Direct paymentsCamden
Direct payments in Camden
If the council has agreed to pay towards care at home, you can take the money as a direct payment and choose who provides the care. London Borough of Camden says a direct payment can pay a self-employed carer, with some checks first. Below is what the council publishes about its rates and rules, and what an hour of care costs near you.
340 self-employed carers within about 45 minutes of Camden
An hour of care in Camden
- A self-employed carer near youTypical rate on PrimeCarers, our fee included
- £20.00
- Local home care agenciesMedian of 87 agencies nearby that publish a price
- £25.00
A budget worked out at the agency rate buys more hours from a self-employed carer. What a weekly budget buys each way is set out below.
What the council pays
Direct payment rates in Camden
London Borough of Camden does not publish its direct payment rates anywhere we could find. Your budget is set in your support plan, from the cost of meeting your eligible needs less anything you are assessed to pay yourself. Ask the council which hourly rate it used, because that decides how many hours the budget buys.
Hours for the money
What a weekly budget buys
A direct payment is a sum of money, so the useful comparison is how many hours of care it pays for. Move the slider to your own weekly budget.
Starts at ten hours a week at the agency rate. Move it to match the budget in your support plan.
- A self-employed carer on PrimeCarers12.5 hours
At £20.00 an hour. The typical rate near you, our fee included. The carer invoices for the hours, and that invoice is your record for the council.
- A local home care agency10 hours
At £25.00 an hour. The median published by 87 agencies near you. The agency sends whoever is on its rota.
Hours are rounded down to the half hour. Bank holidays are charged at one and a half times a carer's rate and Christmas Day at twice, so leave room in the budget for them. London Borough of Camden decides what your direct payment can be spent on, and your support plan is the final word.
Choosing your carer
Paying a self-employed carer in Camden
London Borough of Camden allows a direct payment to pay a self-employed carer, with conditions. If a personal assistant paid through a direct payment is self-employed, it is the responsibility of the direct payment recipient or their authorised or nominated person to make sure the worker's self-employed status is checked and confirmed by HMRC.
“It is the responsibility of the Direct Payment recipient or their authorised/nominated person to ensure their self-employed worker’s status is checked and confirmed by HMRC”
Councils tend to ask for the same few things before a direct payment pays a self-employed carer:
- the carer's employment status for tax, which HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool on gov.uk works out in a few minutes
- proof that the carer is insured
- a DBS certificate
- an invoice for the hours worked, which becomes your record of how the money was spent
How direct payments work covers asking for one, what the money can buy and the records councils want back, and self-employed carer or employee? explains the tax question.
The council's arrangements
How direct payments are run in Camden
What the council publishes about paying the money, getting help and getting in touch. Each card links to the page we checked it against.
How the money is paid: Prepaid card
One option is a prepaid Mastercard debit card provided by Allpay Ltd, which Adult Social Care tops up with your direct payment funds on a monthly basis.
Provider: Allpay Ltd
How the money is paid: Managed account
The direct payment can be paid to a managed payroll company that holds the funds and makes payments on the person's instructions for a small fee.
How the money is paid: Separate bank account
A separate bank account can be used in some cases, with more responsibility on the person to submit records when the council checks the account.
Help with running it
Independent specialist support is provided by People Plus, which can help you set up a direct payment, decide how best to use it to meet your agreed outcomes, set up payments for services and staff you employ, and get ongoing advice for as long as you receive direct payments.
Worth knowing
If you go into hospital, Camden continues to pay the direct payment for up to four weeks from the start of the stay.
Worth knowing
If you are going on holiday or travelling abroad, the council may continue to pay your direct payment for up to four weeks in a calendar year.
Worth knowing
When the council checks a direct payment account, it looks for an appropriate level of contingency in the account, generally the equivalent of up to 10 weeks of the direct payment.
Who is available
Self-employed carers in Camden
340 carers are based within about 45 minutes of Camden. You can see their rates and experience, and message them, before committing to anything.
340 private carers are based within about 45 minutes of Camden
Filter by what they charge, who drives, who does nights, and who speaks your language, then message the ones you like. Free, and nothing is booked until you say so.
