I recently ran a few webinars with over 100 accountants, financial brokers, and solicitors from all over Ireland, helping them get to grips with the ins and outs of the Fair Deal Scheme and sharing some general advice.
If you’re looking to reduce how much you’ll have to contribute toward nursing home care, here are the top 3 ways to do it:
1. Get Expert Fair Deal Advice
Nursing home care can cost anywhere from €1,300 to €1,700 per week — and even more if you’re paying private rates. Right now, the wait time for Fair Deal approval is around 10 to 12 weeks, so it’s important to get started as early as possible.
If there’s a delay, you could end up covering the full private cost yourself. Getting the right advice from the very beginning is crucial to make sure the process moves as quickly and smoothly as possible.
2. Apply for Fair Deal
Most people do qualify for the Fair Deal Scheme, but there’s still a lot of confusion and misinformation out there. Some believe they’ll lose everything — including their home — and that there’ll be nothing left to pass on as an inheritance. That’s simply not true.
Even if your contribution to nursing home care is high in the first few years, it reduces over time. The value of the family home is only included in the calculation for the first three years — after that, it’s capped and no longer counted from year four onwards.
Request a reassessment
Every 12 months, you have the option to ask your local Fair Deal Support Office to reassess your application. This can be especially helpful if your circumstances have changed — for example, if your income has gone down or your savings have been reduced due to ongoing care home fees.
The good news is you don’t need to fill out the full application again, but you will need to provide six months of bank statements. It’s well worth doing, as a reassessment could potentially reduce your contribution and save you money.
Need Help with Fair Deal Scheme?:
We provide professional help in finding a perfect nursing home for your needs and also we provide fair deal advice .
📞 You can contact us for expert guidance.
