Fair Deal application: your personalised document checklist

Who is this for?

Everything here is about the person who is going into care. We call them the applicant.

The applicant's first name (optional, so the checklist reads naturally)

Who is filling this in?

The applicant themselves A family member or friend

Can the applicant understand and sign the application?

Yes No Not sure

Is there an enduring power of attorney?

Yes, registered Yes, not registered No, or not sure

Their situation

Is the applicant one of a couple?

Married, civil partners, or living together as a couple for three years or more.

No, single, widowed or separated Yes, one of a couple

Where are they right now?

At home In hospital Already in a nursing home

Income

Tick every source of income the applicant has. For a couple, tick the partner's too.

State pension Occupational or private pension Other social welfare payment Rental income Earnings from work or self-employment Other regular income

Savings and investments

Tick everything held, even small amounts. The HSE wants a statement for each.

Bank or building society accounts Credit union accounts An Post savings or State Savings Shares, bonds or investment funds Prize bonds Life policy with a cash value ARF or other pension fund

Has the applicant given away money or property in the last five years?

Gifts to children, paying off someone's mortgage, signing over a house or land.

No Yes Not sure

Property

Does the applicant own any of these?

Other house, apartment or site Land that is rented out A working farm A business

Almost there

Two last things, then your checklist.

Has a nursing home been chosen?

Yes Not yet

Is the applicant's spouse or partner also likely to need care soon?

No, or not applicable Yes

Your checklist

Tick items off as you gather them. Your ticks are saved on this device. Print it or have it emailed to you below.

ThenFill in the official application form and send it with these documents to the Nursing Homes Support Office for the applicant's county. Keep a copy of everything. The current form is here to download (it is the HSE's own form, version 4), or the service below fills it in for you from plain questions.

Save yourself the ordeal

Let us do the hard part

The checklist above is at no charge. If you would like us to do the rest of this application with you, this is the service.

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

Everything included Fair Deal application service€120 Everything listed under “With the €120 service” above, for one payment. One payment of €120 including VAT. No subscription.

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

Our promise. If the HSE returns your application because of a mistake in how we filled in the form, we will correct it and prepare it again at no charge. What this covers

See exactly what you get

Here is a full pack made for an example applicant, Mary, with one of the letters. Yours is built from your own answers in the same way. Open the sample pack (PDF, 8 pages)

The letters in your tracker

Letter of authority, signed once by the applicant, so banks and providers will deal with the person helping
Request for account statements, for each bank, building society or credit union
Request for a pension fund, ARF or life policy statement, to the provider
Request for a Certificate of Market Value, to an auctioneer or valuer
Request for confirmation of the State pension, to the Department of Social Protection
Request for the deeds or title documents, to the bank or solicitor
Covering letter to the Nursing Homes Support Office, to send with the form
Follow-up letter to the support office if the decision is slow
After approval, a letter asking the HSE to review the contribution if savings have fallen. The HSE does not lower it by itself; you have to ask.

Each one fills in your names and addresses for you. You print it, or send it by email from the tracker and the reply comes back to the tracker.

I want the service to start straight away, and I understand I lose my right to cancel once my link or pack is sent. I agree to the terms of service, and to fairdeal.ie using my answers, which may include information about the applicant’s health, as set out in the privacy notice. The person who opens the tracker decides who else can see it.

One payment, no subscription. Secure payment by card through Stripe. We never ask you to type in PPS numbers or bank balances. Documents you upload to your tracker are kept in private storage in Ireland and deleted with it.

Would you rather talk it through first? Ask Derek to ring you back

Leave a first name and a number, and Derek Fitzgerald, who runs fairdeal.ie, will ring you back. There is no charge and no obligation. Your number is used only to ring you back.

Want a copy? Email me this checklist

We use your email to send the checklist, and we may email you once about our service. Nothing else is done with it. See our privacy notice.

Keep my answers, so that any advice you email me fits our situation. Some answers, such as whether the applicant can sign, may say something about their health. If you leave this unticked, we keep only your email and first name.

Get the exact documents your Fair Deal application needs

Who is this for?

Their situation

Income

Savings and investments

Property

Almost there

Your checklist

Let us do the hard part

See exactly what you get

Want a copy? Email me this checklist