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Save on Respite in London: £20–£35/hr, Assessments and Direct Payments

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Respite care in London generally costs within a range around £20 to £35 an hour for visiting support, with overnight and live-in respite often costing more depending on individual needs. Some families qualify for council help through a Care Needs Assessment and Carer’s Assessment, while others pay privately. The fastest way forward is to request both assessments from your borough and, in parallel, ask a local provider for a written quote.

TL;DR:

  • Respite care costs in London typically range from £20 to £35 per hour for visiting support, with overnight and live-in options being more expensive based on care complexity.
  • Council funding may cover part of the costs if assessments are approved, but the minimum sustainable rate for homecare is estimated at £32.14 per hour, often exceeding council fees.
  • To qualify for support, individuals need both a Care Needs Assessment and a Carer’s Assessment, followed by a financial means test with a capital threshold of £23,250 for 2025/26.
  • Short respite stays under eight weeks are often disregarded from the main home value in many boroughs, potentially lowering out-of-pocket payments.
  • Using a direct payment offers control over choosing providers and care quality, but involves administrative responsibilities like payroll and requires asking for approved agencies beforehand.
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Table of Contents

Typical respite care costs in London: hourly, overnight, live-in and short breaks

Prices vary by borough, time of day and the level of care needed, but there are patterns you can use to sanity-check any quote you receive.

Visiting respite, where a carer comes to the home for a set number of hours, tends to sit at the lower end of the market. Evening, weekend and bank holiday visits usually carry an uplift, sometimes a significant one, which is worth asking about before you commit to a schedule. Kells’ own guidance on weekend care rates in London sets out how much these uplifts can add to a weekly bill.

Overnight respite is priced differently depending on whether the carer is awake throughout the night or sleeping on-site and available if needed. A sleeping night tends to cost less than a waking one, because the carer is being paid to be present rather than actively working. Live-in respite, where a carer stays for several days or weeks to give a family carer a proper break, is charged as a weekly rate rather than by the hour, and the total will reflect the complexity of care, mobility needs and whether two carers are required for lifting or personal care.

To put this in perspective:

  • A few hours of visiting respite each week can add up to a modest but manageable monthly cost for many families.
  • A week of live-in respite will cost considerably more than the same number of hours spread across visiting care, because you are paying for continuous cover.
  • A short residential respite break in a care home is billed per night and varies widely depending on the home’s location and the level of nursing support included.

The gap between what councils pay and what care actually costs is stark. The Homecare Association estimates the minimum sustainable price for homecare in England at £32.14 per hour for 2025 to 2026, while average council-commissioned fee rates sit well below that figure. That gap explains why council-arranged respite can look cheaper on paper but may come with fewer choices over who provides your care.

Who pays? Assessments, the means test and the £23,250 threshold

Before you can find out whether your council will help with respite costs, you need two assessments in place.

  1. Care Needs Assessment: carried out by the local authority for the person receiving care, to establish what support they need and whether respite is appropriate.
  2. Carer’s Assessment: a separate assessment for you as the carer, which can identify your own need for a break and is a right you can request directly from the council, as the NHS explains in its guidance on carer’s assessments.
  3. Financial assessment: once eligibility for support is established, the council carries out a means test to decide how much, if anything, you or the cared-for person will contribute.

The financial assessment is where the numbers matter most. According to the City of London’s guidance on financial assessments, the capital threshold for 2025/26 is £23,250. If savings and assets sit above this figure, you are likely to be asked to pay the full cost of care yourself. Below it, the council may contribute on a sliding scale based on income and capital.

Short respite stays, generally those under eight weeks, are often treated differently for charging purposes than long-term residential care. Many councils, including Croydon, disregard the value of your main home when assessing a short respite stay, which can make a meaningful difference to what you are asked to pay. Boroughs vary in how they apply this, so it is worth asking your own council directly, as Islington’s own charges guidance illustrates.

If you decline a financial assessment, most councils will assume you can pay the full cost and charge accordingly. Some respite packages also involve a top-up, where you pay the difference between what the council will fund and the cost of the provider you actually want. The NHS notes that councils may fund respite through council-arranged care, direct payments, or grants and charity support once assessments are complete.

Direct payments and personal budgets: buying respite you trust

If you are assessed as eligible for council support, you may be offered the money as a direct payment rather than having the council arrange the care itself. This personal budget lets you choose and pay your own provider, which many families prefer because it means keeping a carer the family already knows and trusts.

  • You choose the provider, rather than accepting whoever the council commissions.
  • You can match care to specific needs, such as a carer experienced with dementia or a particular disability.
  • You take on some administration, including payroll if you employ someone directly, or paying an agency invoice if you use one instead.

