Skip to content Skip to nav
Accessibility statement
Personal budgets and direct payments

Budget managed by you or a relative

On this page:

    Introduction

    You can arrange and pay for your own care with the help of direct payments.

    Your personal budget can be paid to either:

    • yourself
    • someone you choose to manage the money for you, such as your son or daughter (this person should be there to help you with your choices, listen to you and respect your opinion).

    This option may be ideal if you:

    • want more flexibility with how your care and support is arranged and provided
    • would like to choose your care workers or personal assistants
    • have had a specific person recommended to you who you wish to employ
    • are confident with managing money and employing people.

    How it works

    Receiving your direct payment

    You must have one of the following accounts to receive your direct payment.

    Managing your direct payment

    It's important that you spend your money carefully and keep records to provide to us.

    Subscribe to East Riding of Yorkshire Council

    Stay updated on the latest East Riding news

    We use GovDelivery to send you emails, which is secure and you can choose to stop receiving emails at any time.

    Find out more in our Privacy notice.

    Subscribe to East Riding News
    1. Sign an agreement

    You’ll need to sign a direct payment agreement that shows:

    • how much money you'll receive
    • what you must contribute towards the cost of your support
    • how your direct payment money should be used, for example, if it is to be used to buy different services or support
    • terms and conditions of your direct payment.
    1. Set up an account to receive payments

    You can receive your direct payment money to an account of your choosing. This could be a joint account, a virtual wallet, or a managed account. You can find out more about having your budget managed by a third party here.

    1. Pay in your contributions

    Each week you pay in the amount that your financial assessment has shown you can pay towards your care (if any). This money will be used up first when you pay for your care.

    1. We pay in our part of your personal budget

    Every 4 weeks we’ll make a direct payment into your account. We’ll aim to make the first payment to you within 2 weeks of the relevant paperwork being completed.

    Virtual wallet account

    We can set up a Virtual Wallet account for you. This is an online account where you can make payments and arrange your care.

    Virtual Wallet account benefits

    With a Virtual Wallet account you can:

    • pay the contributions you make towards your care directly into your account
    • choose a supported account where the Virtual Wallet team can make your payments for you
    • make secure payments without worrying about going overdrawn - spending is limited to the amount in your account
    • check your balance and monitor your transactions
    • arrange your care through our online booking system
    • make use of the payroll service included with your account, to make sure your personal assistant (PA) gets paid on time.

    Also:

    • using a Virtual Wallet account means that you won’t need to provide regular bank statements for monitoring purposes - we can access your account to keep track of spending
    • you can contact the Virtual Wallet team online or by telephone for dedicated support with your account.

    Read more on the virtual wallet website

    How to access a Virtual Wallet account

    It’s quick and easy to set up a Virtual Wallet account. To get started, you can get in touch with your direct payment support officer:

    Email direct.payment.support.team@eastriding.gov.uk

    Call your direct payment support officer (01482 396940)

    Self managed account (current account)

    Your direct payment can be paid into a bank account, such as a standard current account. This will need to be set up differently depending on who is managing your personal budget.

    Budget managed by you

    This account must be:

    • separate from your own personal bank account
    • a joint account - set up in your name and the name of someone (not an employee) who can help to manage your account if you are unable to. For example, they could pay your staff if you were in hospital
    • used only to manage your care and support costs.

    Budget managed by a relative or someone else

    This account must be:

    • a separate bank account - not a personal one
    • a joint account - set up in the name of the person managing your budget and 1 other person, such as their husband, brother or sister
    • used only to manage your care and support costs.

    Spending your direct payment

    When you spend your direct payment you must make sure that you meet all the needs that are in your care and support plan.

    If it's in your plan, you could spend it on:

    • a personal assistant
    • support from a care agency
    • respite care at home
    • a short break in a care home
    • transport.

    You cannot spend it on:

    • living costs, such as food, gas, electricity, water bills, council tax, rent
    • household repairs
    • general furniture and household electrical items
    • alcohol or tobacco products
    • gambling
    • debt repayment
    • funeral expenses
    • goods or services that are the responsibility of the NHS
    • anything that has not been agreed in your care and support plan.

    Checking your spending

    As you are managing your own budget, our direct payment support service will give you advice on how to set up and manage your records.

    Make sure you keep all evidence of what you spend in a safe place. This might be:

    • receipts
    • invoices
    • copies of staff wage slips and time sheets.

    You’ll need to provide this information to us at regular intervals for us to review and make sure you are using your budget on the things detailed in your care and support plan.

    Please note: we will ask to reclaim any unspent funds, or any money that has been spent on things that are not detailed in your care and support plan.

    Alerts