What might care cost, and how long could savings last?
A free, illustrative planning tool — not a personal financial plan. Figures lean cautious on purpose, so you're less likely to be caught out.
What this compares: your savings and other assets against raw care costs — nothing more. It does not include income, pensions of any kind (including the State Pension), benefits, or any income-based contribution towards care. In reality, income usually covers part of the weekly cost, so savings alone would typically last longer than the figure below suggests. Think of this as a cautious, worst-case starting point, not the full picture.
Why we built this page
For most families, money is the very first fear after a diagnosis — often before anyone's even worked out what kind of care will actually be needed. It's a near-universal worry, not a niche one, and it deserves a straight answer rather than vague reassurance.
This page won't replace a proper financial adviser or solicitor — nothing here is personal advice. But it should give you a genuinely useful starting point: what care in your part of the UK might realistically cost, how long savings might realistically stretch, and what's actually free before you assume the worst.
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A real, working estimate
Not a vague range — an actual number, based on your nation, care type, and savings.
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Nation-specific rules
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all work differently — this reflects that properly.
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What's already free
NHS-funded Nursing Care, Scotland's free personal care — easy to miss if no one tells you.
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A steer, not a sales pitch
We point you toward proper advice — never a named partner or referral fee.
From Steve
A short, personal note on why this page exists — in his own words, not a script read by someone else.
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Step 1 — Where are you in the UK?
Step 2 — What kind of care?
14 hrs
Note: Scotland also provides free personal care for home care, regardless of income or assets, once assessed as needing it by your local council. We don't yet have a confirmed weekly/hourly rate specific to home care to build into this estimate accurately, so it isn't deducted below — the figure shown may overstate your actual cost. Flagged for further research before this goes live.
Step 3 — Roughly how much in savings and assets?
What counts as "savings and assets"? Usually cash savings, investments, shares, and a second property or a home you no longer live in.
Your own home is not usually counted if you're receiving care at home, or if a spouse, partner, or in some cases another qualifying relative still lives there.
This is a genuinely complex area — this tool just asks for a simple total to give you a rough estimate, not a full financial assessment. If you're not sure whether something counts, our guide on means testing goes into more detail, or a solicitor can confirm for your situation.
£50,000
If you own a home jointly: how it's owned, and how your wills are structured, can significantly change what actually counts here — particularly if one partner needs care while the other doesn't, or after a first death. This isn't factored into the estimate below. See our guide on protecting savings, or speak to a solicitor before assuming this figure reflects your situation.
Illustrative estimate
Around 2 years, 3 months
At an estimated £1,050/week, before any council contribution.
Estimated weekly cost£1,050
Your nation's upper threshold£23,250
If this feels like a short amount of time, please know:running out of savings does not mean care stops, or that you'll be left without support. Once savings fall to the lower threshold, the council takes over funding your care from that point — and by law, they cannot ask you to pay anything more from savings below it. That remaining money is legally protected. This is exactly what the means-testing system exists to guarantee.
Why this number leans cautious: we've used figures toward the higher end of what people typically pay, so you're less likely to be caught out. This also only draws down your savings and assets — it doesn't include income, pensions or the State Pension, which in real life would usually cover part of the weekly cost. So savings would typically last longer than shown here, not less.
What this means for council fundingWith £50,000 in savings and assets, you're above England's upper capital limit of £23,250 — you'd likely need to fund this care yourself, at least initially.
This is a planning estimate, not personal financial advice.
For guidance specific to your situation, speak to a regulated financial adviser specialising in later-life care, or contact Age UK's free advice line.
Your Estimate, In Plain Words
You told us you're in England.
You're looking at home care, roughly 14 hours a week.
You have around £50,000 in savings and assets.
At this rate, care would cost roughly £476 a week.
That means your savings might last around 2 years before running out — this is a rough guide, not an exact figure.
If this feels like a short amount of time, please know: running out of savings does not mean care stops. Once savings fall to the protected threshold, the council takes over funding your care from that point, and by law they cannot ask you to pay anything more from savings below it.
With £50,000, you're above England's threshold of £23,250, so you would likely need to pay for this yourself, at least to begin with.
This only draws down your savings and assets — it doesn't include income, pensions or the State Pension, which would usually cover part of the cost in real life. So your savings would typically last longer than shown here, not less.
The Care Compass