For families who have just been told "you will need to apply for Fair Deal"

We prepare the Fair Deal application with you

Work out the weekly cost with the calculator and get your document checklist, both at no charge. Or let us fill in the official form, organise every document and follow it through to a decision, for one payment of €120.

Start the application Work out the weekly cost

Based on the published scheme rules

Where are you now?

Just starting to look into itGet the document checklist for your situation In hospital, and told a nursing home is neededWhat to do from the ward this week Already in a nursing home, paying privatelyFunding is never backdated, so start the application now We have already appliedA request for more information, a slow decision, an appeal or a review
What people have told us
“The calculator and the checklist were fantastic when I was looking for information for my mother.”
A son, looking into Fair Deal for his mother
“Very good. One of the best sources of information available, and I would highly recommend fairdeal.ie.”
A daughter, preparing to apply for her mother
“Very informative. I would recommend it to anyone looking for guidance and help with filling out the forms.”
A family member who used fairdeal.ie
“A fantastic setup. It is very helpful for us, and recommending it to our families has been very useful.”
A nursing home manager
A carer sitting with an older couple in their home
Free, or with our help

What is free, and what the €120 service adds

Also at no charge: the weekly cost calculator, and agreed weekly prices and the latest HIQA inspection report for every nursing home. Nursing homes do not pay to appear on fairdeal.ie. Find a nursing home

Fair Deal funding is not backdated, so getting the application under way promptly matters.

At no chargeWith the €120 service
The application formAt no chargeThe official HSE form to download and fill in yourselfWith the €120 serviceThe form filled in for you from plain questions, ready to sign and post, with a step-by-step pack and a guide to every page that needs signing
Getting the documentsAt no chargeYou write to each bank and provider yourselfWith the €120 serviceNine ready-made letters, including a letter of authority, so banks and providers deal with the person helping
Checking themAt no chargeYou check each document yourselfWith the €120 serviceAn automatic look at each document you upload for the usual slips, such as months missing or an old date
If the form comes backAt no chargeYou correct it yourselfWith the €120 serviceIf the HSE returns it because of a mistake in how we filled it in, we correct it at no charge
After you send itAt no chargeYou follow up with the HSE yourselfWith the €120 serviceYour support office's details, a timeline from sending to decision, and a follow-up letter if the decision is slow
DocumentsAt no chargeA checklist for your situation, with what each document is and where to get itWith the €120 serviceA tracker that shows what is still missing, with a weekly reminder until everything is in
The house valuationAt no chargeChoose a licensed valuer in your countyWith the €120 serviceA licensed valuer arranged for you. The valuer charges for the valuation itself
After approvalAt no chargeYou keep track yourselfWith the €120 serviceA yearly reminder about reporting changes, and about asking for a lower contribution if savings fall

One payment of €120 including VAT, everything included. No subscription.

Work out your weekly cost Start your checklist

We never ask you to type in PPS numbers or bank balances. What you type into the official HSE form stays on your own device. Documents you upload to your tracker, such as a bank statement, are kept in private storage in Ireland so they can go with your letters, and are deleted with your tracker. The HSE makes all decisions on applications and funding.

The calculator

What will Fair Deal cost each week?

Enter what you know and the figure updates as you type. Nothing is stored and you never give your name.

Your details

All figures are estimates using the HSE's published rules. Leave anything you do not know blank.

1

Who is applying

A couple means married, civil partners, or living together as a couple for at least three years. Enter combined figures for both of you below.

2

Income and savings

Pensions, social welfare, rent from other property. Rent from the family home is not counted.

The first €36,000 is not counted.

3

The family home

Counted for three years only. Leave blank if there is no home to count.

Add more detail deductions, gifts, other property, the nursing home fee

Rent or mortgage on the home, maintenance payments, health expenses over the limits.

Counted as if still owned.

Counted every year unless the farm or business cap applies.

Private homes typically charge €1,000 to €1,600 a week. You never pay more than the fee. See every home's agreed price.

The published rulesEvery figure follows the HSE’s published rules for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme.
Private by defaultThe calculator runs on your device. Nothing is stored unless you choose to send it.
The three rules

How the figure is worked out

Fair Deal uses the same three rules for everyone. The calculator applies them exactly as the HSE describes them. Couples are assessed on half of their combined income and assets.

Income

You contribute 80% of weekly income after tax and allowable deductions. For a couple that is 80% of half the combined income. The rest stays with you.

Assets

You contribute 7.5% of the value of assets each year after the first €36,000 is set aside (€72,000 for a couple). Savings, shares, property, land and anything given away in the last five years all count.

The family home

The home is counted for three years only, so you never pay more than 22.5% of its value. The nursing home loan lets you defer that part until after death, so nobody has to sell.

What happens next

From "you need to apply" to funding approved

A complete application is usually decided in four to six weeks. Funding starts on the date of approval and is never backdated, so every week matters.

Gather the documents

Missing paperwork is the main cause of delay.

Care needs assessment

A nurse or doctor confirms long-term care is needed.

Financial assessment

The HSE works out the weekly contribution.

Approval and funding

State support starts from the approval date.

Questions families ask

Straight answers

Is this the exact figure the HSE will give me?

No. It is an estimate using the published rules and the figures you entered. The HSE's financial assessment uses your documents and may treat some items differently. Use it to plan, not as the final number.

Does the applicant have to sell the house?

No. The part of the contribution that comes from property can be deferred through the nursing home loan. The HSE pays it, registers a charge on the property, and it is repaid from the estate after death. If a spouse or certain relatives still live in the house, repayment can be deferred further.

What happens after three years?

The family home stops being counted and the weekly contribution falls to the income and savings portions only. The calculator shows both figures.

How long does approval take?

Around four to six weeks once the HSE has a complete application, longer if the nursing home loan is needed or the applicant cannot sign. Funding is not backdated.

What about a farm or a family business?

They can also be capped at three years, but only where a family successor commits to keep running them for six years, and it must be applied for. Without that they are counted at 7.5% a year indefinitely. Worth a solicitor's advice.

Who runs fairdeal.ie

A real person, here in Kildare

fairdeal.ie is run by Derek Fitzgerald, from Co. Kildare. Derek worked in financial services for 19 years, in wealth management, before setting up his own businesses. He built fairdeal.ie so that families facing a Fair Deal application have the rules, the documents and the form set out plainly in one place.

If you have a question, email Derek directly at derek@fairdeal.ie.

A nurse smiling with an older resident
For nursing homes

Fair Deal help for the families you care for

Homes on fairdeal.ie set up a family in seconds and follow every application from one screen. Families get careful, consistent help with the paperwork, under the home’s own name, and the home sees where each application stands.

Information for nursing homes

Know your number before the HSE tells you

Two minutes, no name, nothing stored. Scroll up and try it, or read the guides below.

Open the calculator