The Care Act and the Cap on
Care Costs
Many people currently pay for their own
adult social care and support.
In the future there will be a limit to how
much people pay for their care. This limit is
called the ‘cap on care costs’, or the
‘cap’.
The cap will become law from 1st April 2016.
Much of the detail about the cap is still being
worked out by the government, so some
information in this briefing might change.
1
The cap will be £72,000 if you are assessed
as having an eligible need for adult social care
support when you are of pensionable age.
The cap on care costs will be £0 if you are
assessed as having an ongoing eligible need
for adult social care support before your 18th
birthday.
2
The government has not yet said what the
cap on care costs will be for someone who is
assessed as having eligible needs when they
are aged between 18 and pensionable age.
The cap will only begin after you have been
assessed as having an eligible need for adult
social care support from 1st April 2016.
It will not count money you have spent before
1st April 2016.
3
To work how quickly you will reach the cap, the
local authority will assess you and tell you how
much it would pay to meet your eligible needs.
These are your reasonable care costs, and form
your independent personal budget.
Your progress towards the cap will be monitored
through a care account.
Once you reach the cap, the local authority will
pay any ongoing reasonable care costs to meet
your eligible needs.
4
You may spend more on meeting your needs
than what your independent personal budget
says, either before or after you reach the cap.
This is called a top-up.
A top-up does not count towards your cap.
You might top-up because you want to pay for a
service that is not essential to meeting your
eligible needs.
5
The cap does not include your living costs of
staying in a residential home.
These are the costs for your food, rent, electricity
and gas, which you would have to pay if you
lived at home.
The government says these could be up to
£12,000 a year.
6
You would still have to pay your living costs even
after you reach the cap.
If you cannot afford to pay for your living costs,
you will get help to pay.
7
Further information
The Care Act regulations and guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/updating-ourcare-and-support-system-draft-regulations-and-guidance
Department of Health factsheets:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014part-1-factsheets
The impact of the Care Act on Surrey (including video):
www.surreycc.gov.uk/careact
If you would like to know more regarding Surrey’s response to
the Care Act, please email: careact@surreycc.gov.uk
Or write to: The Care Act Project Team, Room G34, Surrey
County Council, County Hall, Penhryn Road, Kingston-uponThames, KT1 2DN