Care glossary · Paying for care
Care cap: what it means
A planned lifetime limit of £86,000 on personal care costs in England, which was cancelled in 2024.
The cap was due to start in October 2025 but the government cancelled it in July 2024. The current means test, with its £23,250 upper capital limit, still applies.
Terms often used alongside it
- Upper capital limit: The savings level above which people in England usually pay the full cost of their care: £23,250.
Questions about care cap
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Choosing a care home: the 40-point checklist
Take it on every visit and compare up to three homes side by side: CQC checks, staffing, daily life, the room, fees and the contract.
More in Paying for care
Self-funder · Care needs assessment · Financial assessment (means test) · Upper capital limit · Lower capital limit · Tariff income · Personal expenses allowance · Minimum income guarantee · Disability-related expenditure · 12-week property disregard · Deferred payment agreement · Third-party top-up · Personal budget · Direct payments · Deprivation of assets
Register information from CQC as at Oct 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0 applies. We do not deliver care ourselves.