Home care charges in Wales: the £100 weekly cap explained (2026/27)

In Wales, the most a council can charge for the care at home it arranges is £100 a week in 2026/27, however many hours of care you receive. Many people pay less, or nothing, because the charge depends on a financial assessment that never counts your home, ignores savings of £24,000 or less, and protects a minimum weekly income. The cap covers council-arranged care and direct payments, but not care you buy privately from an agency.

In short

• The weekly maximum charge for non-residential care in Wales is £100 in 2026/27. It is set by regulation 7 of the Care and Support (Charging) (Wales) Regulations 2015 and has not changed since April 2020.
• With savings over £24,000 you pay the council’s standard charge for your care, but never more than £100 a week. At £24,000 or less, your savings are ignored completely.
• Below the limit you pay from income only, and must be left with a Minimum Income Amount. For a single pensioner that is at least £345.10 a week.
• Reablement is free for the first six weeks. Mental health aftercare under section 117, care for people with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and advocacy are also free.
• Flat-rate charges, such as meals and community alarms, are added on top of the £100.
• Even with savings over £24,000, you can ask the council to arrange your care, so the £100 cap applies instead of private rates.

What the £100 cap covers, and what it does not

The cap applies to the total of all council-arranged non-residential care in a week, not to each service separately.

The Welsh Government consulted in 2024 on raising the maximum, but the regulations still say £100 for 2026/27. Our hub guide, paying for care in Wales, covers care homes.

Savings over £24,000? You can still use the cap

Section 35 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 says the council must meet your eligible needs if your money is under the limit, or if it is over the limit but you ask it to. Once the council arranges the care, your charge is capped at £100 a week.

Take 15 hours a week of home care. Bought privately at an illustrative £28 an hour, that is £420 a week. Arranged by the council, the most you pay is £100: a difference of more than £16,000 a year. Our care cost calculator shows typical private rates.

The catches: you need an assessment showing eligible needs, the council chooses the agency (unless you take direct payments), and there may be a wait for a package.

How the council works out your weekly charge

1. Standard charge: your care hours at the council’s rates. In Blaenau Gwent the 2026/27 rate is £25.90 an hour for home care and £70.70 a day centre session.
2. Cap: flat-rate charges are taken out and anything above £100 is ignored.
3. Capital test: savings and investments, not your home. Over £24,000, you pay the capped standard charge.
4. Income test: weekly income, minus disregards, rent, mortgage and council tax, minus the Minimum Income Amount.
5. Your charge is the lower of steps 2 and 4.

The council cannot ask for money until it sends a written statement of your charge, but it can then charge back to when care started (regulation 14). Set money aside for the first bill.

The Minimum Income Amount for care at home

Regulation 12 says you must be left with at least three things added together: your basic benefit entitlement, a buffer of at least 35% of it, and at least 10% of it for disability-related costs. For a single person over State Pension age, the basic entitlement is the Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee of £238.00 a week in 2026/27.

• Basic entitlement: £238.00
• 35% buffer: £83.30
• 10% disability allowance: £23.80
• Protected income: at least £345.10 a week

Councils can set a higher buffer or allowance than these minimums.

Claim your real disability costs

The 10% is a minimum. The Welsh charging code lists extra costs a council may allow: a community alarm, privately paid care, special diets, extra laundry or bedding, higher heating bills, cleaning you cannot do because of disability, equipment and extra transport. Keep receipts for a month and ask for a disability-related expenditure assessment. If your charge is set by your income rather than the £100 cap, every £1 allowed cuts it by £1.

What counts as income

Counted: State Pension, other pensions, annuities and most benefits, including Pension Credit. Attendance Allowance and PIP daily living are usually counted, but councils have discretion: Blaenau Gwent counts only 85% of the lower Attendance Allowance rate for daytime care.

Ignored: all earnings, the mobility part of PIP or DLA, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit, and up to £5.75 a week of savings credit (£8.60 for a couple). A single person aged 65 or over whose income is above the Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee also has £5.75 a week ignored, even without savings credit.

Worked examples using 2026/27 rates

These examples are illustrative. Your council’s rates and policies may differ.

Megan, 84, Abertillery: pays nothing

• 8 hours a week at £25.90 = £207.20 standard charge. Her £18,000 savings are ignored.
• Income: State Pension £241.30 plus a works pension of £60 = £301.30, below her £345.10 protected income.
• Her charge is £0. The council pays the full £207.20.

