If you care for someone else full-time, you may be eligible for certain benefits. Carer’s Allowance is the main benefit which carers can claim. In this article, we’ll explain the criteria for claiming carer’s allowance, how much you could claim, and everything else you need to know.
Carers Allowance is a type of welfare benefit. It is designed to support people who provide full-time care for someone they know, such as a partner, relative, friend, or neighbour. You may be eligible if you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week. Alternatively, if you do not qualify for Carer’s Allowance, you may be able to claim Carer’s Credit instead.
For 2021/22, the Carer’s Allowance rate is £67.60 per week. This money will be paid directly into your bank or building society account. For each week you get Carer’s Allowance, you’ll automatically receive National Insurance credits as well. National Insurance credits can fill gaps in your NI contributions record, helping to ensure you qualify for other benefits such as State Pension.
In order to qualify for Carer’s Allowance, both the carer and the person they are caring for need to meet certain criteria.
Firstly, if more than one carer is caring for the same person, then only one of the carers can claim Carer’s Allowance. You will need to decide together who is going to claim. The other person may be able to claim Carer’s Credit instead.
If you are a carer hoping to claim Carer’s Allowance, here are the criteria you must meet:
You must spend 35 hours or more caring for this person every week. This care can include help with household tasks such as shopping, washing, cooking, and managing bills. It can also include taking the person to and from medical appointments.
The person you care for must be in receipt of at least one of these benefits:
It is worth noting that claiming Carer’s Allowance may have an impact on any other benefits which you may already be claiming. You can use this calculator to work out the benefits you could be entitled to and see their effect on any other ongoing claims.
You can apply for Carer’s Allowance and several other benefits on the government website. You’ll need to have your National Insurance number and bank account details ready. You’ll also need some information about the person you care for, including their date of birth, address, and National Insurance number.
Click here to make an application on the gov.uk website.
Caring can be incredibly rewarding, but there’s no doubt that it takes a lot of time and energy. We all need a break from time to time, so it’s important to be able to take some time away when you need it. Respite care is the perfect solution. The person you care for will be able to stay in their own home and stick to their usual routine with support from one of our professional carers.
Click here to find out more about respite care from Abing Homecare.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 1st March 2022 to reflect current information.