Carer's Allowance

Carer's Allowance is a means-tested payment to help people who look after someone who is disabled. Find out who can get it, how to claim and how much you may be entitled to.

What is Carer's Allowance?

How do I qualify?

To qualify the person you care for must receive the care component of the Disability Living Allowance at the middle or higher rate, or the Attendance Allowance.

You must also:

• be aged 16 or above
• not be in full-time education.
• earn no more than £100 per week, (after tax, National Insurance and pension deductions).

How much can I get?

Carer’s Allowance is £55.55 per week. Allowances for a dependant spouse or partner were abolished on 6 April 2010. Allowances for dependant children were abolished on 6 April 2003. If you claimed and were entitled to these allowances before they were abolished, you will continue to be paid them.

Working out if you are over the £100 limit

Only your earnings count, not those of your partner. Only earnings from work are relevant, not other income such as pension payments or interest from savings.

Half of any contribution that you make towards an occupational pension scheme can be ignored.

If you pay someone other than a close relative to look after the person you care for or to look after a child under 16, the amount you pay can be offset against your net earned income up to a maximum of half your net earnings. For instance, if you earn £140 net per week, but pay someone else £60 per week to look after the disabled person, or your child for some of the time, this would bring your net earnings down to £80, making you eligible to claim Carer's Allowance.

If you earn £200 net per week but pay someone £100 per week to look after a person with a disability, only half your net earnings, £95, can be offset.  This would leave you with exactly £100 per week, just within the limit for claiming Carers Allowance.

If you earn £210 net a week and pay someone £120 per week to look after a person with a disability, only half your earnings, £105, can be offset. This leaves you with £105 a week, which is over the limit for claiming Carer's Allowance.

The effect of other benefits

Claiming Carer’s Allowance may affect any other benefits you may be receiving. You cannot be paid it if you are receiving the same amount or more from any of the following benefits: State Pension, Maternity Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Unemployability Supplement, Contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Widow’s Benefits (but not including the lump sum Bereavement Payment) or any state training allowance. This is because of the overlapping benefits rule.

Carer's Premium

People paid Carer’s Allowance also get a Carer’s Premium of £31.00 per week included in their applicable amount for Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. You still get this premium if you claimed Carer’s Allowance and would have been paid it, had it not been for the fact that you also have other overlapping benefits.

Effect on the disabled person's benefits

Your claim for Carer’s Allowance may affect the amount of benefit the person you care for receives. If he or she gets Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing or Council Tax Benefit with the extra severe disability premium element, they will lose the severe disability premium if you are given Carer’s Allowance. Often you can claim Carer’s Allowance without having any effect on their benefits, but you need to check first. Take advice in this situation so that you do not make the person you care for worse off.

How to claim

Claims for Carer’s Allowance are made on form DS700 (1). You can get this form with a free post envelope from any Jobcentre Plus office, or by calling the Benefits Enquiry Line on 0800 882 200 (or 0800 220 674 if you are in Northern Ireland). You can also make a claim online at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website: www.dwp.gov.uk/carersallowance/

The form includes a statement to be signed by the cared-for person, asking them if the carer provides them with 35 hours care a week. If the person you care for is under 16 or is unable to sign, someone acting on their behalf can do so.

The claim can be backdated for up to three months, provided you meet all the qualifying conditions during that period. If you claim Carer's Allowance within three months of the person being awarded Disability Living Allowance (DLA), your allowance can be backdated to the day that DLA was first made payable.

Income Support

Your entitlement to Carer's Allowance may mean that you are then entitled to Income Support as well, because of the difference the carer's premium makes to your claim. If you claim Income Support at the same time as Carer's Allowance, this benefit will also be backdated.

Break in care

It is possible to have breaks in care of up to 12 weeks in any 26-week period, and still be paid the allowance. Up to four of those weeks can be for temporary breaks in care, for example respite care.

Carer’s Credit

Carer’s Credit has been introduced from 6 April 2010. It is a National Insurance credit which helps carers build up qualifying years for the basic State Pension and additional State Pension. It replaces Home Responsibilities Protection. It is not a benefit payment, but a way of helping you build up your National Insurance qualifications, that will affect your own entitlement to benefits and a state pension in the future.

If you are getting Carer’s Allowance your National Insurance contributions will automatically be credited to you. If you are receiving Child Benefit for a child under 12 years old, or you are getting Income support and are a full time carer, the Carer’s Credit will automatically be credited to you. If you are already getting Home Responsibilities protection your years of protection will be converted to credits.

Carer’s Credit can be given to you even if you do not qualify for Carer’s Allowance.

To qualify for Carer’s Credit you must care for one or more disabled people for a total of 20 hours or more per week. Each person you care for must

either

be getting the Disability Living Allowance care component at the middle or highest rate, or Attendance Allowance at any rate, or Constant Attendance Allowance at any rate

or

have got a care certificate signed by a health or social care professional to confirm they need the level of care being provided.  

Ask for an application pack from the Carer’s Allowance Unit by calling 0845 608 4321 or download one from Direct.gov. The pack includes a blank care certificate along with detailed notes about who is eligible and what you need to do.

References and further information

Greaves, I. (2008). Disability Rights Handbook 35th edition April 2010-April 2011. London: Disability Alliance.

Link to information about the Carer's Allowance on the Directgov website:
www.direct.gov.uk/CaringForSomeone/MoneyMatters/MoneyArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10012522&chk=kAko1j

Link to PDF of the Carer's Allowance claim form DS700 from the DWP website:
www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/ds7001_print.pdf

Contacts

For further information on Carer's Allowance and other benefits, contact the following:

Benefits Enquiry Line: 0800 88 22 00 (England, Wales and Scotland) or 0800 22 06 74 (Northern Ireland)

Citizens Advice Bureau: to find your local service look in your local yellow pages or visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Important note

Benefits law is a very complex area, and subject to change. It is not possible to cover every detail in this brief outline. You should seek advice from your local authority's Welfare Rights Advice service or the Citizen's Advice Bureau in your area. They would be able to tell you which benefits apply in your particular circumstances.

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