The 12-week property disregard explained (2026/27)

When someone moves permanently into a care home, the value of their home is ignored in the council’s means test for the first 12 weeks. This is the 12-week property disregard. It gives families time to decide whether to sell, rent out the home, or set up a deferred payment agreement, without the home being counted straight away.

At a glance

• Applies when someone first moves into a care home permanently and their other savings are below the upper limit (£23,250 in England in 2026/27).
• For those 12 weeks the council helps pay the fees, based on the person’s income and savings.
• It also applies if a property that was being ignored suddenly starts to count, for example after a partner living there dies.
• It does not apply to respite or temporary stays, because the home is ignored for those anyway.
• After 12 weeks the home counts, unless someone who qualifies still lives there.

Who it applies to

• People moving into a care home permanently, whose savings and investments (not counting the home) are under the upper capital limit.
• People whose home was being ignored for another reason that ends unexpectedly, such as the death of a partner who lived there.

If the person’s savings alone are above the upper limit, they pay their fees in full anyway, so the disregard makes no difference until savings fall.

When the home is never counted

The home is ignored for as long as any of these people live in it:

• a husband, wife or partner;
• a relative who is 60 or over, or who is disabled;
• a child of the resident who is under 18.

Councils can also choose to ignore it in other cases, for example where a carer gave up their own home to look after the person.

What happens during the 12 weeks

1. The council carries out a financial assessment, ignoring the home.
2. The person pays what they can from income, plus £1 a week for every £250 of savings between £14,250 and £23,250.
3. The council pays the rest, up to its usual rate. If the home costs more, a top-up may be needed; during the disregard the resident can pay this from their own money. See care home top-up fees.

After 12 weeks: the options

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

A 12-week property disregard also applies in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The capital limits are different: £50,000 for care homes in Wales, and £36,750 (upper) and £22,750 (lower) in Scotland in 2026/27. Northern Ireland uses the same limits as England.

Sources

• DHSC: Care and support statutory guidance, annex B (treatment of capital)
• DHSC: Social care charging 2026 to 2027 local authority circular

Last checked October 2026. General information, not financial or legal advice.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 26 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.