The most comprehensive free UK care cost calculator on the internet. Covers England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland with their actual statutory means-test rules, NHS Continuing Healthcare pass-through, free personal/nursing care contributions, home protection logic, and the proposed £86,000 care cap. Plus — and this is what most calculators get wrong — the conversations that protect your family regardless of the numbers: Power of Attorney, an up-to-date will, and a SOLLA-accredited adviser.
Median UK residential stay is ~2-3 years; right tail is long for dementia (5-10+ years). For "capital when care begins" enter total assets including investments and property — we'll handle the home protection rules below.
NHS CHC pays the full cost when the primary need is a health need. Not means-tested. Assessed by NHS using a Decision Support Tool. Significantly under-claimed — worth requesting an assessment.
This calculator shows what care does to your starting capital. The much more useful question is: "given my actual finances today, what will I have when care begins — and what does the full trajectory from now through retirement to care look like?" That's what the in-app version does.
Two types — both worth setting up:
Cannot be set up after mental capacity is lost — that's a one-way door. The application is a single online form on gov.uk (~£82 per LPA, ~£164 for both). Takes ~10 weeks to register. Without one, family must apply through the Court of Protection — a much longer, more expensive process.
Open gov.uk LPA application →Care costs deplete estates faster than most people realise. An out-of-date will leads to unintended inheritance outcomes — assets going to ex-spouses, estranged children, or under intestacy rules that don't match your wishes.
Worth reviewing every 5 years, or after any major life change (marriage, divorce, new grandchild, property purchase, business sale). For complex estates a solicitor is worth the £200-500 fee; for simpler estates MoneyHelper has free templates and guidance.
MoneyHelper will guidance →Records wishes about treatment, end-of-life care, and CPR preferences. Comes in two forms:
NHS clinicians honour these when known. Pairs naturally with an LPA Health & Welfare so someone you trust can advocate for your wishes. Free to set up — templates available from Compassion in Dying and Marie Curie.
NHS advance decision guidance →The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA) is the only specialist IFA accreditation for care fees planning in the UK. The right person for:
Free directory at societyoflaterlifeadvisers.co.uk. Initial consultations are typically free; ongoing advice fees apply.
Find a SOLLA adviser near you →Free, independent help is available from several UK charities and government services:
For local council social care assessments: each council has a duty under the Care Act 2014 to assess any adult who appears to need care. Free; take it up before crisis hits.
The calculator runs the year-by-year drawdown of your starting capital against the means-test bands for your selected UK nation, applying free personal/nursing care contributions, NHS Continuing Healthcare if eligible, and the £86,000 cap if toggled on.
effectiveWeekly = grossWeekly − freeNursing − freePersonal(if Scotland 65+) − homeCapAdjustment(if Wales home care)
For nursing and dementia care, the NHS Funded Nursing Care contribution (~£235/wk England, ~£200/wk Wales, ~£120/wk Scotland, ~£100/wk NI) is deducted before the means test applies. Scotland's free personal care (~£263/wk for over-65s) is deducted across all care settings. Wales caps home care at £100/wk regardless of actual cost.
assessable = totalCapital − (homeEquity if spouse-protected residential)
For residential care in England, Wales and NI, the home is excluded from the means test if a spouse, civil partner or dependant lives in it. The calculator assumes 50% of starting capital is home equity unless that produces a number above £400k (a reasonable UK average ceiling). Home care never counts the home as a capital asset.
Each year, the engine determines which means-test band applies and what the user actually pays:
if assessable > upperThreshold: selfPay = min(effectiveAnnual, assessable)
else if assessable > lowerThreshold and tariff applies: selfPay = min(effectiveAnnual, tariffIncome × 52, assessable)
else: selfPay = 0 (council pays in full)
The min(effectiveAnnual, assessable) cap is critical — you can't pay £62,400 of care from £49,000 of savings. The council picks up the shortfall when self-pay can't cover the cost.
if capEnabled and totalSelfPay > 86000: totalSelfPay = 86000, council picks up the excess
The proposed cap only counts personal care costs at the council's standard rate; daily living costs and care above standard rate continue uncapped. As of 2026 the cap is not in force; toggle on to model the policy world if implemented.
The four UK nations have materially different care funding rules. This is the single biggest variable for many households after care type and duration:
| Nation | Upper threshold | Lower threshold | Free care | Special rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | £23,250 | £14,250 | FNC ~£235/wk for nursing | Tariff income £1/wk per £250 in the band |
| Scotland | £35,000 | £21,500 | FPC ~£263/wk + FNC ~£120/wk (over 65s, any setting) | Means test applies only to "hotel costs" |
| Wales | £50,000 | £50,000 (flat) | FNC ~£200/wk for nursing | £100/wk cap on home care; no tariff band |
| N. Ireland | £23,250 | £14,250 | Nursing contribution ~£100/wk | Mirrors England's bands and rules |
The practical effect: a £40,000-asset household in Wales pays nothing for residential care; in England they'd self-fund until £23,250 then enter the tariff band. A Scottish over-65 in residential care pays only "hotel costs" (~£700-1000/wk) rather than the full £1,200/wk. For asset-rich households with home care needs, Wales is substantially cheaper than England.
Most care planning isn't just about you — it's about the whole family. The in-app version lets you save scenarios for each person and compare them, model joint household impact, and surface the conversation prompts (POA, will, SOLLA referral) appropriate to each.
Try WealthR Pro free →WealthR is a complete UK personal finance app: net worth tracking across every asset class, UK tax modelling (including all Scottish bands), retirement projection, and three life-event Scenarios — Income Shock, Cost of Raising a Child, and the Long-term Care tool you've just used. Free forever for core tracking; Pro adds Scenarios, Save & Compare, and the Tax Year Optimiser.
Start your 7-day Pro trial →