Care cost calculator
What care costs across a year and over several years, and how much of it income covers before savings have to make up the difference.
How this is calculated
The weekly fee and extras are added and multiplied by 52 to give an annual cost, then by the number of years.
Income available is annualised and set against the total, which leaves the amount that has to come from savings, investments or the sale of a property.
Top-up fees are treated as extras. Where a local authority rate does not cover the home a family has chosen, a third party top-up is charged and it is often substantial.
This is the private cost. Local authority support depends on a means test with capital thresholds, and NHS continuing healthcare is free where the need is primarily medical rather than social.
Rates used · 2026/27
| Residential care | typically £1,000 to £1,400 a week |
| Nursing care | higher again |
| Home care | usually charged hourly |
| Means test | capital thresholds apply, check with the local authority |
Last checked July 2026. Source: HMRC and gov.uk.
Worked example
A £1,200 weekly fee with £60 of extras is £1,260 a week, or £65,520 a year. Over three years that is £196,560. With £1,400 a month of pension and other income covering £50,400 of it, £146,160 has to come from savings or the sale of a property.
Common questions
Will the council pay?
It depends on a means test of income and capital. Above the upper capital threshold you self-fund. Below the lower one the council contributes most of the cost, with a sliding scale between.
Does the house count?
Usually yes for residential care, though it is disregarded in some circumstances, including where a spouse or a qualifying relative still lives there. This is worth proper advice.
What is NHS continuing healthcare?
Fully funded care where the primary need is health rather than social. The assessment is demanding and worth pursuing where the need is genuinely medical.
Should I get advice?
Yes. Care funding is one of the areas where specialist financial advice most reliably pays for itself, and this calculator is a starting point rather than a plan.