Welcome to Fairdealadvice.ie. We operate a nationwide private and confidential fee paying advisory service for people seeking information and advice on the Fair Deal – Nursing Home Support Scheme. While information is available on websites many of our Clients have found the process of applying for the Fair Deal -Nursing Home Support Scheme cumbersome, confusing, complicated and stressful. Our service is designed to help you to apply and complete the application forms in a timely and stress- free manner ensuring that you will be granted the Fair Deal- Nursing Home Support without delay.
Our private and confidential advisory service includes:
The Nursing Homes Support Scheme is a scheme of financial support for people who need long-term nursing home care.
Under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, you will make a contribution towards the cost of your care and the State will pay the balance. This applies whether the nursing home is public, private or voluntary
The amount of contribution you will have to make towards your weekly Nursing Home Costs will depend on your income and if you have any, the value of your assets.
In order to qualify for the Fair Deal- Nursing Home Support scheme, the applicant must complete two assessments which are as follows:
1) The Care needs assessment. This is an assessment that looks at the care needs of the older person, their ability to live independently, ability to make everyday decisions and examines what available supports are at home and in the community. In order to qualify for the Fair Deal- Nursing Home Support Scheme the applicant’s assessment will need to recommend long term care as existing supports and home care will not meet the applicants care needs.
The Care needs assessment is carried out by healthcare professionals such as a Geriatrician or a District Health Nurse who will need to meet and assess the applicant.
2) The Financial Assessment. This looks at the income, assets and liabilities of the applicant and determines the applicant’s contribution to their cost of care and the corresponding level of financial assistance (“State Support”) that they will receive. Under the Scheme the applicant will pay 80% of their income and 7.5% of the value of any assets you may have per annum. These figures are reduced for couples.
3) Application for Ancillary State Support – The Nursing Home Loan
Under the Nursing Home Support Scheme, you do not have to pay the asset contribution during your lifetime. The HSE pays this element of your assessed contribution towards your cost of care which will be accumulated as a loan (Called the Nursing Home Loan) and collected by the Revenue Commissioners from your estate after your death. The loan will be registered as a charge on your property. Where you have a partner living in your family home this debt can be further deferred if funds are not available to pay the loan from your estate. This is a complex area and we will happily discuss how it will impact the applicant’s personnel circumstances.
The Fair Deal – Nursing Home Support Scheme can take from four to six weeks once the application is received to be approved. This does not include the time taken to complete the forms and gather the supporting information that will be required. Where an applicant has Assets such as property this will take longer as the Nursing Home Loan will have to be applied for which will require additional information such as property details and valuations and will need your Solicitors involvement as the loan will be registered as a charge on the property.
The Fair Deal- Nursing Home Support Scheme can be applied for up to 6 months before it has to be taken up and if not required at that point can be applied for again. We would recommend that as soon as you feel that you or your Family member is or is unlikely to be able to be cared for at home in the near future that you apply for the scheme.
If your Family member has to be admitted to a Nursing Home prior to the Fair Deal being applied for or approved due to a significant deterioration in health, you or your family will need to fund the cost of the Nursing Home until your Fair Deal- Nursing Home Support Scheme application is approved. With the average cost of Nursing Care at over €1,000 per week savings will be depleted very quickly and unless you can demonstrate that you have the resources to pay these costs Nursing Homes are unlikely to admit a Resident without Nursing Home Support Scheme funding in place.
In certain cases where a potential Resident is in a public hospital transitional care funding may be provided to cover the cost of care while the Fair Deal Nursing Home Support application is being processed but this is not guaranteed and certainly not available if being discharged from a private hospital. Please note Private Health Cover will not pay for Nursing Home care other than short term convalescence. Unlike public hospitals, Private Hospitals will discharge patients in need of long term care as the private health insurers will not fund delayed discharges for patients who need long term care and are awaiting Fair Deal- Nursing Home Support approval.
