Non-residential care costs and payment

How it works

You may be asked to pay towards the cost of:

• Domiciliary (Home care) Services
• Day care services
• Supported living
• Direct payments
• Independent living / Outreach support
• Telecare
• Respite Care (up to 56 days)

You do not have to pay for:

• Transport to day care services 
• Employment and training schemes at day care services
• Community equipment

For information on costs related to people living in care homes, read our paying for residential and nursing care page.

How local authority social care is funded

The Welsh Government requires Social Services Departments to raise income to help pay for the services they provide.

The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 determines the charging rules for social care, which means that we may have to ask you to pay a contribution towards the cost of care services you receive from us. Do we need this? It seems a bit defensive.

When to talk to us about the cost of care

If you are arranging care for the first time, you need to request support through our Adult Services Duty Team. Our team will do a free assessment to find out what your care needs are.If you do need care, our care manager will make a plan, called a care package (or is it a care and support plan), of what services are needed to help you.

We will then assess your finances to see if you need to pay towards the costs of these services. This is called a financial assessment.

Only after a care package is made and your finances have been assessed, can we tell you how much you need to pay.

Working out how much care will cost you

Care costs RCT 2026

Your care package can be made up of multiple services. The cost of each service we provide is:

• Home care- £17 per hour
• Support and independent living- £17 per hour
• Outreach support- £17 per hour
• Day care services- £17 per visit
• Telecare- £5.88 per week
• Direct payments- £10 per week
• Domiciliary care- £10 per week

You will never be charged more than £100 per week for non-residential care. There is a minimum charge of £2.50 per week you have to pay while your care package (?) is in place.

To accurately work out how much the plan will cost you, we will assess your finances to see how much you need to contribute.

Financial assessment

We will assess whether you can afford to pay towards the cost of care. We do this by completing a financial assessment.

The amount you pay will vary depending on the care and support you receive, your income, savings and other personal circumstances (language of care and support plan or care package?). We will tell you about these charges before we do anything, so you will not receive any unexpected bills.

We will ask you for information on your:

• income-including state retirement pension, private pensions and most benefits
• outgoings- including rent, mortgage and council tax
• capital-any savings or investments

Any savings below £24,000 are not counted in the assessment.

After we have received your assessment, we will send you a letter explaining:

• how much you will need to pay
• the start date for care
• a payment timetable

Phone: 01445 680380/01445 680383 to speak to our financial assessment team if you need:

• help completing the form
• us to attend in person to help you complete the form
• More time to complete the form

You do not have to pay for non-residential care if- H3

• you have Creuzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD)
• your care services were delivered under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983
• your care services were delivered under the carer and Disabled Children Act 2000
• you need the facilities to meet your parental responsibilities for children under 18
• receive intermediate care services, for up to 6 weeks

Additional costs for private care

You will still need to pay any costs not covered by RCT if you go out of plan to a private care provider. You will pay the difference between our cost and the cost of the provider, this is called a third party top up.

Reviewing what you pay

*** possible alternative headings

or
Disputing what you pay-H2 (can be confrontational)
or
Contesting what you pay-H2 (can be confrontational)

If you disagree with a charge or a decision to charge you for care services, you can request a review of your financial assessment.

Request a review

Financial Assessment Team on (01443) 680380 or (01443) 680383 between 9am and 5pm (Monday-Friday) or in writing to Charging Unit, Oldway House, Porth Street, Porth, CF39 9ST.

If you do not agree with the Reviewing panel decision, you can make a complaint.

Change of circumstances

You need to report any changes to your finances that would affect the amount you pay for social care. This may include:

• A new benefit
• Increase in savings
• Changes to income

Call 00000 000000 and speak to the Financial Assessment Team.

Paying your invoice

Every 4 weeks we will send you an invoice. Every invoice will be sent in arrears.  (explain what is arrears, it is not plain language).

Full instructions and payment details are included on each invoice we send.

Appointing someone to act for you

When we assess your care needs, we will check if you have the capacity to manage your financial affairs. If you have capacity, we will invoice you direct to your home address.

If someone does not have capacity,

The Council will provide a copy correspondence (but not official invoices) to a third party as long as the service user has provided us with the relevant written authority.

If someone is acting on a service user’s behalf, it is important that they are doing so formally, for example as an Appointee for your state benefits, Lasting Power of Attorney or Deputy under the Court of Protection. Only in these cases, will the Council contact a service user’s representative for information on their finances and then if they take responsibility to make payments, the Council will invoice them directly for the assessed charge

Contact Us

Financial Assessment Team on (01443) 680380 or (01443) 680383 between 9am and 5pm (Monday-Friday) or in writing to Charging Unit, Oldway House, Porth Street, Porth, CF39 9ST.

Free independent money advice

The Money Advice Service
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/
Phone: 0800 138 7777

Age Cymru Tel No – Advice Line
http://www.ageuk.org.uk/cymru/
Phone: 08000 223 444

Citizens Advice
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wales/
Phone: 034554 04 05 06