Are there any benefits available to me as a carer?

If you are caring for someone there are a number of different benefits and extra allowances that may be available to you. The main benefit for a carer is the Carer’s Allowance. To claim Carers Allowance:

you must be 16 or over
if you do any paid work, you must not earn more than £151.00 a week after deductions for tax, National Insurance, and certain expenses such as contributions to a pension or certain care costs
you must not be in full-time education. However, the meaning of “full-time” is complicated and may depend on many factors including the type of course you are doing. If you are studying or thinking about studying call or email our Helpline.

You must spend at least 35 hours a week looking after a person who receives one of the following:

middle or highest rate Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or in Scotland the Child Disability Payment (CDP) care component
the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or in Scotland the Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
Attendance Allowance
Constant Attendance Allowance.

You must also:

Be habitually resident in the UK
Satisfy the past presence test. You must have been present in the UK for 104 out of the previous 156 weeks (two out of the last three years)
As an EEA National, have either settled or pre-settled status.

Carer’s Allowance is not means-tested and does not depend on your having paid National Insurance contributions.

Before you make a claim for Carer's Allowance you should check that it will not have an impact on the person you are caring for's benefit entitlement.

Further information can be found on the GOV.uk Carer's Allowance webpage.