Top-up payments for more expensive care homes

Find out how a friend or family member can help pay for a more expensive care home through a top-up payment. 

Choosing your own care home

If we've agreed to pay for some or all of your care following a care needs assessment, we'll work out an amount of money to allocate. This is called your personal budget.

We'll choose a care home for you that meets your needs, but if you prefer you can choose a more expensive home.

If you do this, you can get help from a friend or family member to make up the difference in fees. This is called a third party top-up.

If we've not looked at your care needs yet, request a care needs assessment.

What you can use the top-up payment for

You can only use a top-up payment to pay for accommodation. You can't use it to get extra care or support.

You might choose a more expensive care home because it's closer to friends or family, or has a bigger room.

We'll check that your preferred home meets all your care needs.

Checking your friend or family member can afford to pay

If a friend or family member agrees to pay the top-up fee, we'll do a financial assessment with them to make sure they can afford it. We'll also ask them to sign a legal agreement.

Care home fees often increase each year, so it's important the person helping you has enough income, savings or investments.

Let us know if they cannot afford to pay

If your friend or family member is unable to afford the top-up payments, let us and the care home know straight away.

We'll look again at the care you need and decide what should happen next.

Paying your own top-up fees

There are 3 occasions where you might be able to pay your own top-up fee. These are:

  • when you first move into a care home and your property is subject to the 12-week disregard
  • when you have a deferred payment agreement
  • if your care home place is provided as after-care under section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983

Contact us

Get in touch with our financial assessment team to discuss top-up payments.

Phone

020 8770 5280 

Email

fapd@sutton.gov.uk