Huw, 79, Ebbw Vale: pays £48.45

• 10 hours a week = £259 standard charge, capped at £100.
• Savings of £12,000 are ignored, and so is his home.
• Income: State Pension £241.30 plus a works pension of £180 = £421.30. Huw is single and over 65 with income above the Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee, so £5.75 is ignored. Council tax is £22 a week.
• £421.30 minus £5.75 minus £345.10 minus £22 leaves £48.45. That is his weekly charge.
• If Huw had £40,000 in savings, he would pay the full £100: the lower of his £259 standard charge and the cap.

Couples, direct payments and short stays

Couples

Only the person receiving care is assessed. Joint savings are treated as split equally, so a couple with £44,000 has £22,000 each, under the limit. A partner’s own pension is not counted.

Direct payments

Your contribution to direct payments is worked out the same way and capped at £100 a week. Blaenau Gwent’s 2026/27 direct payment rate is £18.70 an hour. See getting paid to care for a family member.

Respite and short stays

A care home stay of up to 8 weeks is charged as non-residential care, so the £100 cap applies. Some councils, including Blaenau Gwent, do not charge for breaks identified in a carer’s assessment. See help for unpaid carers in Wales.

How to challenge your charge

Wales has its own review process under the Care and Support (Review of Charging Decisions and Determinations) (Wales) Regulations 2015.

1. Ask for a review at any time, by phone or in writing. Say why: a calculation error, rules or policy not followed, a charge for care you did not get, or hardship.
2. The council must acknowledge within 5 working days. You need not pay the disputed amount during the review, but tell the council within 5 working days of its acknowledgement if you will stop. Unpaid amounts build up and can be recovered afterwards if the charge is upheld.
3. Send any evidence it asks for within 15 working days, or ask for more time.
4. It must decide within 10 working days of having the information.
5. Then use the social services complaints procedure, then the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, normally within 12 months.

Mistakes to avoid

• Paying an agency privately without asking the council first. With eligible needs, the council route caps your bill at £100.
• Accepting the 10% disability allowance without question. Higher real costs can bring the charge down.
• Skipping the benefits check. Unclaimed Attendance Allowance usually leaves you better off, because the charge cannot exceed £100.
• Assuming free reablement continues. Charging can start after six weeks; ask what happens next. See reablement explained.

How Wales compares

England has no weekly maximum. Scotland provides free personal care: see Scotland and Northern Ireland. If your parent’s main need is a health need, the NHS may pay everything: see NHS Continuing Healthcare in Wales.

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum charge for home care in Wales in 2026/27?

£100 a week. It covers all council-arranged non-residential care added together, including home care, day services, direct payment contributions and care home stays of up to 8 weeks. Flat-rate charges such as meals and alarms are extra. Many people pay less after the financial assessment, and some pay nothing at all.

Is my house counted for home care charges in Wales?

No. The home you live in is never counted when the council works out what you pay for care at home. Only savings, investments and other property count. If they total £24,000 or less, they are ignored and you pay only from income, keeping at least your Minimum Income Amount.

Do I pay the full cost of home care if I have over £24,000 in savings?

Only up to £100 a week, if the council arranges the care. You can ask the council to meet your eligible needs even when your savings are above the limit. If you arrange care privately with an agency instead, there is no cap and you pay the agency’s full rate.

Does Attendance Allowance count as income for home care charges?

Usually yes, at least in part, but councils in Wales have discretion. Some count only part of it, and all must leave you a Minimum Income Amount that includes at least 10% of your basic entitlement for disability costs. If your disability costs are higher, ask for them to be assessed and deducted.

Are meals on wheels and alarms included in the £100 cap?

No. Councils can make flat-rate charges for things like meals and community alarms, and these sit outside the £100 weekly maximum. The council must, however, add the cost of those flat-rate charges to your Minimum Income Amount, so they do not push your income below the protected level.

How do I challenge my home care charge in Wales?

Ask the council for a review, by phone or in writing, at any time. It must acknowledge you within 5 working days and decide within 10 working days of getting the information it needs. You do not have to pay the disputed charge during the review. After that, use the complaints procedure and then the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

Sources

• The Care and Support (Charging) (Wales) Regulations 2015
• The Care and Support (Financial Assessment) (Wales) Regulations 2015
• The Care and Support (Review of Charging Decisions and Determinations) (Wales) Regulations 2015
• Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, section 35
• Welsh Government: Part 4 and 5 code of practice (charging and financial assessment)
• Welsh Government: consultation on the weekly maximum charge
• Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council: charging for non-residential services, April 2026
• GOV.UK: Pension Credit rates
• Public Services Ombudsman for Wales: how to complain

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 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.