The short answer. For the rules on paying for care in England, Age UK's factsheets are the most thorough free source and cover April 2026 to March 2027. For what care homes charge right now, carehome.co.uk published UK averages of £1,317 a week for residential care and £1,564 for nursing care, from data collected on 23 October 2026.
Check the date on anything you read. On 29 October 2026 we found well-known guides still using last year's savings limits, and one government-backed page still saying a cap on care costs is "changing in England from October 2025". That cap was scrapped in July 2024.
Paying for care depends on where you live, how much you have in savings and property, and whether the NHS should be paying instead. The limits change every April, and Scotland changes its own on a different basis from the rest of the UK. We read the main free guides and tools on 29 October 2026 and checked which ones carry the 2026/27 figures.
This page carries no affiliate links and no quote form. Nobody paid to be included. Some of the tools below are run by companies, and we say which.
Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 29 October 2026 · next check 7 April 2027 · how we picked
The savings limits for 2026/27
| Nation | Upper limit (you pay in full above this) | Lower limit (savings ignored below this) |
|---|---|---|
| England | £23,250 | £14,250 |
| Northern Ireland | £23,250 | £14,250 |
| Scotland | £36,750 | £22,750 |
| Wales | £50,000 | £50,000 (a single limit) |
How we chose them
Every entry is free to read, says which nation it covers, and is run by a charity, a public body or an owner we name. We ranked them by whether their figures are right for 2026/27, how much primary data they hold, how useful they are for a decision, and how clearly they are written. Commercial owners are named in each entry.
Look Into's Cost of Care Index is at number 6. Age UK, carehome.co.uk, Which? and the NHS each hold more primary data or carry more authority on their part of the question. What the index adds is all four nations in one place.
The 10 best free care cost guides and tools
1. Age UK factsheets on paying for care
Most thorough on the rules (England). Factsheet FS10, on paying for permanent residential care, covers April 2026 to March 2027 and sets out the means test, the treatment of your home and the personal expenses allowance of at least £31.80 a week. Related factsheets cover home care, NHS continuing healthcare and deprivation of assets. Age Scotland, Age Cymru and Age NI cover the other nations.
2. carehome.co.uk: care home prices and funding
Freshest fee data. UK average self-funder fees of £1,317 a week for residential care and £1,564 for nursing care, from data collected on 23 October 2026. Its Scotland savings limits were the 2024/25 figures when we read it, so take those from the table above instead.
3. Which?: care home costs
Best four-nation summary. The 2026/27 savings limits for all four nations, the UK average residential fee and how the means test works, in one readable page. Its fee figures come from Lottie.
4. Which?: paying for care at home
Best on home care. Updated on 28 October 2026. It gives the Homecare Association's minimum price for 2026/27 of £34.42 an hour and the £100 a week maximum Welsh councils can charge for home care.
Which? paying for care at home
5. NHS: NHS-funded nursing care and NHS continuing healthcare
Check these before you pay. If someone's needs are mainly health needs, the NHS may pay the whole bill through continuing healthcare. If they are in a nursing home, the NHS pays a nursing contribution of £267.68 a week from April 2026 in England. Both pages link to the official assessments.
NHS continuing healthcare · NHS-funded nursing care
6. Look Into: UK Cost of Care Index 2026
All four nations in one place. Care costs by region, what the state pays, the means test in plain numbers, and how long savings last. The full new State Pension of £241.30 a week covers about 18.6% of an average residential placement. Its regional fee base is carehome.co.uk's September 2025 data, which the page states, and its benefit and threshold figures were updated to 2026/27 on 29 October 2026. We publish it.
7. Independent Age: paying for care
Best for talking it through. Plain guides reviewed in September 2026 and a free helpline on 0800 319 6789. It gives fewer figures than the sources above, and it is mainly about England.
8. PayingForCare calculators
Quick estimates, commercially owned. Two calculators, one for residential care costs and one for whether the state will help, plus an adviser finder. PayingForCare is owned by Just Group plc, which sells later-life financial products, and its figures were labelled 2025/26 when we read it.
9. Lottie: care home costs
Regional fee guide, commercially owned. Lottie is a care home directory. Its averages of £1,300 a week for residential care and £1,512 for nursing care come from homes it works with, not from all homes, and the page carried two different review dates when we read it. It is right that the care cap was scrapped.
10. Society of Later Life Advisers: find an adviser
When you need regulated advice. If someone will pay for care themselves, a specialist adviser can explain care fees annuities and other options. SOLLA lists accredited later-life advisers. Advice is paid for, so ask about fees first.
Also worth knowing
- Beacon gives free advice on NHS continuing healthcare and charges for casework, which it is clear about.
- Carers UK has guides for carers and a benefits calculator run by Turn2us.
- In Scotland, free personal care is £260.30 a week and the nursing care payment £117.10 a week from April 2026, under circular CCD 1/2026.
What we left out, and why
- MoneyHelper's page for people whose savings have run out, which on 29 October 2026 still said the care cap is "changing in England from October 2025". The cap was scrapped in July 2024.
- MoneyHelper's means-test page, which was showing 2024/25 limits.
- Which?'s former "cost of care and eligibility checker" address, which now leads to a guides page with no checker.
Questions people ask
How much does a care home cost in the UK?
carehome.co.uk gives UK averages of £1,317 a week for residential care and £1,564 for nursing care, from data collected on 23 October 2026. Costs vary widely by region.
How much savings can you have before paying for care in 2026/27?
In England and Northern Ireland you pay in full above £23,250. In Scotland the upper limit is £36,750 and in Wales it is £50,000.
Is there a cap on care costs?
No. The £86,000 lifetime cap planned for England was scrapped in July 2024. Some guides still describe it as coming.
Does the NHS ever pay for a care home?
Yes, in full if someone qualifies for NHS continuing healthcare because their needs are mainly health needs. In a nursing home, the NHS also pays a nursing contribution, £267.68 a week in England from April 2026.