The government of the UK gives money to people who spend a lot of time taking care of someone who needs a lot of help. This is called Carer’s Allowance. The UK government provides the Carer’s Allowance to recognize and ease some of the financial strains that come with this important job.
This Allowance gives caregivers a small but important income to help them pay their bills. As a caregiver, you can get your Carer’s Allowance payments in two ways: weekly in advance or every four weeks. The money goes straight into your bank account. The current weekly payment amount will be looked at and changed once a year.
DWP Carer’s Allowance Eligibility Criteria
To get the Carer’s Allowance Supplement, you have to meet a number of specific requirements. These standards make sure that the help goes to the people who need it the most.
- You have to care for someone for at least 35 hours a week.
- You care about them no matter where they live. You can get it if you live in the right area.
- After tax and allowed costs, you must make less than £139 a week.
- It is important that your salary is less than £81.90 a week so that you can get the allowance.
- You need to be sixteen or older.
- You should not go to school full-time or study more than 21 hours a week.
- People in charge of immigration should not be able to stop you.
- For this to work, you must have lived in England, Scotland, or Wales for at least two of the last three years.
The Person You Care For
The person you care for must already be getting one of these benefits in order to be eligible for Carer’s Allowance:
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Part for daily living
- Not able to Allowance for Living (DLA): The middle or top care rate
Showing up Amount Given - If you get an industrial injuries disability benefit and a constant attendance allowance at or above the normal maximum rate,
- Attendance All the Time Allowance: at the basic rate for a full day if you have a war disability pension
- Independence Payment for the Armed Forces
- Pay for a child’s disability: middle or high care rate
- The daily living part of an adult disability payment is paid at either the normal or enhanced rate.
What is the Payment Amount and its Schedule?
In June 2024, the first payment of the Carer’s Allowance Supplement was made. This payment was for £288.60. To get this amount, you must have been getting Carer’s Allowance on April 8, 2024.
The second bonus payment, also for £288.60, is set to happen in December 2024. To get this amount, you must be getting Carer’s Allowance on October 7, 2024.
Shared Care Situations
The Carer’s Allowance can only be claimed by one person who cares for someone with another nurse or doctor. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will decide who gets the benefit if both of you apply, so you should talk to the other caregiver about who will get the income.
Earnings Calculation
Your earnings are all of your cash from jobs and working for yourself after taxes, National Insurance, and other costs are taken out. Some examples of allowable costs are
- 50% of your pension contributions
- Equipment needed for your job (e.g., specialist clothing)
- Travel costs between workplaces not paid for by your employer (e.g., fuel or train fares)
- Business costs if you’re self-employed (e.g., a computer used solely for work)
You can write off care costs that are less than or equal to 50% of your earnings as an expense if you pay someone to watch your disabled partner or children while you work. This only applies if the carer is not your spouse, partner, parent, child, or relative.
Non-Countable Earnings
Certain payments do not count as earnings, such as:
Money that comes in from a private or work pension
help with your housing or living bills from someone you live with (they can not be a renter or boarder).
The first £20 a week and half of any money you make from having someone stay in your house.loan money or advance payments from your job
Do you get a State Pension or Pension Credit?
State Pension: You can not get the full amount of both your State Pension and your Carer’s Allowance at the same time. If your salary is more than £81.90 a week, you will not get Carer’s Allowance. You will get a Carer’s Allowance payment to make up the gap if your pension is less than £81.90 a week.
Carer’s Allowance: If your State Pension is more than £81.90 a week, you will not get a Carer’s Allowance payment. Instead, your Pension Credit amounts will go u
Also read:-DWP £370 Payment Eligibility in 2024, When to expect it?
How to Get a Carer’s Allowance?
To get Carer’s Allowance, you can either apply online or send a letter.
Fill out the form online
The government has a webpage where you can apply.
Application by mail
The Carer’s Allowance forms are on the government website if you would rather send them in by mail. You can also ask for a form by calling the Carer’s Allowance Unit at:
Call 0800 731 0297
Call 0800 731 0317 to text.
Call 18001 and then 0800 731 0297 in the UK. This service helps people who can not hear or speak on the phone.
From Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Carer’s Allowance Unit is open.
Make sure you have the right form if you download it from the government website. If you get a State Pension, you need a different claim form.
To fill out your form, you can either print it out and use a black pen, or you can fill it out on your computer and then print it out.
For those who got a paper form from the DWP, use the envelope that came with it to send it back. To send it somewhere else, you can:
Required Documents
- National Insurance Number: Have your National Insurance number ready.
- Bank or Building Society Details: Ensure you have your bank account details for payments.
- Employment Details: If you are working, have your employment details and latest payslip.
- P45: You will need your P45 form if you have finished work.
- Course Details: If you are studying, provide details of your course.
- Earnings Information: Ensure you don’t earn more than £151 weekly.
- Expenses: Document any expenses such as pension contributions or costs of caring for your children or the disabled person while you are working.
- Care Recipient’s Information: You will need details about the person you care for, such as their date of birth, address, National Insurance number (if they are 16 years or older), and their Disability Living Allowance reference