Funding care, your way.
Direct Payments give you the freedom to arrange the care that fits your life. Our platform makes managing the money straightforward, safe and dignified — managed or self‑managed, whichever works for you.
Find the right setup for your situation.
Switch between the options below to see how Direct Payments work for you, your family, or the people you support.
Take real control of the care you receive.
If you've been assessed as needing care and support, Direct Payments let you arrange it yourself — choosing the carers, hours and approach that suit your life rather than the slots that happen to be available.
- Hire your own personal assistants
- Self‑manage or let us handle the admin
- Available across the UK, including for people lacking capacity
Support for those who care, every day.
Carers' Direct Payments help you take a break, get respite, or arrange the practical support that keeps caring sustainable. We make running the account simple — even when life is busy.
- Carer's assessment funds in one ring‑fenced account
- Pay respite providers easily and keep clear records
- Support and guidance from the team at Money Carer
Care that fits around your family.
Parents and carers of disabled children can use Direct Payments to arrange the right mix of short breaks, support workers and activities — keeping family life predictable and the child at the centre.
- Account set up in the parent's name on behalf of the child
- Pay support workers, short‑break providers and activities
- Easy reporting back to the local authority
Direct Payments for NHS‑funded care.
Personal Health Budgets — managed by NHS Integrated Care Boards — bring the same flexibility to people with ongoing healthcare needs. We support PHB arrangements end‑to‑end on the same secure platform.
- ICB‑ready reporting and audit trail
- Spend aligned to the agreed care plan
- Managed payroll for clinical PAs and support staff
A partner you can trust with your most vulnerable.
We work with 150+ local authorities across the UK, providing a managed Direct Payments service that's audit‑ready, secure, and built around how council finance teams actually work.
- Bulk payments, sweep technology and fraud alerts
- Real‑time visibility for council case officers
- Secure, role‑based document portal
Direct Payments are funds provided by your local authority to people assessed as needing care and support — an alternative to having those services arranged for you.
Many people use Direct Payments to hire personal assistants, giving them real flexibility over who provides their care, when, and how. If you'd rather not handle the admin yourself, we can manage it for you — Money Carer has supported thousands of vulnerable adults in this way since 2009.
You'll need to record how the money is spent, with local authorities reviewing this periodically. Direct Payments are available across the UK for adults with disabilities (including those lacking mental capacity), carers, and families of disabled children.
Everything you need to manage Direct Payments well.
Our Direct Payments service runs on Monika — the banking platform purpose‑built for people managing care funds. Eight features that take the friction out of the day‑to‑day.
Document sharing
Securely store and share files, letters and statements — instantly and with the right people.
Budget integration
Live budget monitoring tailored to the care plan — so spend stays aligned with the plan.
Payroll for PAs
Managed or self‑managed options for paying personal assistants — pick the level of support you want.
Invoice wizard
Automates invoice processing — fewer manual entries, fewer errors, faster sign‑off.
Bulk payments
Pay multiple carers or suppliers in a single run — saving time when there are many people to pay.
Information & guidance
Practical advice from people who do this every day — helping you make the most of your Direct Payment.
Sweep & alerts
Automatic return of unspent funds, with real‑time alerts on anything that looks unusual.
Secure portal
Role‑based document access for carers and individuals — the right people see the right things.
Three steps to a Direct Payment account that works for you.
From opening an account to running payroll, we handle as much or as little as you'd like. The whole journey is designed for clarity, not jargon.
Open your account
Apply online in minutes. We work with your local authority to get your Direct Payment funds flowing into a dedicated, ring‑fenced account.
Choose your level of support
Self‑managed if you want to run things yourself, or fully managed if you'd rather we handle payroll, invoices and reporting for you.
Spend with confidence
Pay carers, suppliers and personal assistants through the Monika portal — with budgets, sweep, alerts and audit‑ready records built in.
Straightforward fees. No surprises.
Pay only for what you use. Combine accounts and payroll however suits your situation — most people start with the Direct Payment account and add services as they need them.
Direct Payment Account
- Ring‑fenced Direct Payment funds
- Secure online banking portal
- Sweep technology & transaction alerts
- Audit‑ready spend records
Managed Account
- Everything in Direct Payment Account
- We handle invoices and supplier payments
- Local‑authority reporting taken care of
- Dedicated support team
Payroll Service
- £8 per payslip included
- Each additional employee £2
- HMRC submissions handled
- Pension & tax compliance
Built from 15 years of supporting the people who needed it most.
Since 2009, Money Carer has supported thousands of vulnerable people across the UK — working with local authorities, the Court of Protection, and families to ensure financial safety, dignity and independence.
To power that mission, we built Monika — an all‑in‑one banking platform for Appointees, Deputies, Attorneys and those managing care funds. Direct Payments is one of the services that runs on it.
More choice. More control. More independence.
From payroll to budgeting, we make Direct Payments easy, secure and built around the lives of the people they support.