How we calculate your contribution

We assess you on an individual basis.

We include income from:

  • State Pension, Pension Credit (Guaranteed and Savings) and any other benefits you receive
  • Occupational Pensions, personal pension and Widows/Widowers Pensions
  • Attendance Allowance and Personal Independent Payment/Disability Living Allowance (care component) for the first four weeks of your stay in the care home as these benefits stop after four weeks
  • Any other income

We do not include:

  • Half of your occupational or personal pension if your spouse/partner continues to live at home (but you must ask us to do this in writing or tick the relevant box in section C of the financial form). Please note, this does not apply to your state pension.
  • Your husband, wife or partner's pension
  • The mobility component of Personal Independent Payment/Disability Living Allowance
  • Up to £8.15 if your weekly income is more than £260.65 a week or if you receive Pension Savings Credit.  We will add this to your weekly personal allowances
  • £10.00 of a War Pension or a civilian injury pension.
  • A personal allowance of £34.50 per week.

 

Department for Work and Pensions Information

The Local Authority assessment of your financial contribution to the care home costs will be based on you receiving the appropriate benefits; therefore, you should ensure that you claim the benefits you are entitled to. The Local Authority is unable to do this on your behalf.

If you have a spouse or partner remaining at home, they should also contact the DWP to discuss eligibility of benefits in their own right as you will no longer be living in the same household and therefore will need to claim Department of Work and Pensions benefits separately.

 

Your Personal Expenses Allowance

When the Local Authority calculates your contribution, we will deduct an amount known as the Personal Expenses Allowance which you will keep to use towards your weekly living costs.

The Personal Expenses Allowance increases yearly based on average earnings and is set by the Scottish Government. For the financial year 2024/25 this amount is £34.50.

 

Occupational or Personal Pension Disregard

If you are married or have a partner and they remain at home, you can ask us to disregard 50% of your occupational or personal pension as being paid to your spouse/partner. This may affect your spouse/partner's eligibility for certain Department for Work and Pensions benefits in their own right. Your spouse/partner can contact the Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 731 0469 to discuss this. We cannot advise whether or not you should give 50% of your occupational or personal pension to your spouse/partner or how this is managed.

 

War Pension

We may be able to disregard more than £10.00 of your war pension from the assessment. If you receive a war pension, please send us a photocopy of the war pension entitlement document.

 

We include savings and investments from:

  • Money in bank, building society, Post Office and savings accounts
  • Half of any jointly held accounts. If the joint account is with someone other than your spouse or partner, that person will need to show that they have paid money into the account
  • Premium bonds (at purchase price)
  • Shares (at the current market rate)
  • National Savings Certificates
  • Any other savings and investments

We may include:

  • Savings or income bonds (full details will need to be provided)
  • Money held in trust (we will need to see a copy of the trust deed)

 

Investments

We may be able to disregard your investment capital in the assessment provided that you can prove that the investment includes an element of life insurance. If you have such a product, please send us a photocopy of the policy documents showing that life insurance is included.

You should clarify this with us as soon as possible, as the inclusion/exclusion of this product in our assessment may affect the funding status and/or care home choice. 

We will check the date the investment was bought and only disregard this if it is not seen as a deprivation of capital.

The care fees should cover all your personal care needs, but you should check with the care home if you have to pay any other charges, such as outings, hairdressing and other activities. The Scottish Government sets the personal expenses allowance of £34.50 which cannot be increased to cover additional expenditures such as buying cigarettes or alcohol.