Cap on Care Costs

Important to know

This section of the Care Act does not currently apply. However, it is still important to know about so that any questions posed by people with Care and Support needs and their carers can be satisfactorily answered.

When the Care Act became law in April 2015 there was a plan to introduce a cap on care costs from April 2016 through section 15 of the Act.

A cap on care costs is a maximum amount of financial resource that an adult with eligible Care and Support needs can expect to contribute in their lifetime to the cost of any services they receive to meet those needs. The cap proposed was £72,000.

Shortly after the Care Act became law the timeframe for implementation of section 15 was extended to 2020. It has since been extended again to October 2025. The cap itself has also been revised from £72,000 to £86,000.

To support local authorities to prepare for the changes, the government published operational guidance in July 2022.

See: Implementing the cap on care: revised operational guidance

This document will become chapter 23 of the Care and Support Statutory Guidance when the reforms are implemented.

The Local Authority should monitor the situation closely and be proactive in the arrangements it makes to administer the cap in line with the Regulations.