If you're an adult who is eligible for care and support a financial assessment must be completed before we can fund any support, including direct payments. This will look at your income and any benefits that you receive, and work out whether you need to contribute financially to your care and support. It will also look at any extra costs you have because of your disability. This is called disability-related expenditure.   

You'll get a letter which tells you how much your contribution will be, and if you're required to make a financial contribution you'll need to pay this into the direct payment account.  

If you have a direct payment your support plan will show you how much your personal budget is. Your contribution is a key element of your personal budget. We'll top up your contribution to make sure you have the full amount of your personal budget. For this reason, the amount we'll pay into the bank will likely be less than the amount that shows on the support plan.”   

Without your contribution there may not be enough money in your account to cover the costs of your support plan. Direct payments will be paid to you in advance every four weeks, so it's a good idea to arrange a regular payment into your direct payment account to cover your contribution.