What’s changing – including the capital threshold limit for self-funders
Two changes are being introduced that may affect how much some people pay for adult social care support at home or in the community.
After a recent public consultation, the county council’s cabinet approved updates to our charging policy to help keep adult social care sustainable in the future.
The revised policy
The changes only affect care provided at home or in the community. There is no change in the policy for people living in residential or nursing care.
The first update will affect people who have capital above £23,250. Capital means the money or assets that people own (such as savings in the bank or building society) but does not include the value of the property they live in.
From 2 February 2026, if someone has more than £23,250 in capital, they will need to pay the full cost of their care. At the moment, the threshold amount is £24,500.
The second change is about how we work out what people pay for their care if they have capital between £14,250 and £23,250.
From 2 February 2026, if someone has capital between the lower threshold of £14,250 and the amended upper threshold of £23,250, we will add a little bit of extra money each week to what they pay - £1 for every £250 of capital. This is known as charging 'tariff income' - where an amount of savings is treated like weekly income. The maximum amount of tariff income that anyone will pay per week is £36.
Drop-in sessions
We are holding five library drop-in sessions during January to help explain what the changes could mean for you. Staff will be available to explain the changes, talk through how financial assessments work and answer any questions.
The drop-in sessions will be taking place at:
- Redhill Library: Tuesday 13 January 2026 between 10am to 1pm
- Godalming Library: Friday 16 January 2026 between 10am to 1pm
- Epsom Library: Tuesday 20 January 2026 between 10am to 1pm
- Woking Library: Thursday 22 January 2026 between 10am to 1pm
- Redhill Library: Tuesday 27 January 2026 between 10am and 1pm
Supporting those who need us most
Thank you to everyone who shared their views during the 12-week consultation on the changes last year.
The decision to change the Adult Social Care Charging Policy for Community Care Services was made after careful consideration of all feedback received.
National guidance allows councils to ask people to contribute towards the cost of their care and sets out how much can be charged.
In ßÙßÇÂþ», we’ve been charging people less than the national guidance recommends for home and community-based care. However, when less money is collected through charging, there’s less funding available to run and improve the care services that many people rely on. Most other councils around the country already follow the national guidance on charging.
Adult social care in ßÙßÇÂþ» is a large service, supporting more than 20,000 people at any given time. Most people will see little or no change in how they are charged for care at home or in the community, but the income generated from these changes will go directly back into frontline services, helping to support those who need us most.
More information about adult social care in ßÙßÇÂþ» can be found on our website.