You may be eligible for Carer’s Allowance if you, the person you care for and the type of care you provide meets certain criteria.

The person you care for

The person you care for must already get one of these benefits:

• Personal Independence Payment - daily living component

• Disability Living Allowance - the middle or highest care rate

• Attendance Allowance

• Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

• Constant Attendance Allowance at the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension

• Armed Forces Independence Payment

• Child Disability Payment - the middle or highest care rate

• Adult Disability Payment - daily living component at the standard or enhanced rate

If you care for the person with others

You cannot get Carer’s Allowance if you share the care of someone and the other carer is already claiming:

• Carer’s Allowance for that person

• the extra amount of Universal Credit for caring for someone who gets a disability-related benefit for that person

If you want to get Carer’s Allowance, speak to the other carer about changing their benefits.

If the other carer does not want to do that, you can still apply for Carer’s Allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will decide who should receive the benefit.

The type of care you provide

You need to spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone. This can include:

• helping with washing and cooking

• taking the person you care for to a doctor’s appointment

• helping with household tasks, like managing bills and shopping

Your eligibility

All of the following must apply:

• you’re 16 or over

• you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone

• you’ve been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)

• you normally live in England, Scotland or Wales, or you live abroad as a member of the armed forces (you might still be eligible if you’re moving to or already living in an EEA country or Switzerland)

• you’re not in full-time education

• you’re not studying for 21 hours a week or more

• you’re not subject to immigration control

• your earnings are £132 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses

If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get Carer’s Allowance. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply. Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

If your earnings are sometimes more than £132 a week you might still be eligible for Carer’s Allowance. Your average earnings may be calculated to work out if you’re eligible.

Calculating your earnings

Your earnings are any income from employment and self-employment after tax, National Insurance and expenses.

Expenses can include:

• 50% of your pension contributions

• equipment you need to do your job, for example specialist clothing

• travel costs between different workplaces that are not paid for by your employer, for example fuel or train fares

• business costs if you’re self-employed, for example a computer you only use for work

If you pay a carer to look after the disabled person or your children while you work, you can treat care costs that are less than or equal to 50% of your earnings as an expense. The carer must not be your spouse, partner, parent, child or sibling.

Example

You earn £100 a week (after tax, National Insurance and other expenses) and spend £60 a week on care while you work. You can treat £50 of this as an expense.

Payments that do not count as earnings include:

• money received from an occupational or private pension

• contributions towards your living or accommodation costs from someone you live with (they cannot be a tenant or boarder)

• the first £20 a week and 50% of the rest of any income you make from someone boarding in your home

• a loan or advance payment from your employer

If you get State Pension

You cannot get the full amount of both Carer’s Allowance and your State Pension at the same time.

If your pension is £69.70 a week or more, you will not get a Carer’s Allowance payment.

If your pension is less than £69.70 a week, you’ll get a Carer’s Allowance payment to make up the difference.

If you get Pension Credit

If your State Pension is more than £69.70 a week, you will not get a Carer’s Allowance payment but your Pension Credit payments will increase instead.

If you’re not eligible

You might be eligible for Carer’s Credit if you’re not eligible for Carer’s Allowance.

Report a change in circumstances

You must report changes in your circumstances if you’re claiming or have applied for Carer’s Allowance.

Changes can include:

• starting a job

• starting or ending full-time education

• changes to your income

• stopping being a carer

• the person you care for no longer getting their disability benefit

• someone else who cares for the same person claiming Carer’s Allowance instead of you

• someone else who cares for the same person claims the carer’s element of Universal Credit

• changes to your immigration status, if you’re not a British citizen

You must tell the Department for Work and Pensions if the person you’re caring for dies.

You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.

If you temporarily stop providing care for someone

You can still get Carer’s Allowance if you temporarily stop providing care. This means any period when you spend less than 35 hours a week caring for the other person.

The person you care for must still receive their disability benefit.

You must tell DWP if you temporarily stop providing care and:

• you or the person you care for will be in hospital, a nursing home, or respite care for more than 12 weeks

• you stop caring for more than 28 days for any other reason

If you’ve been paid too much

You may have to repay the money if you:

• did not report a change straight away

• gave wrong information

• were overpaid by mistake

Find out how to repay the money you owe from benefit overpayment.

If you’re working

You can work and get Carer’s Allowance, as long as you spend at least 35 hours in your caring role.

You can get support for you or the person you care for from your employer, local councils and other organisations.

Time off for an emergency

You can ask your employer for time off to deal with an emergency involving someone else who depends on you for care. How much time off you get depends on your situation.

If you do not qualify for time off, your employer may allow you ‘compassionate leave’ for emergency situations.

Flexible working

If you need to work more flexibly, for example work part-time or work from home, you can request flexible working.

You do not have to tell your employer about your caring role or give another reason why you need to work more flexibly.

Respite care or ‘short break’ care

If you need someone to help look after the person you care for while you’re at work, you can apply for respite care (also known as ‘short break’ care).

Respite care options include:

• getting a paid carer or a volunteer to sit with the person you look after for a few hours

• a regular place in a day care centre for the person you care for

Your local council may pay for respite care but you and the person you care for will need an assessment before you can apply.

Providing financial assistance to help for the cost of caring for individuals.

You can apply now.

Before you apply make sure you have your:

• National Insurance number (if you have a partner you’ll need theirs too)

• bank or building society details (unless you get your State Pension)

• employment details and latest payslip if you’re working

• P45 if you’ve recently finished work

• course details if you’re studying

• details of any expenses, for example pension contributions or the cost of caring for your children or the disabled person while you’re at work

You also need details of the person you care for. You need their:

• date of birth and address

• National Insurance number if they’re 16 or over

• Disability Living Allowance reference if they’re under 16

You can backdate your claim by up to 3 months.

Effect on other benefits

Carer’s Allowance can affect the other benefits that both you and the person you care for get.

Effect on the benefits of the person you care for

When you get Carer’s Allowance, the person you care for will usually stop getting:

• a severe disability premium paid with their benefits

• an extra amount for severe disability paid with Pension Credit

You can check if their severe disability payment will stop by contacting whoever pays this benefit. This is usually Jobcentre Plus, their local council, the Pension Service Helpline or Universal Credit.

They might also stop getting reduced Council Tax. Contact their local council to find out if this affects them.

Effect on your benefits

When you claim Carer’s Allowance your other benefit payments may change, but your total benefit payments will usually either go up or stay the same.

Carer’s Allowance does not count towards the benefit cap.

Use a benefits calculator to work out how your other benefits will be affected.

If you get Universal Credit

Your Universal Credit payment will be reduced by an amount equal to your Carer’s Allowance payment.

You may get an extra amount of Universal Credit for caring for someone who gets a disability-related benefit (whether you get Carer’s Allowance or not).

Report a change on your Universal Credit account.

Which benefits you get will affect which National Insurance credits you’re eligible for. If you get:

• Carer’s Allowance payments you get Class 1 National Insurance credits, which help you qualify for some other benefits and State Pension

• Universal Credit you get Class 3 National Insurance credits, which count towards your State Pension only

If you get Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit

You must contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to tell them about your Carer’s Allowance claim.

If you’ve reached State Pension age

If you get Pension Credit, your payments will increase if you’re eligible for Carer’s Allowance.

If you delay claiming your State Pension, this could increase the State Pension payments you get when you decide to claim it. You cannot build up extra State Pension during any period you get Carer’s Allowance.