The reassuring part
Where one spouse or civil partner needs residential care and the other continues to live in the family home as their main residence, the value of the home is normally disregarded from the care-fees financial assessment of the person going into care. The at-home spouse is not expected to leave the home to fund care.
What is counted
The financial assessment typically looks at the individual finances of the person going into care, including their income, their savings, and any assets they own in their sole name. Jointly-held savings are usually treated as half each unless the facts show otherwise. Pensions have their own treatment, and the at-home spouse is sometimes entitled to a share of certain pension income.
What to think about
- Who actually owns what — sole names, joint names, beneficial shares.
- Whether a will update is needed, especially around property ownership structure.
- What happens if circumstances change — for example, if the at-home spouse later needs care.
- Whether an NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment should be considered first.
Common misconceptions
Some families worry that the local authority will “force a sale” of the home while the other spouse still lives there. Under current public guidance, that is not the position where the spouse disregard applies.
A conversation can clarify your position quickly
This is one of the scenarios where a short, honest conversation can relieve a lot of worry. We will set out what applies in your situation and whether specialist advice is likely to be needed.
Related questions
- Do I have to sell my house to pay for care?
- Not automatically. Whether the home is counted depends on who else lives in it and on your part of the UK. See our full guide for the hedged detail.
- How much are care home fees in 2026?
- Weekly fees vary a lot. As a very broad illustration, residential care may fall around £900–£1,500 per week, nursing care higher. Always ask the individual home for a written fee schedule.
- Is there a seven-year rule for care fees?
- No. The seven-year rule comes from inheritance tax. For care-fees deprivation-of-assets purposes there is no automatic clock.
- What is deprivation of assets?
- A rule under which the local authority can treat an asset you no longer own as still belonging to you if they conclude you transferred it with a significant purpose of avoiding care fees.