The 15-year freeze on the threshold at which state help with care fees starts is costing families an extra £12,400 of their own money, a study has found.
The £23,250 floor for the assets and savings you need to hold before Government funding kicks in would be over £35,600 now if it had been revised in line with inflation since 2010-11, according to the new calculation.
This 'stealth tax' should be addressed in the overhaul of the social care system in England that Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised after taking office, says charity and think-tank the King's Fund.
It says there are around 220,000 'self-funders' in England who must pay all their own social care bills, which can cost tens of thousands of pounds a year.
The King's Fund also says these people face higher fees than those funded by the local authorities, as they subsidise lower rates paid for care by councils.
