FNC rates 2026/27: NHS-funded nursing care rates by year

The NHS-funded nursing care (FNC) rate for 2026/27 is £267.68 a week in England, from 1 April 2026. That is up 5.4% from £254.06 in 2025/26. A legacy higher rate of £368.24 a week still applies to a small number of residents. FNC is paid by the NHS directly to the nursing home, towards the cost of care from registered nurses. This page lists every recent FNC rate and explains who gets it, how it is paid and how to check it on a care home bill.

At a glance

• Standard FNC rate 2026/27: £267.68 a week (about £13,900 a year), from 1 April 2026.
• Higher rate 2026/27: £368.24 a week, only for people who were on the old high band before 1 October 2007 and still qualify.
• The rate is the same everywhere in England. It is not means-tested.
• The NHS pays it straight to the care home. It should reduce what you or the council pay, or be shown on your bill.
• FNC is only paid in a care home with nursing. It is not paid for care at home.

FNC rates by year (England)

The 2022/23 rise was announced late and backdated to 1 April 2022. Changes are worked out from the standard rate. Rates for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are set separately and are not shown here.

Who gets FNC

You may get FNC if you live in a care home that is registered to provide nursing care, you need care from a registered nurse, and you do not qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). It is assessed by the NHS, usually by the local integrated care board, normally after a CHC checklist or full assessment has found you are not eligible for CHC.

It does not matter whether you pay for the care home yourself or the council pays. FNC is not means-tested and is the same amount for everyone on the standard rate.

How FNC is paid, and what it does to the bill

The NHS pays FNC directly to the care home. You never receive it yourself. What it does to your bill depends on how the home quotes its fees:

• Fees quoted including FNC: the home should take £267.68 off your weekly bill.
• Fees quoted excluding FNC: the price you are quoted is what you pay, and the home receives FNC on top.

Ask the home which it is, in writing, before you agree a contract. As an example, our England benchmark for a nursing home is about £1,640 a week. If that price includes FNC, a self-funder would pay about £1,372 a week after the £267.68 is deducted. In London, a benchmark of about £1,850 a week becomes about £1,582.

The higher rate

Before October 2007 FNC was paid in three bands. When the bands were merged, people already on the high band kept a higher payment. In 2026/27 that is £368.24 a week. It only applies to those residents, and only while they still meet the conditions for the high band. Nobody new can join it.

FNC and NHS Continuing Healthcare

CHC is different. It pays the full cost of care, including accommodation in a care home, for people whose main need is for healthcare. If you get CHC you do not also get FNC. Our guide to NHS funded nursing care vs NHS Continuing Healthcare explains the difference and how assessments work.

Checking your FNC

• Ask the home for confirmation that FNC has been agreed by the NHS and the date it started.
• Check your invoice shows the FNC amount, or that your quoted fee excludes it.
• When the rate rises each April, check the extra amount has been passed on. Rises are sometimes announced after April and backdated.
• If a resident moves from residential care to nursing care, ask for an FNC assessment straight away.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Better community care thanks to nursing funding boost (March 2026)
• NHS.uk: NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care
• GOV.UK: National framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care

Last checked October 2026. Nursing home price examples use The Care Panel’s regional fee benchmarks; see our care fees and quality index.

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.