds and acronyms, but it doesn't have to be navigated alone, and a little guidance early on can make a real difference to what's affordable and sustainable for your family.

At Edyn, our Family Care Advisors speak with families about exactly this every day. We can help you understand which options might apply to your situation and point you towards the right next steps with all the warmth and patience this kind of decision deserves.

Book a free family care advice call, or give us a ring on 020 3970 9900. We're open five days a week and always happy to talk things through.