The Council and your local National Health Service help pay towards the cost of your care. However you may also be required to pay something towards this cost.

The amount will depend on the type of care you receive and your financial circumstances.

There are rules, restrictions and regulations about the amount you will have to pay. This will depend on how much money you have coming in each week such as pensions and benefits and any property or savings that you may have.

With your help we work out and inform you of how much you will need to pay. We do this by filling out what we call a Statement of Financial Circumstances form. Your Social Worker or Care Co-ordinator will help you with this.

All Councils follow something called 'Fairer Charging' which sets out the minimum and maximum we can charge for services. A copy of Wakefield's 'Charging Policy' can be found under 'Downloads'.

Payments can be made:

• at any Post Office or any of the Council’s cash offices using your Community Service Payment card
• by cheque, payable to “Wakefield Council” quoting your reference number on the reverse
• by debit or credit card
• by direct debit

We do not send you an invoice for the services you have received. However we do send you regular statements to tell you how much you have paid and how much you owe.

To be eligible for services you will first need to have been assessed as needing these services. To find out about Care Assessments and the Council's Eligibility Criteria please see under 'Related Links'.

To find out more information see the links below or contact Social Care Direct.