The Fair Deal- Nursing Home Support Scheme covers the following items:
Fairdealadvice.ie is owned and operated by Tom Murray & Associates a firm of Accountants who have been providing advice on the Nursing Home Support Scheme – Fair Deal since it was introduced in 2009. Tom Murray who heads up the firm is a qualified Accountant and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA). Tom has extensive knowledge of the Fair Deal and of Nursing Homes having successfully run a Nursing Home for over 7 years. While our offices are located in County Cork we provide a Nationwide service for those seeking information or applying for the Nursing Home Support Scheme- Fair Deal.
We Provide a private and confidential advisory service for those who are:
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Since nursing home care is highly expensive in Ireland, the Irish Government introduced the NHSS to make long-term nursing home care more affordable. The state pays toward’s your accommodation in a nursing home with personal care in exchange for a means-tested contribution based on your savings and property. The Health Service Executive (HSE) operates and manages the scheme, and eligibility is based on your care needs and financial situation.
It takes an average of 6-8 weeks to complete the Fair Deal Scheme application process. If you require the Nursing Home loan this usually takes 10-12 weeks to be approved and for funding to be allocated. In certain circumstances, especially those involving complex care needs and person’s with diminished capacity application may be delayed in particular for the loan while Decision Making Representative Orders are put in place or Enduring Powers of Attorney are activated.
No, at Fair Deal Advice, we only help you apply for the scheme, while the approval is decided by the HSE. With our advice and Nursing Homes Support Scheme Guide, we can cut down on the most common reasons for delays, such as missing paperwork, getting ready for assessments, and any unusual events that happen along the way.
The most common reasons for Fair Deal Scheme rejection are care needs criteria, the financial assessment results not matching disclosed assets and not having a power of attorney in place for applicants lacking decision-making capacity. Our Fair Deal advisory services are particularly designed to guide applicants on these nuances.
When enquiring about the Fair Deal Scheme in Ireland, many people naturally misinterpret the wording stated on official websites. One of the common misunderstandings is what the “80% of your weekly income” means. People often calculate it as 80% (weekly) x 4 weeks = 320% (monthly), which exceeds the actual monthly income. Be assured that it is not true. The Nursing Home Support Scheme distributes your total income on a weekly basis. If your weekly assessable income is €500, you only have to pay €400 and keep €100 as an allowance. You can find many such clarifications in our Nursing Homes Support Scheme Guide.
You can pay for your house assessed contribution using savings or if they are not sufficient you may need to apply for the Nursing Home loanwhich allows you to defer the payment on their principal home until after their death. The loan is not repayable until 18 months after the date of death. The house can be sold after the person’s death or if the beneficiaries of the estate wish to keep the home they can repay the loan from their own resources.
The 3-year cap for the Nursing Home Support Scheme means that individuals only have to pay an asset contribution for 3years on principal homes or primary residences, i,e. 7.5% x 3 = 22.5%. Certain farming and business families also qualify for the 3-year cap, usually those with an existing successor. With our Nursing Homes Support Scheme Guide in place, you can get more personalised advice on these terms.
The Fair Deal Scheme does not have a minimum threshold for the cost of care contribution. It is 80% of your income, and 7.5% of your principal residence and other assets is paid per year. According to the HSE, the general system is: "If you have little income and assets, you pay less. If you have more, you pay more.”
Absolutely, you can. With the new update on rental income, from 1 February 2024 onwards, principal homes are eligible for 100% (previously 40%) exemption of rental income.
Life loans are usually long-term mortgages that use your home as collateral. While you can technically apply for the Nursing Home Support Scheme even if your property is under mortgage, the HSE evaluates it like a regular property—no exemptions or reductions are provided, which can significantly impact the long-term care costs. Certain deductions may apply for loans used to purchase, repair, or improve the property. The Nursing Home Loan Scheme is not eligible for homes that are under a life loan, which means you have to pay out of your pocket.