See private carers for CamdenIn their words
Families near Camden on the carers they chose
“The quality of life that she's given my parents has been priceless. The peace of mind she's given my sisters and I, through a very difficult time, has been invaluable.”
John M., 2026
About Liliana S.Carer based in London · 5 reviews“As well as helping him with household tasks and massaging his legs, she is also a wonderful companion: engaging him in conversation, playing games and even going on short outings.”
Gabi M., 2022
About Rochelle B.Carer based in London · 5 reviews“Best of all she helped Mum feel good about herself again: by listening to her, caring for her medical and personal needs in a professional, humane and calm way”
Amanda P., 2020
About Peri A.Carer based in Greater London · 4 reviews“Monique is calm and approachable, instinctively knowing when to provide a listening ear.”
Sally L., 2025
About Monique Marie Pascale C.Carer based in London · 4 reviews“If you ask Jarmila to be your carer I guarantee you will be very happy to have her”
Silvia B., 2026
About Jarmila O.Carer based in Greater London · 3 reviews“Angela has been a godsend for our 96yr old mum. She is honest, kind, thoughtful and is a good time keeper”
Elaine P., 2025
About Angela s.Carer based in EdgwareStep by step
Using a direct payment for a carer you choose
- Get the assessment and the support plan. The council assesses the care needed and works out the budget. Say at this stage that you want a direct payment and would like to choose your own carer.
- Check what the council allows. Ask the direct payments team whether it will pay a self-employed carer and what it needs to see from them.
- Find carers and talk to a few. Search carers near you, compare rates, experience and reviews, and message your shortlist. None of that costs anything.
- Agree the hours and rate in writing. Match them to the support plan, and keep within the budget once bank holidays are allowed for.
- Keep the records. Invoices and statements are what the council looks at when it reviews how the direct payment is being used.
Questions
Questions about direct payments in Camden
Yes. If a personal assistant paid through a direct payment is self-employed, it is the responsibility of the direct payment recipient or their authorised or nominated person to make sure the worker's self-employed status is checked and confirmed by HMRC. The checks a council asks for are usually the carer's employment status for tax, their insurance and their DBS certificate. Carers on PrimeCarers are self-employed, hold an enhanced DBS and are insured while they work, and they invoice for the hours worked.
We could not find a rate that London Borough of Camden publishes. The amount is set in your support plan, worked out from the cost of meeting your eligible needs, less anything the financial assessment says you pay yourself. Ask the council how it calculated the hourly figure, because that decides how many hours the budget buys.
Usually it buys more hours. Carers near you typically charge £20.00 an hour against £25.00 for agency care, so a budget worked out at the agency rate buys more hours from a self-employed carer.
In England a direct payment cannot normally pay the person’s husband, wife or partner, or a close relative who lives in the same household, unless the council considers it necessary. That is the direct payments regulations rather than this council's own rule, so ask the direct payments team how it applies it. Can my mum pay me to care for her? covers the other routes.
Only if you employ somebody. Paying a self-employed carer or an agency does not make anyone an employer. Taking on a personal assistant does, which brings payroll, holiday pay, sick pay, pension enrolment and employer's liability insurance. HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool on gov.uk tells you which applies.
London Borough of Camden's direct payments team on 020 7974 4444. If you do not have a social worker or care assessment yet, start with a needs assessment from adult social care.
Direct payments in nearby council areas
- Direct payments in Westminster
- Direct payments in Islington
- Direct payments in Kensington and Chelsea
- Direct payments in City of London
- Direct payments in Hackney
- Direct payments in Haringey
If the care needed is mainly about health, the NHS may pay for all of it through Continuing Healthcare, decided by the NHS rather than the council. In Camden that is NHS West and North London.
Council details were read from London Borough of Camden's published pages and checked against them on 17 September 2026. Councils change their rates each April, so check the linked page before relying on a figure. The local agency figure is the median of 87 agencies near Camden that publish a price. Carer rates are what carers near you advertise, read live.
Find a carer in Camden
See self-employed carers near you with their hourly rates, experience and reviews, and talk to the ones you like for free. Check with the council what your direct payment can pay for before you book.