You cannot usually be paid Carer’s Allowance if you receive one or more of the following benefits:
- Bereavement or widow’s benefits;
- Contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance;
- Contributory Employment and Support Allowance;
- Incapacity Benefit;
- Maternity Allowance;
- Severe Disablement Allowance;
- State Pension.
This is because of the “overlapping benefits” rules. This means that should you be receiving more than the amount of Carer’s Allowance from one of the above benefits, you cannot be paid Carer’s Allowance. You can, however, still claim an ‘underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance. To do so you must make a claim and meet all the other conditions of entitlement. Gaining the ‘underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance can increase any means-tested benefits you are already getting or could even result in you becoming entitled to means-tested benefits for the first time. This is because the ‘carer addition’, ‘carer premium’ or ‘carer element can be included in the calculation for means-tested benefits. The ‘carer addition’ is an equivalent amount paid with Pension Credit.
The ‘carer premium’ is an extra amount of money included in the calculation of Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, and Council Tax Reduction (Rate Relief in Northern Ireland). ‘The carer element is an equivalent amount paid with Universal Credit. The carer premium and carer addition are both worth £37.50 a week. The carer element is worth £162.92 a month (approximately £37.50 a week). What this means in practice is that if you are paid Carer’s Allowance and are already getting a means-tested benefit, said means-tested benefit will decrease slightly. However, you are overall more likely to be better off by the amount of the carer addition, carer premium or carer element.
Should the person you look after going into hospital and you no longer provide care for at least 35 hours a week, you can continue to get Carer’s Allowance for up to 12 weeks or until their disability benefit stops.
- If you are looking after a child who was under 18 when they went into the hospital, their disability benefit can continue to be paid for the whole time they are there;
- If you look after an adult aged 18+ their disability benefit will stop after 28 days (and may stop sooner if they have been in hospital or residential care during the 28 days before this current stay).
Note that Carer’s Allowance will stop if your total breaks add up to more than 12 weeks in the past 26 weeks and if your Carer’s Allowance stops due to the person you look after being in hospital and you are claiming Universal Credit, the carer element within your Universal Credit will also stop.
Though if your Carer’s Allowance stops due to the person you look after being in a hospital, you can continue to get the carer premium or addition paid within your means-tested benefits for eight weeks after your Carer’s Allowance stops. If you were receiving Income Support as a carer, this can continue for up to eight weeks after your Carer’s Allowance stops (and should increase to the amount you were receiving from both Carer’s Allowance and Income Support).
If the person you look after goes into hospital and you continue to be considered to be providing care for at least 35 hours a week, you can continue to get Carer’s Allowance until their disability benefit stops. This means that if the person you look after is a child who is under 18 when they go into hospital, and you continue to provide care for at least 35 hours a week, you can continue to get Carer’s Allowance for the whole time they are there. If the person you look after goes into residential care
If the person you are looking after goes into residential care, you will only be able to continue to claim Carer’s Allowance if they continue to receive a qualifying disability benefit and you are still caring for them for at least 35 hours a week. Your Carer’s Allowance will stop if you are no longer caring for them for at least 35 hours a week or their qualifying disability benefit stops.
The following benefits will also usually stop after four weeks once someone has moved into residential care (and may stop sooner if they have been in hospital or residential care in the 28 days before this current stay):
- Attendance Allowance;
- The care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA);
- The daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
However, there are certain circumstances when these benefits can continue, such as where the person is paying their fees. To find out more and for details of how to get further help see www.carersuk.org
If your Carer’s Allowance stops due to the person for whom you care moving into residential care, you can continue to get the carer premium or addition paid with your means-tested benefits for eight weeks after your Carer’s Allowance stops. If you are receiving Income Support as a carer, this can continue for eight weeks after your Carer’s Allowance stops (and should increase to the amount you were receiving from both Carer’s Allowance and Income Support). Should this occur and you are claiming Universal Credit, the carer element within your Universal Credit will also stop.
If the person you look after dies you can usually continue to get Carer’s Allowance for up to eight weeks after the person you look after dies, as long as you continue to meet the age, study, earnings and residence criteria. If you are receiving means-tested benefits you can usually also continue to get the carer premium or addition within your means-tested benefits for up to eight weeks after the person you look after dies. If you are receiving Income Support as a carer, this can also continue for up to eight weeks after the person you look after dies. Should you be receiving Universal Credit, the carer element usually continues for the rest of the assessment period in which the death occurred, and for the next two assessment periods.
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