Adult social care charging reform

By: Jake Jeffries     On: January 7, 2022

Adult social care charging reform

What will the government’s proposals mean for the social care system?

The government has set out its vision for the future of adult social care. New plans were announced on 7 September 2021, for adult social care reform in England. This included a lifetime cap on the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care, alongside a more generous means-test for local authority financial support.

From October 2023, the government will introduce a new £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care over their lifetime. In addition, the upper capital limit (UCL), the point at which people become eligible to receive some financial support from their local authority, will rise to £100,000 from the current £23,250.

Means-tested support
As a result, people with less than £100,000 of chargeable assets will not be required to contribute more than 20% of these assets per year. The UCL of £100,000 will apply universally, irrespective of the circumstances or setting in which an individual receives care. The lower capital limit (LCL), the threshold below which people will not have to pay anything for their care from their assets will increase to £20,000 from £14,250.

To allow people receiving means-tested support to keep more of their own income, the government will unfreeze the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) for those receiving care in their own homes and Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA) for care home residents, so that from April this year they will both rise in line with inflation.

People in care homes
The cap will not cover the daily living costs (DLCs) for people in care homes, and people will remain responsible for their daily living costs throughout their care journey, including after they reach the cap. For simplicity, these costs will be set at a national, notional amount of £200 per week.

DLCs are a notional amount to reflect that a proportion of residential care fees are not directly linked to personal care, like rent, food and utility bills and would have had to be paid wherever someone lives.

Keeping income and assets
This is in line with the Commission on Funding of Care and Support’s 2011 recommendation. The £200 level is £30 less than a proposal set out in 2015, ensuring people get to keep more of their income and assets.

At this stage, it is too early to say what the end result may be for the proposed adult social care reform in England. As the bill now moves forward to public consultation this year, we’ll be watching closely and will be providing further updates to ensure you are kept fully up to date.


Content of the articles featured in this publication is for your general information and use only and is not intended to address your particular requirements or constitute a full and authoritative statement of the law. They should not be relied upon in their entirety and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute advice. Although endeavours have been made to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No individual or company should act upon such information without receiving appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of their particular situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of any articles.For more information please visit www.goldminemedia.co.uk

Recent News

What will your legacy look like?

Learn more

Wealth accumulation

Learn more

Planning for an early retirement

Learn more