Who pays for care in Harrow

Step 1: the care needs assessment

London Borough of Harrow begins by assessing needs, at no cost. When those needs are eligible it sets a personal budget, which is its estimate of what meeting them would cost. You can reach adult social care on 020 8901 2680. The needs assessment in Harrow, explained.

Step 2: the financial assessment (means test)

The council's financial assessment weighs income against capital. Working up from the bottom, the 2026/27 bands are:

• Below £14,250: savings are left out of the sums, and the person pays from income, if anything.
• From £14,250 up to £23,250: the council pays part, and the council counts £1 a week of "tariff income" per £250 held over £14,250.
• Above £23,250: the person generally pays for all of it.

Staying at home? Then the house is disregarded and the person keeps at least a Minimum Income Guarantee, set at £241.45 a week for a single pensioner. Moving to residential or nursing care? The property normally counts unless a partner or certain relatives still live there; the first 12 weeks are disregarded, and the resident keeps the Personal Expenses Allowance: £31.80 each week.

London Borough of Harrow: paying for care.

What the data shows for Harrow

94% of rated care homes in Harrow are Good or Outstanding, ahead of the England average of 83%. The area has 52 homes, 49 of them rated. Of these, 16 provide nursing, which is 31% of homes in the area. £1,670 a week: that is our estimate of a typical private fee for residential or nursing care locally. The London figure is £1,670 and England's is £1,520. It is not a quote. Nursing places run at about £1,870, residential at about £1,620.

Our modelled typical self-funder price for a visiting carer in Harrow is £37.50 an hour, against a regional £37.50 (London) and £33.50 for England. In the past year, 15 new CQC ratings came out for Harrow (1 went down, 3 were first ratings); the latest is dated 21 October 2026.

In Harrow, 93% of rated home care agencies are Good or Outstanding (61 rated out of 93 registered). Across England the figure is 88%.

Data: CQC, Oct 2026. Prices: The Care Panel fee index, Q4 2026.

Deferred payments

Where property is counted towards residential fees, London Borough of Harrow must make a deferred payment agreement available to those eligible, which avoids selling the property in the person's lifetime. Expect interest and an administration fee.

Direct payments

If the council funds some or all of the care at home, you can take its share as a direct payment and choose your own agency or personal assistant. London Borough of Harrow: direct payments.

Funding you can get whatever you own

Attendance Allowance is paid to those of State Pension age or older who need personal care: £76.70 a week, or £114.60 when care is needed by day and at night. Savings and the house do not count, and many families never claim it. A carer putting in 35 hours a week or more could qualify for Carer's Allowance. NHS Continuing Healthcare meets the entire cost if needs are mainly health-related, and NHS-funded nursing care is paid to nursing homes towards residents' nursing.

Check your funding options.