Choose an account to pay your direct payment into

You’ll need to set up a separate bank account for us to pay your direct payments into. We can help you with this. 

The type of account you have affects how much control you want and how much paperwork you can manage.  

You can choose from 3 types of direct payment accounts. 

A holding account 

If you have a holding account, our direct payments team will manage all your payments and paperwork.  

We’ll make payments for you when you tell us to. You need to tell us to do this in writing and give us the bank details of who to pay. We pay them within 10 working days.   

If you employ a carer or personal assistant:  

  • your carer or support worker will submit time sheets you have signed to the Direct Payments payroll team 
  • we will transfer the payment directly into your care or support worker’s account and send them a payslip. We pay the tax and national insurance contribution to HMRC  

We pay the people you employ every four weeks.  

If we’re managing payments to someone you employ to care for you, it’ll cost you whichever is lower out of either £300 or 15% of your annual Direct Payment budget.  

An information only account 

Our payroll team will do most of the paperwork and advise you how much to pay to the providers you choose.  

You’ll make the payments yourself from a bank account you control.  

If you employ someone, you will need to pay them.

An own account 

You open a bank account separate to your personal one.  

We pay your direct payment into it and you manage all payments.  

You fully control the funds and all employment responsibilities.  

This includes paying your care and support worker, managing and paying HMRC and keeping records.  

You need to send us bank statements so we can keep record of your spending.