Tom was recently featured on the Lucan District Credit Union’s popular Spotify podcast, Money Talks. Joining the conversation with the CEO of the Union, Paula Maguire, Tom revealed a good overview for listeners to “be the wiser.” Spotify Podcast Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jJNtMT1YSx2VnxwRrsv8N The post Tom Murray talks about the Fair Deal to Lucan Credit Union Money Matters series on Spotify. appeared first on Fair Deal Ireland ..read more

When a person needs to enter a Nursing Home, regardless of whether they are in the Fair Deal/Nursing Home Support Scheme or paying for their care privately, the resident and or their spouse if married can claim tax relief on their contribution towards their care as long as they and or their partner are liable for income tax. Tax relief is limited to the amount of tax payable. If the applicant has taken out the Nursing Home loan, the tax relief will only be available on the income, cash asset contributions and any other assets contribution that has not availed of the nursing home loan. If child ..read more

Following the introduction of the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 in late April of this year, how you deal with an Applicant who has lost capacity applying for the Fair Deal has changed. The fact that the act has taken 8 years to come into law one would have thought that there would have been more consideration in particular with regards to the Fair Deal/ Nursing Home Support Scheme which unfortunately there clearly was not. Up to the Act becoming law if an applicant for the Fair Deal who required the Nursing Home loan had lost capacity a Care Representative Order could be applie ..read more

With the amendments to the Nursing Home Support Scheme finally coming into effect from the 20th of October 2021 the HSE have now issued an amended application form with an additional section for Farmers and Business Owners looking to avail of the three- year cap. Please find below the link to the new application form. Application Form: https://www2.hse.ie/file-library/fair-deal/nursing-home-support-scheme-application-form.pdf The additional sections of the application form are found on pages 11 to 14 and contain some explanations of the changes as well as the additional information now r ..read more

As you are aware if you run a family farm or business and have a spouse or parent who may own or who may have transferred the farm or business to you less than five years before they needed to go into a Nursing Home, the fair deal scheme has been of little or no benefit to you as the farm or business are assessable resulting in them possibly receiving little or no subsidy and having to pay for the majority if not all of the nursing home cost. If you are in the Fair Deal, you possibly have had to avail of the Nursing Home loan to help pay for the care which is eroding the equity in the farm or ..read more

The recent amendments to legislation for the Nursing Home Support Scheme/ Fair Deal finally came into effect on the 20th of October 2021 after been signed into law in late July. The HSE have now issued their interpretation and guidelines regarding the application of these rules. While the benefits to Farming and Business families have been much publicised in newspapers and articles with regards to the exemption of farming and business assets after three years for qualifying persons, the good news with regards to what can be done with regards to the family home will benefit many more existing a ..read more

The long wait is finally over for farming and business families seeking the Fair Deal Scheme in Ireland now that the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021 is finally passed by Mary Butler TD, The Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People. Here’s all you need to know. What Is the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021 And What Does It Mean for Farming and Business Families’? The effect of this bill will now allow qualifying Farming Families and Business Families to avail of long – term affordable care. The Fair Deal Scheme requi ..read more

On the front page of the Irish Independent, the political editor posed some of the most probing questions, which Fair Deal Advice’s founder, Tom Murray, responded to. Are you thinking of using the Fair Deal Scheme to rent out your empty house while you transition to nursing care? Even if the Irish Government has proposed new changes to the Fair Deal plan to exempt rental income from the care needs contributions, Fair Deal expert Tom Murray advises candidates against it.  Tom cautions homeowners about the potential consequences of Sinn Féin taking office, which may result in less control ..read more

The independent TDs who voted with the Government to defeat the attempt by Sinn Fein to extend the eviction ban may think that they have secured a victory by getting rent exempt from a contribution to care under the FD for residents of Nursing Homes. This is due to theirs and the Governments ignorance of people in care, the workings of the fair deal and as to why rental will remain an unattractive option for Nursing Home Residents and their families and certainly will not result in a flood of properties to the rental market. I agree with Minister Butler’s concerns regarding the welfare of olde ..read more

In October 2022 the HSE changed the rules on the FD with regards to renting the applicant’s home. Up to this point in time the HSE charged 80% of gross rental income as part of the income contribution to care. This left the applicant often in a loss situation as costs such as agents commission, service fees on apartments, repairs and renewals were all expected to be paid from the 20% of the rental income that the applicant was allowed to keep. In situations where the applicant’s qualified for a subsidy it was also reduced by the rental amount. As a consequence very few applicants under the Fai ..read more