Care sector finance, explained.
Business Structure and Acquisition · 6 min read
How Long Do UK Care Businesses Survive? The ONS Data
Residential care firms born in 2019 had 45.5% five-year survival vs 63.9% for non-residential social work firms, an 18-point gap, per ONS data.
Care Home Accounts and Funding · 7 min read
UK Care Home Bed Supply and Care Deserts: What 14,797 Homes and 480,491 Beds Show
14,797 CQC care homes, 480,491 beds, 4.4 per 100 over-65s. Where UK care deserts sit and what CQC ratings mean for fee-setting and site selection.
Business Structure and Acquisition · 6 min read
UK Care Provider Formation Trends: What the Companies House Data Shows
Companies House data on care company formations by SIC code: domiciliary incorporations rising, residential nursing formations down. Q2 2026 figures.
Care Home Accounts and Funding · 8 min read
Agency Staff Costs and Occupancy Voids: A Finance Grip for Care Home Operators
How to model the true cost of agency cover, account for occupancy voids and calculate break-even occupancy for your care home. England figures, 2026-27.
Business Structure and Acquisition · 6 min read
Business Rates for Care Homes: What Operators Actually Pay
Care homes pay business rates and most sit above the SBRR threshold. Understand rateable value, Small Business Rate Relief and devolved differences.
Business Structure and Acquisition · 7 min read
Capital Allowances on a Care Home Fit-Out: AIA, the 40% FYA and the New 14% WDA
AIA £1m, 40% FYA and 14% WDA from April 2026. How to claim capital allowances on a care home build or refurb in the right order.
VAT and Welfare Exemption · 7 min read
Care Home VAT Exemption Edge Cases: What Every Operator Needs to Know
Care home VAT exemption is a permanent cost, not a perk. Registration, partial exemption, RCB 2/2025 grouping risk and the tricky edge cases.
Payroll and Workforce Costs · 6 min read
Care Worker Pay Rates 2026-27: The Employer's Cost Reference
Statutory pay floors, employer NIC, holiday accrual and mileage for care employers in 2026-27. The rates reference every care provider needs.
CQC and Financial Compliance · 6 min read
CQC Consultant or Accountant: Who Does What When You Register
A plain-English guide to who does what in a CQC registration: the compliance side belongs to the consultant, the financial leg belongs to the accountant.
CQC and Financial Compliance · 10 min read
The CQC Financial Viability Statement: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough for Care Start-Ups
What CQC's financial viability statement requires, who must submit one, and the numbers it has to stand up.
CQC and Financial Compliance · 9 min read
The CQC Registered Manager: The Money and Paperwork Behind the Role
What a registered manager means for your payroll, budget and financial paperwork obligations as a care provider or start-up founder.
CQC and Financial Compliance · 9 min read
CQC Registration Costs and the Finance Behind Getting Registered
The total cost of getting CQC registered: one-off costs, the recurring annual fee, cash burn before trading, and capital allowances that soften the fit-out.
CQC and Financial Compliance · 7 min read
CQC Registration Requirements: The Financial Leg Most Guides Skip
The complete CQC registration requirements checklist, with a deep dive on the financial viability leg that most guides reduce to a single bullet.
CQC and Financial Compliance · 8 min read
CQC Registration Timeline and the Cash You Burn Before You Can Trade
How long CQC registration takes, why every week of it is pre-revenue burn, and how to model the opening capital you need to survive it.
Fees, FNC and Local Authority Rates · 7 min read
FNC, CHC and local authority fee-mix accounting for nursing homes
Account for FNC, CHC and local authority fees separately, model the cross-subsidy gap and build a cost-of-care evidence pack for rate negotiations.
Care Home Accounts and Funding · 7 min read
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: What Care Owner-Operators Must Do
Sole-trader and partnership care operators: MTD for Income Tax starts 6 April 2026 at £50k. Thresholds, worked examples and what changes day to day.
CQC and Financial Compliance · 7 min read
Ofsted vs CQC: how the money and registration paperwork actually differs for children's homes
Children's homes register with Ofsted, not CQC. What that means for registration paperwork, financial viability evidence and compliance costs.
Payroll and Workforce Costs · 6 min read
Sleep-in Pay and Travel Time: What Care Employers Must Pay Under NMW
After Mencap 2021, only awake-for-work time counts for sleep-in NMW. Inter-call travel must always be paid. Worked example + April 2026 NLW rates.
Payroll and Workforce Costs · 8 min read
Sponsoring Care Workers: The True Employer Cost (And How to Model It)
Sponsor licence, certificate of sponsorship, skills charge and employer NIC: modelling the real per-head cost of sponsoring overseas care workers.