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Guides

Money and law, written plainly. Every figure carries a source and a date, and where we do not have a number we say so.

What it costs

Care home costs in EnglandReal 2026/27 council rates, and why there is no such thing as an average Nursing homes: cost and when you need oneWhat nursing adds, and the £267.68 that confuses every quote Dementia care homesThe 10–20% premium, and six questions that separate homes What home care costsHourly rates, and the point at which a care home is cheaper Live-in careWeekly rates, and the costs not in the headline figure Home care or a care home?The arithmetic, and the point it flips

Who pays

Will the council pay? CalculatorSix questions and the 2026/27 means test State Pension age calculatorExact date from the DWP timetable, 2026/27 amount, and what stays with you in a care home State Pension 2026/27: age, rates, triple lock, deferralSix pages, every figure from gov.uk or DWP with a date Council-funded care homesWho qualifies, what the council pays, when a top-up is lawful What happens when the money runs outTariff income, timing, and the question to ask on the first visit NHS-funded careContinuing Healthcare, and why eligibility has halved in nine years

Choosing a home

CQC ratings, and what they do not tell youThe five domains, and why the date matters more than the word Research: how old is the rating on the wall?10,980 homes analysed. 40% carry a rating over five years old Find a home near youEvery home on the CQC register in the areas we cover Where our numbers come fromOur method, and what we refuse to publish

Where to get advice you can rely on

We publish prices and register data. We are not an advice service, and for the decisions that follow these are the sources worth your time — all free, none of them selling you anything.

Age UK — Paying for a care home The clearest free explanation of the means test, the 12-week property disregard and deferred payment agreements. Their factsheet 10 goes further than almost anything else published. GOV.UK — charging circular, 2026/27 The primary source for this year’s figures: capital limits held again at £23,250 and £14,250, and the personal expenses allowance uprated by 3.8%. NHS — paying for your own care Written for people who will not qualify for council help: whether a home has to be sold, what equity release really involves, and which benefits are not means-tested. MoneyHelper — ways to pay care home fees Government-backed and impartial. Also explains what a specialist care fees adviser does and when paying for one is worth it. Care Act 2014 — statutory guidance What councils are actually obliged to do. Annex A covers choice of accommodation and top-up payments, the part families are most often talked past. Care Quality Commission The regulator itself. Every rating here comes from its public register, and the full inspection report is always worth reading rather than the headline word alone.

Reviewed 28 August 2026. Figures are for 2026/27 unless stated. This is information, not financial or legal advice.