Direct paymentsKingston upon Thames
Direct payments in Kingston upon Thames
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. A direct payment can usually pay a self-employed carer, on the council's conditions. Below is what the council publishes about its rates and rules, and what an hour of care costs near you.
170 self-employed carers within about 45 minutes of Kingston upon Thames
An hour of care in Kingston upon Thames
- A self-employed carer near youTypical rate on PrimeCarers, our fee included
- £20.00
- Local home care agenciesMedian of 65 agencies nearby that publish a price
- £24.90
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 Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 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 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 £24.90 an hour. The median published by 65 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. Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames
Direct payments in Kingston upon Thames work under the Care Act 2014. A direct payment can usually pay a self-employed carer your family has chosen, as well as a personal assistant you employ or an agency. We could not find Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames's own wording on self-employed carers, so ask the direct payments team what it wants to see before anyone starts.
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 Kingston upon Thames
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
The council opens a prepaid card account for the person receiving the direct payment.
How the money is paid: Separate bank account
The payment can go into the person's own account, but a new account has to be opened for it.
Help with running it
If you need support to arrange care with a direct payment, you can speak to Kingston Centre for Independent Living (KCIL).
Where the council points you to find a personal assistant
Worth knowing
Direct payments in Kingston are paid every four weeks, in advance of the period they cover.
Worth knowing
When a person chooses to take their personal budget as a direct payment, they receive the full or gross amount.
Worth knowing
Direct payment holders can choose whether to increase their personal assistant's pay to the new rate, and the council will not notify the payroll company on their behalf or discuss pay rates with their personal assistants.
Who is available
Self-employed carers in Kingston upon Thames
170 carers are based within about 45 minutes of Kingston upon Thames. You can see their rates and experience, and message them, before committing to anything.
170 private carers are based within about 45 minutes of Kingston upon Thames
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 Kingston upon ThamesIn their words
Families near Kingston upon Thames on the carers they chose
“Without his support we wouldn't have been able to navigate bringing and keeping Dad at home.”
Emma P., 2021
About Aman A.Carer based in Surbiton · 3 reviews“Sarah has helped to improve the quality of my mother's life and increased her self esteem and it is reassuring to know that she is giving my mother the best care.”
Julia G., 2024
About Sarah Y.Carer based in Morden · 3 reviews“Since Elmare has been Caring for my father I have felt a massive improvement in his overall happiness and contentment.”
Lily S., 2020
About Elmare H.Carer based in Worcester Park · 3 reviews“Mario was an amusing and affectionate companion - he for example looked out my father's favourite music, engaged him in conversation and made sure he was as comfortable as possible.”
Maggie C., 2023
About Mario da Assuncao N.Carer based in Greater London“He is demonstrating to the family on a daily basis, an excellent professional attitude.”
Gordon O., 2021
About Michael B.Carer based in Mitcham“Mum is enjoying her company and has been out walking with her for exercise and stimulation.”
Rebecca B., 2023
About Bhavna C.Carer based in Kingston upon ThamesStep 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 Kingston upon Thames
Usually, yes. A direct payment can pay a self-employed carer your family has chosen, employ a personal assistant, or buy agency hours. We could not find Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames's own wording on self-employed carers, so ask the direct payments team what checks it wants before anyone starts.
We could not find a rate that Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames 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 £24.90 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.
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames's direct payments team on 0208 547 5005. 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 Merton
- Direct payments in Richmond upon Thames
- Direct payments in Sutton
- Direct payments in Wandsworth
- Direct payments in Hounslow
- Direct payments in Lambeth
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 Kingston upon Thames that is NHS South West London.
Council details were read from Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames'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 65 agencies near Kingston upon Thames that publish a price. Carer rates are what carers near you advertise, read live.
Find a carer in Kingston upon Thames
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.