Financial assessment (means test) for social care

Supporting documents

Check what we accept as evidence for your financial assessment.

Evidence

You need to show us evidence if you reference anything in your financial assessment.

You only need to provide evidence if you have or pay for something. You do not need to provide proof of something you do not have.

Check what you need to provide

Use this list to make sure you have all the correct documents before starting your financial assessment. You can also download a copy of the checklist.

Make sure you provide everything we ask for

Make sure you provide all the evidence we need when you send the completed form.

If you do not, you will be charged the full amount for your care as we will be unable to complete the financial assessment. 

Bank, savings and investment accounts

The evidence we accept for bank, savings and investment accounts is:

  • bank account
    • last 6 months' bank statements
  • building society account
    • last 6 months' bank statements
  • cash
    • no evidence needed
  • income bond
    • if this bond has life assurance, we will need to see the bond confirmation letter
  • individual savings accounts (ISA)
    • latest statement
  • investment bond
    • if this bond has life assurance, we will need to see the bond confirmation letter
  • national savings account
    • statement 
  • other savings    
    • latest statement or document
  • personal injury awards
    • award letter
  • post office savings
    • recent statement
  • premium bonds
    • document stating the value
  • shares    
    • certificate or shares document

Benefits

The evidence we accept for benefits is:

Pensions

The evidence we accept for pensions is:

  • occupational pension    
    • either salary/payslip or bank statement
  • state retirement pension
    • bank statement
  • war disablement pension
    • a letter or a bank statement
  • war widows pension
    • a letter or a bank statement

Other income

The evidence we accept for other income is:

  • annuity
    • a letter or bank statement
  • other income, including rental income, maintenance payments, and spousal support
    • bank statements, rental agreements, or copy of agreement
  • salary or earnings
    • payslip
  • trust fund income
    • trust documentation

Essential household expenses

The evidence we accept for household expenses is:

  • Council Tax
    • Council Tax bill
  • mortgage
    • bank statement or mortgage statement
  • rent
    • copy of rental agreement
  • ground rent
    • copy of rental agreement
  • service charge
    • annual statement
  • other essential expenditure
    • bank statement or agreement
  • statutory debts
    • court order papers
  • statutory order
    • court order papers

Disability-related expenses

If you have extra expenses because of your disability or illness, like higher heating bills or transport costs, you will need to provide evidence of your outgoings.  

You only need to provide this information if you will get care at home. 

The evidence we accept for disability-related expenses is:

  • heating and electricity 
    • gas and electricity bills for the last year
  • community alarm system 
    • bank statement or letter 
  • medical costs not covered by the NHS
    • 8 weeks of receipts 
  • garden maintenance
    • 4 weeks of receipts
  • wheelchair, hoist, stair lift or power reclining chair or bed
    • invoice or receipt
  • food or drink costs 
    • 4 weeks of receipts
  • toiletry or cleaning costs 
    • 4 weeks of receipts
  • clothing or shoes
    • 6 months of receipts
  • services on your care plan that you pay for, like physiotherapy or podiatry 
    • 8 weeks of receipts
  • laundry care, including specialist washing powder
    • proof of purchase like receipts

Property

You only need to provide information about the value of your property if you’re moving into a care home.

Evidence of property sales that we accept is:

  • documents showing the sale of any property in the last 7 years
    • solicitor’s letter of completion

Power of attorney or deputyship

Someone else can complete the form and sign it on your behalf only if they have power of attorney, deputy, or appointee status.

The types of evidence they will need to show if they are a signatory include: 

  • enduring power of attorney
  • lasting power of attorney
  • deputyship or receivership
  • power of attorney application

You need to provide a copy of one of these documents to prove that someone else has the legal authority to act on your behalf.

How to send the supporting documents to us

Make sure all copies of documents are clear and high quality. The better quality the scan or photo is, the less likely we'll need to contact you for another version.

Email

We would prefer to have your documents in PDF format.

Email copies of the documents by:

  • scanning them using a printer
  • taking a photo using an app like Adobe Scanner which will convert them to PDF
  • taking a clear photo on your phone

Post

Send photocopies of your documents with the assessment form in the post. 

If you send an original to us, make sure you tell us that it’s an original so we can make a copy and send it back to you. We recommend that you use a signed-for delivery service to make sure your documents get to us safely.

Last Modified: 13/08/2024 10:07:38