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You could get 拢81.90 a week if you care for someone at least 35 hours a week and they get certain benefits.

You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for.

You do not get paid extra if you care for more than one person.

If someone else also cares for the same person as you, only one of you can claim Carer鈥檚 Allowance.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg) and in an easy read format.

How you鈥檙e paid

You can choose to be paid weekly in advance or every 4 weeks.

It will be paid into an account, for example your bank account.

What else you can get

For each week you get Carer鈥檚 Allowance you鈥檒l automatically get National Insurance credits.

You may also be able to apply for:

• a Council Tax Reduction
• Universal Credit if you鈥檙e on a low income or out of work
• Pension Credit if you鈥檙e over working age
• grants and bursaries to help pay for courses and training

If you live in Scotland

You need to instead of Carer鈥檚 Allowance.

If you currently get Carer鈥檚 Allowance

You do not need to apply for Carer Support Payment - you鈥檒l automatically be moved to Carer Support Payment by spring 2025.

When the move begins, you鈥檒l get letters from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Social Security Scotland.

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If you get Carer鈥檚 Allowance, you may also get .

If you move from Scotland to England or Wales

If you get Carer Support Payment, you must:

• make a new claim for Carer鈥檚 Allowance

You may be eligible for Carer鈥檚 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
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance - the middle or highest care rate
• Attendance Allowance
• Pension Age Disability Payment
• 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鈥檚 Allowance if you share the care of someone and the other carer is already claiming:

• Carer鈥檚 Allowance for that person
• Carer Support Payment 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 appointment
• helping with household tasks, like managing bills and shopping

Your eligibility

All of the following must apply:

• you鈥檙e 16 or over
• you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone
• you鈥檝e been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply if you鈥檙e 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鈥檙e moving to or already living in an EEA country or Switzerland)
• you鈥檙e not in full-time education
• you鈥檙e not studying for 21 hours a week or more
• you鈥檙e not subject to
• your earnings are 拢151 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses

If you live in Scotland, you need to instead of Carer鈥檚 Allowance.

If you鈥檙e 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鈥檚 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.

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鈥檙e 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.

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 拢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鈥檚 Allowance and your State Pension at the same time.

If your pension is 拢81.90 a week or more, you will not get a Carer鈥檚 Allowance payment.

If your pension is less than 拢81.90 a week, you鈥檒l get a Carer鈥檚 Allowance payment to make up the difference.

If you get Pension Credit

If your State Pension is more than 拢81.90 a week, you will not get a Carer鈥檚 Allowance payment but your Pension Credit payments will increase instead.

If you鈥檙e not eligible

You might be eligible for Carer鈥檚 Credit if you鈥檙e not eligible for Carer鈥檚 Allowance.

Carer鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 Allowance your other benefit payments may change, but your total benefit payments will usually either go up or stay the same.

You will not be affected by the benefit cap.

If you get Universal Credit

Your Universal Credit payment will be reduced by an amount equal to your Carer鈥檚 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鈥檚 Allowance or not).

Report a change on your Universal Credit account.

Which benefits you get will affect which National Insurance credits you鈥檙e eligible for. If you get:

• Carer鈥檚 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鈥檚 Allowance claim.

If you鈥檝e reached State Pension age

If you get Pension Credit, your payments will increase if you鈥檙e eligible for Carer鈥檚 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鈥檚 Allowance.

Before you apply make sure you have your:

• National Insurance number (if you have a partner you鈥檒l need theirs too)
• bank or building society details (unless you get your State Pension)
• employment details and latest payslip if you鈥檙e working
• P45 if you鈥檝e recently finished work
• course details if you鈥檙e studying
• details of any expenses, for example pension contributions or the cost of caring for your children or the disabled person while you鈥檙e 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鈥檙e 16 or over
• Disability Living Allowance reference if they鈥檙e under 16

You can backdate your claim by up to 3 months.

If you live in Scotland

If you live in Scotland, you need to instead of Carer鈥檚 Allowance.

Other ways to apply

If you cannot apply online, you can apply by post or call the Carer鈥檚 Allowance Unit to request a form.

Get help and advice

You can get independent help and advice from:

If you disagree with a decision

You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration.

You must report changes in your circumstances if you鈥檙e claiming or have applied for Carer鈥檚 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鈥檚 Allowance instead of you
• someone else who cares for the same person claims the carer鈥檚 element of Universal Credit
• changes to your immigration status, if you鈥檙e not a British citizen

If you temporarily stop providing care for someone

You can still get Carer鈥檚 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鈥檝e 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.

You can work and get Carer鈥檚 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 鈥榗ompassionate leave鈥� 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 鈥榮hort break鈥� care

If you need someone to help look after the person you care for while you鈥檙e at work, you can apply for respite care (also known as 鈥榮hort break鈥� 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 before you can apply.

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Advice on starting work

If you need help starting or returning to work, contact your local Jobcentre Plus for help on how to combine work with your caring responsibilities.