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Fair Deal Scheme

What is the Fair Deal Scheme? https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/fair-deal-
scheme/about/

If you’re approved for Fair Deal, you pay a certain amount towards the total cost of nursing home care
and HSE pays the balance.


For example, if the amount you’ve been told to pay is €400 a month and the nursing home costs €1200 a
month, HSE will pay the balance of €800.


Your payment is a fixed amount. It will be the same for any approved nursing home, no matter how much
it charges.

What does it cover?
Your nursing home accommodation and food, any nursing and personal care that you may need, full
laundry service and basic aids and appliances necessary to support your everyday care.


What is not covered?
Short term respite care, extra services provided by the nursing home like chiropody, hairdressing and
other therapies and activities.

How do you apply? https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/fair-deal-scheme/application-
process/

There are four steps to the Fair Deal application process:

  1. The application form – this needs to be completed and signed by the applicant for nursing home
    care or a specific person – see dept website for more information on this. The complete form
    must be filled in leaving no blanks. All supporting documentation must be submitted with the
    form including a valuation of assets including the family home by an independent valuer.
  2. A care needs assessment will be carried out by the HSE upon receipt of the application to assess
    if the applicant can be cared for at home or if long-term nursing care is required.
  3. Then a financial assessment is carried out to see how much you can afford to pay towards your
    nursing home care. The financial assessment looks at all of your income and assets and this is
    where the valuation comes in. – can you please make the valuation a hot link to our need a
    valuation link on our website It has recently been agreed that any income received from the
    rental of ones principal private residence while they are in a nursing will be exempt from the
    financial assessment.
  4. There are two types of financial support available – state support and a nursing home loan.
    State support – your income and assets are assessed and your weekly contribution is worked out.
    The HSE will pay the balance.
    Nursing home loan – this is an optional extra feature of the fair deal scheme if the person in care
    has assets – the contribution based on your assets if approved can be deferred. The HSE will then
    pay that portion of your cost of care on top of your state support payment. The title to the
    applicant’s assets must be established for a loan to be granted.
    The loan is paid back in full to the state after the following events:
    Death – 12 months to day from date of death
    Sale or transfer of the property or part thereof – six months to repay loan from the closing of the
    sale. If a spouse living in the property the loan is repaid on their death. The bankruptcy of the applicant or spouse. False information was provided in the application.

The Three-Year Cap

This refers to a limit on how much you pay towards nursing home care as part of the fair deal scheme.
Simply it means that you only pay 7.5% based on the value of certain assets for a maximum of three
years. These assts include your home, the proceeds from the sale of your home and your farm or
business.


If you exceed the three year limit you will not be required to make any further contributions based on
these assets but all other assets will be taken into consideration.


If you are a couple you pay 3.75% contribution based on their home for a maximum of there years, their
total contribution is capped at 11.25% of the properties value. If both partners are in care the total
contribution is capped at 22.5%.

Family owned farms and businesses can be included in the three year cap if the meet the qualifying
conditions. The condition include:
 The client must apply to the HSE to appoint a family successor. They must also be aged 18 or
older and must be related to the applicant.
 The must commit to running the farm or business for at least six years from the date of
appointment.
 Your farm or business must have been actively run by you, your partner or your proposed
family successor for at least three of the last five years prior to admission to care.
 A charge in favour of the HSE will be placed on the property of your farm or business – this is a
type of mortgage that will be removed when:
The successor’s commitment period of six years has ended.
All other conditions of the three-year cap have been followed.

You might have to repay money to the HSE if your successor doesn’t comply with the conditions of the
scheme.

While you wait for funding you can choose to pay privately for care. Fair Deal funding cannot be
backdated and will only be paid from the date it is approved.

The information in this article is only to be used as a guide. As with all farmer related schemes, it is very
prudent to seek professional advice from your farm advisor, solicitor and accountant.
Thinking of selling or renting, or need a valuation for a family transfer? Give Brendan at Mannix
Property Services
a call on 086 050 8804

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