What is the Fair Deal Scheme?
The Fair Deal Scheme — formally the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS) — is a state-funded scheme that helps pay for long-term nursing home care in Ireland. The HSE pays the bulk of the weekly bill and you contribute a percentage of your income and assets.
How the scheme works in one paragraph
Fair Deal is a partnership between you and the State. The HSE pays the agreed cost of nursing home care directly to the home; you make a weekly contribution worked out from a financial assessment. Your contribution is capped at 80% of your assessable income plus 7.5% of your assessable assets — and the value of your home is only counted for the first three years (the "3-year cap"). You can also opt to defer the property-based part of your contribution through the Nursing Home Loan, which is repaid from your estate.
Who can apply?
Anyone who has been assessed as needing long-term nursing home care and is ordinarily resident in the State — broadly, you have lived here for at least one year, or you have lived here at some point and are returning with the intention of staying. Eligibility does not depend on age, means, or medical card status; your contribution is calculated separately from whether you can apply.
What does Fair Deal pay for?
The scheme pays for long-term residential care — nursing, board, basic accommodation, laundry, and social activities — in any HIQA-registered nursing home (public, private, or voluntary) that has a place available and can meet your assessed care needs.
It does not pay for:
- Short-term, respite, convalescent, or day-care.
- "Extras" that homes charge separately — hairdressing, chiropody, social outings, some therapies, and personal items like newspapers or phone bills.
- Home care or community-based supports — those are funded by other HSE schemes.
The application — at a glance
- Care needs assessment. A healthcare professional (usually a public health nurse or GP) confirms you need long-term nursing home care. The HSE arranges this once you submit the form.
- Financial assessment. You declare your income, assets, and any relevant deductions. This is the bulk of the form and is what we help you complete.
- Decision. The HSE issues a letter confirming your weekly contribution and the State's contribution. From that date, funding starts.
Average end-to-end time is 4–6 weeks from a complete application — sometimes quicker, longer if documents are missing. Funding is not backdated, so apply early if care is on the horizon.
Couples and partners
If you are married, in a civil partnership, or co-habiting (together at least three years, or two years with a child), the scheme assesses the household. Income is split in half before applying the 80%, the asset disregard doubles to €72,000, and the partner not in care is left with at least 50% of joint income.
What it isn't
Fair Deal is not health insurance, not a top-up scheme, and not a means of transferring wealth. The HSE is entitled to look back five years for asset transfers and three years for cash transfers. Trying to "give the house away" before applying does not work and can be reversed.
A short history
Fair Deal was introduced in 2009 to replace the previous patchwork of subvention payments. It was last substantively reformed in 2021 with the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Act, which introduced the 3-year cap on family-owned farms and businesses. The HSE publishes the scheme's policies and forms; the legal basis is the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 (as amended).