This page is an overview of how the Fair Deal scheme works.
There is more detailed advice and examples if you want to find out about:
- choosing a nursing home
- how much you will have to pay towards your care
- the 3 year cap on homes, farms and businesses
- what happens if your situation changes - for example, if you sell your home
How Fair Deal works
If you're approved for Fair Deal, you pay a certain amount towards the total cost of nursing home care and HSE pays the balance.
For example, if the amount you've been told to pay is €400 a month and the nursing home costs €1200 a month, HSE will pay the balance of €800.
Your payment is a fixed amount. It will be the same for any approved nursing home, no matter how much it charges.
While you wait for funding you can choose to pay privately for care. Fair Deal funding cannot be backdated and will only be paid from the date it is approved.
How to apply for Fair Deal
You’ll need to complete the application form.
Download the Irish version of the form
We will then contact you to arrange a:
- care needs assessment - this is to see if you need long-term nursing home care
- financial assessment - this is to work out how much you'll pay towards your care, based on how much you can afford
If your application is approved, you will get financial support towards your nursing home costs.
You can also choose to apply for an optional nursing home loan as part of the Fair Deal application.
Nursing home costs
Find a list of approved nursing homes and how much they charge per week:
- Nursing homes support scheme maximum agreed prices (PDF, 621KB, 30 pages)
- Public nursing homes (PDF, 515KB, 9 pages)
The listed prices are the weekly cost in full. If you get funding, this cost will be split between you and the HSE.
Finding the right nursing home
Not covered by Fair Deal
The Fair Deal scheme does not cover:
- short-term care such as respite, convalescent or day-care
- extra fees charged by the nursing home for services like hairdressing, therapies or activities
Ask your nursing home what extra fees will need to be paid. These will be included in your contract with the nursing home.
Contact us
We know the application process can be complicated.
If you need support or have a question that’s not answered here, contact us at: