Self Directed Support - how we work out the charges
Ref: 026/04/08
Will Self Directed Support cost me anything?
You will not have to pay anything if you receive Pension Credit Guaranteed Credit or Income Support. If you do not receive any of these benefits, we will ask you to complete a financial form, on which you will need to give details of your income and expenses. We will use this information to work out whether you will have to pay a contribution, and if so how much.
Do you take into account all of my current benefits?
No. We ignore some types of income such as Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance, but we need to know about what other income you are getting.
How will you work out how much I will have to pay?
We look at your income, expenses and savings. We then take your expenses away from your income to find your “net weekly income”. Your net weekly income determines whether you will have to pay, and if so how much.
What do you class as expenses?
When we work out how much you should pay, we deduct your expenses from your income. The main expenses that we deduct are rent, Council Tax, mortgage payments, water charges and service charges.
What about my savings?
We ignore the first £13,500 of your savings. If you have more than £13,500 in savings; we add £1 per week to your income for every £250 over £13,500 and this affects how much you will contribute. If you have savings of more than £35,500 you will have to pay the maximum contributions for your support. The most you can be asked to pay is £302 per week.
When I have paid for my support, how will you know that I have enough money left to live on?
When we work out your net weekly income, we make a further allowance to ensure that any charges we apply do not make the money you have left fall below a certain level.
Is there any limit to what you can ask me to pay?
The most we will ask you to pay is £302 per week.
After my contribution has been calculated how will I receive my Individual Budget from social services?
Once Social Services have agreed your Support Plan you can take the Individual Budget money either as:
- A Direct Payment (manage the money yourself)
- Social Services can manage the money on your behalf
- A combination of these
If you choose to have a Direct Payment, you will need to have a separate bank account for your Individual Budget to be paid into. The amount we pay to you will be minus any contributions that you have to make.
How is my support paid for?
If you choose to have a Direct Payment, we will pay your budget into the bank account specifically set up to receive your budget. You will be responsible for paying for your support needs as detailed in your Support Plan.
If I decide to use my Individual Budget to pay for Respite Care, will my contribution remain the same?
Yes. The contribution that you pay will remain the same regardless of the type of care that you decide to spend your budget on.
How do I know that I am receiving all the benefits I am entitled to?
We have joined up with the Local Pension Service and Age Concern Richmond upon Thames to provide a benefits advice team called the “Richmond Community Partnership”.
When we receive your completed financial enquiry form, we will pass your details on to the Richmond Community Partnership (as long as you are happy for us to do so). A visiting officer will visit you at home and ensure you are receiving all of the money that you are entitled to. If you are not receiving all of the benefits you are entitled to, they will help you with the claim forms. The visiting officer will also let you know if there are other services that could help you.
We ignore Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance when we work out how much you pay for your support. If the Richmond Community Partnership help you to claim more benefits, you will almost certainly not have to pay any more for your care.
Contact The Social Services Finance Team
If you have any questions, please contact The Social Services Finance Team
Civic Centre,
44 York Street,
Twickenham TW1 3BZ.
Telephone: 020 8831 6215
Email: charginghelpline@richmond.gov.uk
