Carer's Allowance

Carer's Allowance is the main benefit paid to carers and is currently worth £81.90 a week (2024/25 rates).

There are several criteria that carers must meet to be eligible, including:

• you are providing care for at least 35 hours per week
• you are aged over 16
• you are not in full-time education
• the person you care for must be getting a qualifying benefit
• you are not earning more than £151 (after tax and some allowable expenses)
• you usually need to have lived in the UK for 2 out of the last 3 years and have no restrictions on claiming benefits

You cannot be paid Carer’s Allowance as well as State Pension – however, see FAQs for fuller details

To qualify, you do not need to be living with or related to the person you care for.

Carer's Allowance is not considered a means-tested benefit; hence, savings and other forms of income do not disqualify you from receiving it. For the definition of 'other income,' refer to the FAQs.

If the person you care for is claiming a disability premium as part of their means-tested benefit, you should check in case this is affected by your claiming Carer’s Allowance.

What is a qualifying benefit?

The person you care for needs to be getting one of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) (middle or high-rate care)
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) daily living component at either rate
• Attendance Allowance
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

How many hours do I need to be caring for?

You need to be caring for 35 hours a week for one person. If you care for more than one person you can’t add the hours together to make 35. The 35 hours can include:

• time spent physically helping the person you care e.g. helping them wash, dress or move around
• keeping an eye on someone to make sure they are safe
• provide emotional support, encouragement and prompting
• doing practical tasks like cooking and cleaning, taking them to appointments and doing the shopping

Can I work and claim Carer’s Allowance? 

You can do some work whilst claiming Carer’s Allowance but you can only earn up to £151 a week after tax, national insurance contributions and half of any pension contributions have been taken into account. If because of your work, you pay someone else (other than a close relative) to look after the person you care for or your children, you may be able to deduct some of this from your earnings to get below the £151 limit.

There is more detailed information about working whilst claiming Carer's Allowance from Carers UK.

The work that you do may be employed or self-employed. Make sure you keep all your wage slips and accounts, including expenses if you are self-employed. The Carer's Allowance Unit will probably want to see evidence of your earnings and any relevant payments. In some cases, for example, when your earnings vary they may want to see details on an ongoing basis.

Always tell the Carers Allowance Unit about any changes in employment and earnings to avoid overpayments.

Payments that do not count as earnings for a Carer's Allowance claim 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

The Carer's Allowance Unit

How to claim

You can claim on form DS700 (or form DS700 SP if you get a state pension). This is available from the Department of Work and Pensions by calling 0800 731 0297 or it can be downloaded and filled in online on the government website.

FAQs

Further help and advice

Local sources of help and advice

You can get a benefit check done through Citizens Advice or other local advice centres to find out what you and the person you care for may be able to claim.

As well as benefits advice, some advice centres also help with other money matters, including debt and energy advice.

• Citizens Advice (Bristol): Freephone 0808 278 7957
• Citizens Advice (South Glos):  0808 278 7947
• Age UK Bristol: 0117 922 5353
• Age UK S Glos: 01454 411 707
• North Bristol Advice Centre (North Bristol and South Gloucestershire): 0117 951 5751
• South Bristol Advice Services: 0117 985 1122
• St Paul’s Advice Centre (St. Paul’s & East Bristol): 0117 955 2981
• One-Stop Shops (Kingswood, Patchway, Yate)

Turn2US

Turn2us is a national charity providing practical help to people who are struggling financially. 

Fighting UK Poverty – Turn2us

CarersLine

If you are unsure whether you are entitled to benefits or where to go for further advice, please get in touch with CarersLine. We will point you in the right direction.