--- title: "Fair Deal Calculator: Nursing Home Contribution, 3-Year Cap and Loan (Ireland)" url: https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-fair-deal-calculator/ description: "Work out the Fair Deal (Nursing Homes Support Scheme) contribution: 80% of income and 7.5% of assets over €36,000, what the HSE pays, the 3-year cap on the home and the Nursing Home Loan, single or couple." publisher: DecisionsCalc note: General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures name their source and the date they were read. --- [IE · figures checked 9 Nov 2026](https://decisionscalc.com/methodology/) Later life · Ireland · HSE rules # Fair Deal calculator What your parent pays a week under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, what the HSE pays, what changes after the 3-year cap on the home, and what the Nursing Home Loan adds up to. **Rules** read on 9 November 2026 on the HSE’s [financial assessment](https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/fair-deal-scheme/financial-assessment/), [3-year cap](https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/fair-deal-scheme/3-year-cap/) and [Nursing Home Loan](https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/fair-deal-scheme/nursing-home-loan/) pages and [Citizens Information](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/health/health-services/health-services-for-older-people/fair-deal-scheme/) (allowances kept). Enter this year’s maximum State Pension (Non-Contributory) from gov.ie: we did not confirm the 2026 rate, and 0 uses the 20%-of-income floor. Costs rise 3% a year, income 2%, savings grow 1%, the loan 2% (CPI). The HSE assesses each application. General information, not advice. ## Frequently asked questions **How much do you pay under Fair Deal?** A single person pays 80% of their assessable income and 7.5% a year of their assets above €36,000 (worked out weekly). A couple, with one partner in care, is assessed on half their combined income and assets: 40% of combined income and 3.75% of combined assets above €72,000. The HSE pays the rest of the nursing home’s agreed price. **What is the 3-year cap?** The home (principal residence) counts towards the 7.5% for the first 3 years in care only: at most 22.5% of its value in total (11.25% for a couple with one in care). After 3 years, the contribution is based on income and other assets. **What is the Nursing Home Loan?** An optional loan from the State that pays the 7.5% on land and property for you. It is repaid to Revenue from the estate: since 5 September 2026, within 18 months of death (or within 6 months if the property is sold during care), adjusted for inflation. **How much income does my parent keep?** At least 20% of their income, or 20% of the maximum State Pension (Non-Contributory) if that is more. A spouse or partner at home keeps half the couple’s income, or the maximum State Pension (Non-Contributory) if that is more. Since February 2024, rent from letting the former home is not counted. **Does the 3-year cap apply to a farm or business?** Only if you apply for it in part 6 of the Fair Deal form. The HSE must appoint a family successor (aged 18 or over: a partner or relative) who commits to run the farm or business for at least 6 years, it must have been actively worked by you, your partner or the successor for 3 of the 5 years before care, and the HSE places a charge on it. The cap runs from the day the successor is appointed, which can only happen once you are in care, and earlier payments are not refunded. Without it, the farm or business counts at 7.5% a year for as long as you are in care (HSE). **Can money given away before applying be ignored?** No: assets transferred in the 5 years before the first application are included in the assessment (HSE). ## Related - [Care Costs Planner (spreadsheet)](https://decisionscalc.com/care-costs-planner/) - [Carer’s Allowance calculator](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-carers-allowance-calculator/) - [State Pension calculator](https://decisionscalc.com/tools/ireland-state-pension-calculator/) Our planner [Care Costs Planner](https://decisionscalc.com/care-costs-planner/) A parent’s long-term care under Fair Deal: what they pay each week, when the 3-year cap ends the home’s share, what the HSE pays and how siblings split the rest. US$15 one-time · Excel and Google Sheets · US (every state), UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and Ireland (Fair Deal) editions [See inside the planner →](https://decisionscalc.com/care-costs-planner/) ## Get an email when Irish rules change Tax bands, allowances and benefit rates change every year. We email you when a rule our Irish calculators use changes, usually a few times a year. Confirm by email; unsubscribe in one click. Was this page useful? **Report a wrong figure or missing information**