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Carer's Allowance

Who can make a claim?

As a parent or carer of a child or young person with SEND you might not think of yourself as a carer, but you may be entitled to the extra help.

You might be able to claim if:

  • you are aged 16 years or over and you care for someone at least 35 hours a week
  • your child or young person receives the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) care component at the middle or highest rate
  • or the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • you are not in full-time education
  • you earn no more than £151 per week after deductions. Income from other benefits, fostering payments and savings don't count. 

Carer’s Allowance is not means tested-which means it doesn't matter what savings you have and most forms of unearned income are also ignored.

Only your own earnings are counted. If you have a partner who works their earnings are ignored.

How to apply for Carer's Allowance

You can make a claim for Carer's Allowance online at gov.uk. You'll need to gather information about yourself such as your National Insurance number, any employment or course of study you're undertaking, as well as information about the person you care for before making a claim.

Apply online at gov.uk

If you'd prefer to apply by post, you can telephone to ask for a claim pack:

Carer’s Allowance Unit

0800 731 0297

0800 731 0317 (textphone)

Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the start of your DLA or PIP award as long as long as you claim within 3 months of receiving the DLA/PIP decision. If you don't claim during this period, payments can only be backdated for a maximum of 3 months.

How much is it and what can it be used for?

Carer’s Allowance is paid at a basic rate of £81.90 per week from April 2024. Because the basic rate is quite low, many carers are entitled to top-up their income with means-tested benefits such as universal credit and council tax support. 

The extra money could be used to meet the costs of caring for your disabled child or young person. This could include paying for equipment, paying for higher transport costs, or energy bills. Ultimately it's up to you to decide how best to use the extra money to assist you in your caring responsibilities.

Carer's Allowance 'overlaps' with other benefits, so you can't get it if you get more from something like a retirement pension or employment and support allowance.  It also counts as income against means-tested benefits such as universal credit, pension credit and housing benefit.  However, in these benefits, it can also triggers a 'carer's element' or 'premium' so your role as carer is recognised in that way.

If you receive this funding, what else can you get?

For each week you get Carer’s Allowance you’ll automatically get National Insurance credits.

You may also be able to apply for:

Page was last updated on: 26/02/2024 11:56:56

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