Many families use an agency for their direct payment specifically to avoid becoming an employer, since agency staff come with their own insurance, cover for sickness and holiday, and payroll already sorted. During your financial assessment, ask about disability-related expenses, since allowable costs here can reduce your assessed contribution.

Pro Tip: Before setting up a direct payment, ask your council’s direct payments team for their support list of approved agencies so your first payment is not delayed while paperwork is checked.

Direct payment route from assessment to care

Read more about how councils structure this support and how to apply for respite care through Kells’ explainer for London carers.

Help with costs: benefits, grants and discretionary support

Several routes exist alongside council funding, and it is worth checking all of them before assuming you must pay privately.

  • Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance can affect the household’s overall finances, though they are assessed separately from council care funding and are worth checking even if you already receive council support.
  • Carers Trust and Turn2Us maintain searchable databases of grants aimed specifically at carers and disabled people, and many are open to Londoners regardless of borough.
  • Discretionary council funds exist in some boroughs for carers in financial hardship, though availability and criteria differ, so ask your local carer’s service directly.
  • Third-party top-ups from family members can cover the gap between a council-funded rate and your preferred provider, but check the arrangement is formally agreed before it starts.

If you support a child with a disability, community groups such as Fidget and Spin’s guide to SEN support can point towards local networks and practical funding advice worth exploring alongside council routes.

How to estimate your respite bill and questions to ask a provider

Once you have a quoted hourly or weekly rate, working out your likely bill is straightforward if you account for the extras.

  1. Multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours you expect each week, then add any weekend or evening uplift separately.
  2. Ask whether travel time, bank holidays or minimum call-out durations are charged on top of the headline rate.
  3. Compare the total to the Homecare Association’s minimum price for homecare to judge whether the rate reflects properly paid, sustainable staffing.

Before signing anything, ask the provider to confirm their CQC rating, DBS checks for all staff, whether you will have named carers rather than a rotating pool, and what happens if your regular carer is sick or on holiday. Be wary of quotes that sit noticeably below the market: unusually low rates, vague contracts and an unwillingness to name your carer in advance are all signs worth questioning.

Pro Tip: Ask for the cancellation policy in writing before your first visit, not after, so you know exactly what happens if plans change at short notice.

What regulated, local home care should guarantee

A reputable London provider should be able to show you proof of CQC regulation and DBS checks for every carer, not just senior staff. These checks exist to protect vulnerable people from unsuitable carers and to give families a way to verify quality beyond a provider’s own marketing.

  • Ask for a written care plan specific to the person receiving respite.
  • Ask whether you will have named, consistent carers rather than agency staff you have never met.
  • Ask how medication is recorded and handled during visits.

A reputable home care agency supplying services in London for many years typically employs carers who are qualified, DBS-checked, and regulated by the CQC.

These standards exist so that families can check a provider’s claims rather than take them on trust, and any agency worth using should hand over this paperwork without being asked twice.

A note for London carers weighing up respite

Start with the assessments, even if you expect to self-fund in the end. A Carer’s Assessment costs nothing to request and can uncover funding routes you did not know existed. Check the £23,250 threshold against your own savings before assuming either outcome, and get a written quote from a provider in parallel so you are not waiting on the council before you know your options.

— Dan

Kells respite services in London: how to get a quote

Some home care providers offer respite cover, call-in visits and live-in care arranged to fit a family’s own routine rather than a fixed schedule. Such providers generally ensure that carers are DBS-checked and that the agency is CQC-regulated, with these standards embedded in their working practices.

Getting started usually means a short conversation about the hours or breaks you need, followed by matching you with named carers rather than a rotating pool. If you want more detail before calling, our free home care guide covers what to expect from a first enquiry, or you can go straight to request a quote for respite cover in your area. For families weighing up how to fund care privately, our page on paying for home care sets out the options in more detail.

Sources

FAQ

How much is respite care per day in the UK?

Daily costs depend heavily on whether care is delivered as visiting hours, a sleeping night, a waking night or a residential care home stay, so there is no single UK-wide daily figure. In London, visiting respite is generally charged by the hour, while overnight and live-in respite are priced as a block rate reflecting the level of support needed.

Do you get six weeks free respite care?

There is no universal entitlement to a fixed number of free respite weeks; funding depends on your council’s assessment of need and your financial circumstances. Some councils treat short respite stays under eight weeks differently for charging purposes, which can reduce what you pay, but this varies by borough.

Does the NHS pay for respite care?

The NHS itself does not typically fund respite care directly, but NHS guidance confirms that local councils may help with costs after a Care Needs Assessment and Carer’s Assessment. Support can come as council-arranged respite, a direct payment, or signposting to grants and charity funding.

How much money are you allowed to keep before paying for care?

For 2025/26, the capital threshold is £23,250: above this, you are likely to be asked to pay the full cost of care yourself. Below the threshold, the council may contribute on a sliding scale based on your income and remaining savings.