Free Personal Care in Scotland: The Data

Free personal care in Scotland is a national scheme under which anyone assessed by their local council as needing personal care receives it without charge, regardless of income or savings. In 2024-25, an estimated 47,560 people aged 65 and over received free personal care at home, 96% of all care-at-home clients in that age group (Scottish Government, Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland 2024-25, published 11 November 2025, reference year 2024-25, subject to change).

This page pulls together the official figures on how the scheme works and what it costs. It is general information for families comparing later-life care across the UK, not advice for any individual case. Scotland runs this scheme; England, Wales and Northern Ireland do not, and their systems are means-tested in ways set out below. Figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change.

What free personal care in Scotland is

Free personal care is help with everyday tasks such as washing, dressing, continence and taking medication, provided free to anyone a council assesses as needing it. It is not means-tested: income and capital do not affect whether personal care is charged for. Free nursing care, given by a registered nurse, works the same way (gov.scot, free personal and nursing care, as at July 2026, subject to change).

Personal care became free for people aged 65 and over in 2002 and was extended to eligible adults under 65 in 2019, a change often called Frank's Law (gov.scot, as at July 2026). A council care needs assessment is the gateway: the payments follow an assessed need, not a diagnosis or an age alone.

The 2026 weekly rates

From 1 April 2026, the standard free personal care payment is £260.30 a week and the free nursing care payment is £117.10 a week (mygov.scot, costs of personal and nursing care, from 1 April 2026, subject to change). These are the amounts a council contributes towards assessed personal and nursing care; in a care home they are set against the fee, and the resident may still pay accommodation costs.

Rates from mygov.scot, costs of personal and nursing care, effective 1 April 2026, subject to change.

Key figures at a glance

Across Scotland in 2024-25, free personal care reached tens of thousands of people in their own homes and in care homes. An estimated 47,560 people aged 65 and over received personal care at home, and a further 13,480 aged 18 to 64 did so, while £186 million was spent on free personal and nursing care for older care-home residents (Scottish Government, 2024-25, published 11 November 2025, subject to change).

How spending has changed

Reported spending on free personal care rose across every category between 2023-24 and 2024-25. Spending on free personal care at home for older people climbed 14%, from £473 million to £538 million, while free personal and nursing care in care homes for that group rose 8%, from £173 million to £186 million (Scottish Government, 2024-25, published 11 November 2025, subject to change).

Source: Scottish Government, Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland 2024-25, published 11 November 2025. Figures are estimates rounded in the source, and are cash terms, not adjusted for inflation. Subject to change.

What the numbers mean

Read together, the figures point to a scheme weighted towards care at home. In 2024-25, spending on free personal care at home for older people, at £538 million, was roughly three times the £186 million spent on free personal and nursing care in care homes for the same group (Scottish Government, 2024-25, published 11 November 2025, subject to change). That balance reflects both the number of people supported at home and policy that generally favours supporting people in their own homes for longer.

The double-digit rise in home-care spending outpaced the increase in care-home spending, and these are cash figures rather than inflation-adjusted, so part of the growth reflects rising costs rather than more people helped. In our view, the standout point for families is that the £260.30 weekly personal care payment and £117.10 nursing payment (mygov.scot, from 1 April 2026, subject to change) are fixed contributions towards care, not the full cost of a care-home place. Comparing what the scheme covers with what it does not tends to matter more than the headline of the word "free".

Free personal care removes the charge for personal care itself. It does not, on its own, make a care-home place free.

What free personal care does not cover

Free personal care covers personal and nursing care, not accommodation. In a care home, a resident can still be charged for the accommodation and living-cost part of the fee, and that part is means-tested against income and capital, with local-authority support tapering as capital falls between an upper and a lower limit (mygov.scot, financial assessments for care, as at July 2026, subject to change). The free personal and nursing care payments are set against the fee before that assessment.

Because accommodation costs remain means-tested, the same deprivation-of-assets rules apply as elsewhere. If a council decides someone has deliberately reduced their capital, for example by giving assets away, to increase council support, it can treat that capital as if the person still held it (mygov.scot, financial assessments for care, as at July 2026). For that reason, deliberately giving away assets to reduce a future care bill can be challenged and can backfire. Care fees planning here is about understanding the rules and limiting the impact of costs within them, not about trying to avoid a lawful charge, and it can be worth discussing with a qualified professional before acting. You can read more in our guide to Care Home Fees.

How Scotland differs from the rest of the UK

Free personal care is a Scotland-only scheme. England, Wales and Northern Ireland do not provide personal care free as of right; their social care is means-tested, so many people pay for personal care until their capital falls to set thresholds. This is one of the clearest differences in later-life care across the UK, and it means UK-wide guidance, including much of this site, describes the England and Wales position by default. If a family's circumstances or property span more than one nation, it can be worth taking advice in each. For the England and Wales picture, see our overview of care home fees and our wider estate planning guide.

Sources and methodology

Every figure on this page comes from a named official source and is dated at its point of use. The scheme's headline statistics come from the Scottish Government's official statistics release; the weekly rates come from mygov.scot; and the means-test framing comes from the Scottish Government's guidance on financial assessments. Where a source rounds a number, we quote it as rounded and do not calculate beyond what the source states.

• Statistics on recipients and expenditure: Scottish Government, Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland 2024-25, published 11 November 2025, reference year 2024-25.
• Weekly personal and nursing care rates: mygov.scot, costs of personal and nursing care, rates effective 1 April 2026.
• How the scheme works and its history: gov.scot, free personal and nursing care collection, as at July 2026.
• Means test and deprivation of assets for accommodation costs: mygov.scot, financial assessments for care, as at July 2026.
• Inheritance tax thresholds (context): gov.uk, Inheritance Tax, as at July 2026.

All figures are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change. Statistics are cash-terms estimates unless stated otherwise and are not adjusted for inflation.

Frequently asked questions