Short answers to the questions families ask most, each with a link to the full guide. Every answer follows the HSE’s published rules and is checked against the sources listed at the end.
Cost and the rules
How much does Fair Deal cost?
You contribute 80% of your weekly income after tax and certain deductions, plus 7.5% of the value of your assets each year. The first €36,000 of assets is not counted (€72,000 for a couple). The HSE pays the rest of the nursing home’s price.
How much does Fair Deal cost? · Work out your own figure
Was this answer helpful?
How much savings can you keep under Fair Deal?
The first €36,000 of assets is not counted at all (€72,000 for a couple). Savings above that are counted at 7.5% a year for as long as the person is in care. The allowance comes off cash and savings first.
Was this answer helpful?
Do you have to sell your house for Fair Deal?
No. The family home is counted for three years only, so the most ever charged against it is 22.5% of its value. The nursing home loan lets that amount be deferred until after death, so nobody has to sell during the person’s lifetime.
Do you have to sell the house?
Was this answer helpful?
Is the Fair Deal contribution the same in every nursing home?
Yes. The contribution is fixed by the financial assessment. If you choose a more expensive home, the HSE pays the difference, up to the agreed price for that home. The only exception is a home whose price is lower than the contribution.
How the figure is worked out · See every home’s price
Was this answer helpful?
What is the three-year cap?
Each year in care, 7.5% of the family home’s value is counted (3.75% for one of a couple). After three years it stops, so the most ever charged against the home is 22.5% of its value. The cap applies to the family home only, and to a farm or business that qualifies. Savings are counted every year.
Was this answer helpful?
How does Fair Deal work for a married couple?
Half of the combined income and assets is assessed, and the person at home always keeps at least half of the couple’s total income. The asset allowance is €72,000 for a couple.
Was this answer helpful?
Does the HSE take money given away in the last five years?
Money or property given away in the five years before the application is counted as if the person still had it. Leaving it out is the quickest way to have an application rejected later.
Was this answer helpful?
Applying
Can I apply for Fair Deal while my father is in hospital?
Yes. Citizens Information advises applying as soon as you can if the person is waiting to move to long-term care. The care needs assessment can be done in the hospital. Fair Deal funding is paid only from the date of approval and is never backdated, so an early application matters.
Fair Deal from the hospital ward · Get the document checklist
Was this answer helpful?
How long does Fair Deal take?
A complete application is usually decided in four to six weeks. The nursing home loan runs separately and often takes ten to twelve weeks. An applicant who cannot sign and has no registered enduring power of attorney can take months longer.
Was this answer helpful?
Can I apply if my parent has no power of attorney?
Yes, for the main application. A “specified person”, such as a spouse, partner or adult child, can apply for the care needs assessment and State support. The optional nursing home loan needs a legal authority: a registered enduring power of attorney, or a decision-making representative appointed by the Circuit Court.
Applying for someone who cannot sign · The court route, step by step
Was this answer helpful?
What happens if my mother has dementia?
There is no separate scheme. The same care needs and financial assessments apply, and the contribution is the same at every approved home. If she cannot sign, a specified person can make the main application. Extra charges such as therapies and activities are not covered by Fair Deal.
Was this answer helpful?
What documents do I need for Fair Deal?
Bank or savings statements for the last six months for every account, proof of each pension, and proof of any money or property given away in the last five years, plus the documents for the property if there is one. Our checklist builds the exact list for your situation.
The documents checklist · Build your own checklist
Was this answer helpful?
Where do I get the Fair Deal application form?
From the HSE: download it, or ask your local Nursing Homes Support Office. The current form is version 4. It has seven parts; everyone fills in Parts 1 to 4, and Part 5 is only for the optional nursing home loan.
The form, part by part · Download the official form
Was this answer helpful?
Will the HSE pay for the nursing home while we wait?
In a limited number of cases the HSE may pay for care in a private nursing home while the application is processed. This is transitional care funding. It is not guaranteed, and it is not available from private hospitals. Ask the medical social worker whether it could apply.
Was this answer helpful?
The nursing home loan and after approval
What is the nursing home loan?
An optional part of Fair Deal that lets the share of the contribution based on the home or other property be deferred until after death. There is no interest; the amount is adjusted for inflation only. It is repaid to the Revenue Commissioners within 12 months of the death.
The nursing home loan explained
Was this answer helpful?
What happens if my parent dies during the application?
Fair Deal funding is paid only from the date of approval and is never backdated, so nursing home fees before approval are paid by the person or the family whether or not a decision has been made. If no loan was ever approved, there is nothing to repay. Tell the Nursing Homes Support Office named on your letters as soon as you can.
Was this answer helpful?
Will the HSE take the house after my mother dies?
No. The estate repays the deferred amount, which is never more than 22.5% of the home’s value, within 12 months. The family can pay it from other funds and keep the house. A spouse, and certain other relatives living in the house, can apply to defer repayment further.
Was this answer helpful?
Can the contribution be lowered if savings run down?
Yes. You can ask for another financial review 12 months after the last one, and the HSE may review an assessment at any time. Send current statements with the request.
Reviews and changes in circumstances
Was this answer helpful?
Can my parent move to a different nursing home?
Yes. The contribution does not change, because it comes from the financial assessment, not from the home’s price. Tell the Nursing Homes Support Office before the move, and ask the new home for a written list of extra charges.
Was this answer helpful?
Can I appeal a Fair Deal decision?
Yes. The HSE says decisions can be appealed within 40 working days of the date the decision was given to you. The decision letter explains how. A request for more information is not a refusal.
Was this answer helpful?
Can I claim tax relief on nursing home fees?
Yes. The person who pays the fees claims the relief, at their own highest rate of tax, up to 40%. A son or daughter who pays a parent’s fees claims it against their own tax. Claims can go back four years.
Tax relief on nursing home fees
Was this answer helpful?
Still not sure?
The calculator gives your own figure in two minutes, with no name and nothing stored. The checklist gives the exact documents your application needs, at no charge. If you would rather talk it through, there is a ring-me-back box beside the service.
Guidance reviewed on 2 November 2026 against the sources below. fairdeal.ie is independent. The HSE decides every application.