Summary
In this report we focus on the charges that Disabled people and older people in England pay for social care at home. Care charges are means-tested and the government sets thresholds at which individuals must contribute different amounts towards their care. Those who have assets above the upper means-test threshold pay for the entirety of their care package and are known as self-funders. Here we focus on individuals who fall below the upper means-test threshold and are required by local authorities to contribute to their care through charges, usually taken from benefits. In this report, we present an overview of how care charging operates in England, and present findings from interviews with Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), support groups, advice organisations, co-production groups, and other experts. Our findings highlight a system experienced as highly complex, inconsistent, burdensome and punitive, and one that contributes to increased hardship for Disabled people. The complexity of the topic comes in part from the language that is used by government. At the back of this report you will find a glossary of terms.
About the Authors
Eleni Chambers is a Community Associate with the ESRC Centre for Care
Catherine Needham is a Professor of Public Policy and Public Management at the University of Birmingham and a Co-Investigator in the ESRC Centre for Care
Anne Pridmore is a Community Associate with the ESRC Centre for Care
Sam Teo is a Research Associate at the University of Birmingham
Acknowledgements
To cite: Chambers, E., Needham, C., Pridmore, A. and Teo, S. (2026). Social care charging: is it worth it?. Centre for Care Working Paper 8, CIRCLE, Sheffield: University of Sheffield
ISBN 978-1-0666227-2-6
©The authors and CIRCLE, The University of Sheffield, June 2026
This research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), award ES/W002302/1,
with contribution from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (Department of
Health and Social Care). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those
of the ESRC, UKRI, NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social
Care.