Do I have to pay for my parent's care?

In England, the Care Act 2014 lets a council charge for care only after a financial assessment of the person who needs it: your parent. Your income, your savings and your home are not part of that sum. Wales works the same way, and the Welsh Government's charging guidance refers only to the person's own income, savings and capital.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own laws, so it is worth checking them before you say "the UK". In both, children are not liable for a parent. The difference is for husbands, wives and civil partners in Northern Ireland, set out in the table below.

The sources are on legislation.gov.uk for the English charging regulations, the Northern Ireland Order (Article 100) and on Care Information Scotland. The wider legal side, such as next of kin and what changes if your parent moves in with you, is in am I legally responsible for my elderly parent? This page stays on the money.

1. 1

   Ask for a care needs assessment

   Free, and you can ask for them

   Ring your parent's council adult social care team (a Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland). The assessment is free whatever your parent's savings, and it decides what help they are eligible for.
2. 2

   A financial assessment of your parent's money

   Their income and savings only

   If they have eligible needs, the council looks at their pension, benefits and savings to work out what they pay towards it. It does not ask about your income.
3. 3

   Your parent pays their share

   Somewhere between nothing and the full cost

   In England, savings under £14,250 are ignored, between £14,250 and £23,250 they pay something, and over £23,250 they usually pay the full cost.
4. 4

   The council pays the rest

   And keeps paying if their money runs out

   The duty to meet eligible needs stays with the council. When your parent's savings fall towards the limit, ask for the financial assessment to be done again.

One route sits outside the means test altogether. If your parent's needs are mainly health needs, the NHS may pay for all of their care through NHS continuing healthcare, whatever their savings. Ask about it at the assessment if your parent is very unwell. How councils run the rest of this, including personal budgets and direct payments, is in council funding for care.

The house rule for care at home is in Schedule 2, paragraph 6 of the English charging regulations. The Attendance Allowance rates are on GOV.UK, and our Attendance Allowance guide goes through the claim form. It is often the first money towards a carer, and it is your parent's to spend.

Each of these is covered in full, with the law behind it, in am I legally responsible for my elderly parent? Scotland's rule on gifts has its own detail: Care Information Scotland says a relative can be held liable if they received the money within six months of the person moving permanently into a care home.

1. 1

   Agree what you are paying for, and for how long

   In writing, with your parent and siblings

   Say which hours or which bill you are covering, whether it is a gift or a loan, and what happens if your circumstances change. A short note signed by everyone is enough.
2. 2

   Pay the carer or the bill directly

   Not into your parent's account

   That keeps your money out of your parent's savings, so it does not change the financial assessment, and it leaves a clear record of who paid what.
3. 3

   For a care home top-up, sign the council's agreement

   A written agreement with the council

   A top-up pays the difference between the council's rate and a home your parent prefers. Ask what happens if the home puts its fees up before you sign.
4. 4

   Keep a record of regular payments

   It can matter for inheritance tax

   GOV.UK lists financial support for an elderly relative as a regular payment that can be tax free for inheritance tax, as long as it comes from your regular income and you can still afford your usual living costs.

The inheritance tax rule is on GOV.UK's page on gifts, checked 6 November 2026. If the help is a top-up for a care home, the conditions are in regulation 5 of the choice of accommodation regulations, and care home top-up fees explains how the agreement works in practice.

If you are your parent's attorney, you are spending their money for them, not yours. That is a different job, with its own rules.

An hour a day often covers the parts of the day that matter most, such as getting up, washed and dressed, or a lunch visit with medication. If you are sharing the cost with a brother or sister, a fixed number of hours a week is easier to split than a share of whatever the bill comes to. Splitting care costs between siblings goes through ways to divide it fairly.

PrimeCarers checks every carer's ID and right to work, and checks they have an enhanced DBS certificate (PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last two years. Each carer also has an online interview with us. You can read reviews and references on their profiles, and ask about their experience when you talk to them.