Recent research conducted by national poverty charity, Turn2us, estimated that around 400,000 people in the UK aren’t claiming the Carer’s Allowance they’re entitled to each year.
If you care for someone receiving certain types of disability benefit for more than 35 hours a week, you may be eligible for carer’s allowance, which is a benefit of £64.50 a week (an additional £3,359.20 a year).
This allowance is aimed towards helping unpaid carers, and claiming it means you will also automatically receive national insurance credits to fill any gaps you may have in your national insurance tax record and qualify you for other benefits such as the state pension.
Who is eligible for carer’s allowance?
In order to be eligible to claim for carer’s allowance, you must be aged 16 or over and earning £120 or less a week after tax and expenses.
What’s more, the person you care for must receive one of these benefits in order for you to be able to claim your allowance:
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Disability Living Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
We cover more about Carer’s Allowance and other benefits you may be entitled to here.
With over 7 million carers in the UK and many of those people being unpaid carers looking after a family member or friend, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you are claiming the benefits you’re entitled to in order to make life that bit easier.
David Samson, welfare benefit projects manager at Turn2us, said: “We implore anyone who cares for over 35 hours a week to do a benefits check to see what their entitlements are.”