Eligibility

Carers must have all of the following to be eligible for an allowance: 

• Not subject to immigration control;
• Not in "full-time education" or studying for 21 hours per week or more. The meaning of "full-time education" is complicated and can change. For example, your course may be considered full-time if your educational institution describes it as such. However, there are particular cases where courses may not be regarded as full-time by the Carers Allowance despite the description. If your course requires less than 21 hours of supervised study, you may still be eligible to receive Carers Allowance; 
• You must meet the Residence and Presence requirements (detailed below); however, you may be eligible if you live abroad and serve in the armed forces, additionally, eligibility could still be accepted should you move to/already reside in an EEA country or Switzerland;
• At least 35 hours per week spent caring for someone, you cannot add together the time you spend caring for different people. If you care for more than one person, you must choose which person you claim for, as you can only get one payment of Carer's Allowance, these 35 hours can be at any time of the day or night.

 

These 35 hours can include:

• time spent physically helping the person;
• time spent doing practical tasks for them – e.g., cooking;
• time taken doing practical tasks even without the presence of the person you are looking after may also count (for example, should you look after someone who regularly visits you for the care they need, time spent preparing for the visit or cleaning); or
• time spent 'keeping an eye on the person – e.g., preventing them coming to harm by walking out of the house

 

Earnings from elsewhere

You are allowed to earn a maximum of £128 per week (as of December 2021), this is the sum after your tax and National Insurance costs, each case is judged on its own merits, however such expenses which could count as deductions to your standard wage could potentially include: -

• 50% of your pension contributions;
• Equipment you need, for example, specialist clothing;
• Travel costs to the residence of the person you care for;
• Childcare costs; and
• Other costs, for instance, if you are taking them to a cinema, you may be able to deduct the cost of your ticket.

 

Allowed breaks

You are allowed certain breaks in care. Such a break can be taken for any reason for up to four in every 26 weeks whilst Carer's Allowance is still paid.

 

Hospital stays

Carer's Allowance will also continue to be paid for up to 12 weeks if you go into hospital. You must have provided 35 hours or more of care a week for at least 14 of the past 26 weeks. The person you have been caring for must also receive one of the qualifying benefits noted below for such periods. Carer's Allowance will stop if your total breaks add up to more than 12 weeks in the past 26 weeks.

 

Residence and presence test

To meet the criteria, you must have been a permanent resident in the UK for 104 out of the 156 weeks before claiming. Some people may be treated as permanent UK residents while abroad, such as armed forces members. These tests apply if you normally live in the UK the Channel Islands, the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. Relevant factors include where you normally live, where you are expecting to live in the future, your reasons for entering this country, the length of time you spent abroad before you came here, and any ties you still have with the country from which you came. You can continue to be paid Carer's Allowance for a temporary period whilst you are abroad if you meet all of the following conditions:

• You are travelling with the person you look after;
• They continue to receive a qualifying disability benefit (likely to be a maximum of 26 weeks); and
• The purpose of your trip is to look after them.

 

Required benefits for the person being cared for

One of the following certain benefits must also be received by the person being cared for:

• Armed Forces Independence Payment;
• Attendance Allowance;
• 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);
• Disability Living Allowance (at the middle or highest care rate); or
• Personal Independence Payment (daily living component).

 

Change in your circumstances

If there is a change in your circumstances. It is essential to report this as soon as possible to avoid any overpayment of benefit. You can notify the Carers Allowance Unit of any changes in circumstances by contacting them.