Introduction

Anyone considering giving up work in order to care for someone who is sick or disabled has to think hard about the financial implications.

They need to appreciate how they and the person they care for will be affected.

When assessing the benefit position, you need to think about the person with the disability and their carer, individually and together. This is because the benefits that are claimed by one person could affect the rights and benefits of another person.

On this web page we'll answer some of the questions that carers often ask us about their own income and rights. We'll also give some information about benefits that people with disabilities can claim.

For more information on benefits for disabled people, go to our Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance or Universal Credit, ESA, Sickness and Disability pages.

How to claim Carers Allowance (CA)

Is there a special allowance paid to carers?

You can claim Carer’s Allowance (CA) if you care for someone for 35 hours or more a week who gets either:

  • Attendance Allowance (AA)
  • the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • the middle or highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance

Carers Allowance is £69.70 a week.

Claim Carers Allowance online.

For more information, phone the Carers Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297.

Carer’s Allowance is considered when assessing other benefits. Carer’s Allowance is also an ‘overlapping benefit’. This means that it can’t be paid at the same time as other national insurance benefits already paid to you at a higher rate, for example State Retirement Pension or ‘New Style’ Contributory ESA.

You can work at the same time as claiming CA, but you mustn’t earn more than £132 per week. Carer’s Allowance can be paid to people over the state pension age but not normally in addition to State Retirement Pension.

However, it could help 2 groups of older carers:

  • carers whose pension is less than £69.70 could receive CA instead
  • carers who receive Pension Credit could qualify for a Carer’s Premium of £38.85 a week

The Carer Premium can be paid to both members of a couple if they both can show they substantially care for one another and they both receive PIP, AA or DLA at the appropriate rates. Carers will continue to receive CA for up to 8 weeks after the death of the person they cared for.

About Personal Independence Payment (PIP) 

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) has now replaced Disability Living Allowance for adults aged 16 to state pension age.

There are 2 components:

  • a daily living component
  • a mobility component

Each have 2 rates.

Daily Living Component

Standard rate - £61.85

Enhanced rate - £92.40

Mobility Component

Standard rate - £24.45

Enhanced rate - £64.50

If the person you care for receives either the standard rate or the enhanced rate of the daily living component of PIP, you may be able to claim CA.

You can claim PIP by calling the claim line on 0800 917 2222.

More information on PIP

Financial support if you're a carer

I’m on my own. I couldn’t live just on Carer’s Allowance of £69.70

If you have savings of less than £16,000 and can’t work because you are caring for someone, you may be able to claim Universal Credit (UC) to top up your income.

Universal Credit is the benefit that has replaced other means tested benefits for people of working age. Some carers may still be claiming Income Support as a carer, but this has been mostly phased out. You can no longer make a new claim for Income Support instead you must claim Universal Credit, which is paid monthly to one person in the household and can be claimed it online.

Under UC there is a carer’s element included if you have ‘substantial and regular caring responsibilities’ for a ‘severely disabled person’.

This will apply to you if you satisfy the eligibility rules for CA and if the person you care for gets either the daily living component of PIP, either rate of AA or the middle or higher rate of the care component of DLA. You do not have to be receiving Carers Allowance to get a carer element included in your UC.

If the person you are looking after doesn’t qualify for the daily living component of PIP, AA or DLA care component at the middle or higher rate, you can still claim UC but you will not get a carer element included in your UC. You will have to be available for and looking for work. However, you may limit the hours you are available to work if you can show that you are caring for the rest of the time, you will need to show that you can work at least 16 hours.

Claim Universal Credit online or phone 0800 328 5644.

If you are state pension age you can:

Can I get any help with my housing costs?

If you receive Pension Credit, you are entitled to full Housing Benefit to pay towards your rent. If you claim Universal Credit your monthly amount of benefit includes a housing element to help pay your rent.

If you or a member of your family, need night-time care you can ask for an increase in the local housing allowance rate by an extra room to accommodate a non-resident carer. However, you do have to provide evidence that the disabled person requires night-time care.

Fill in our online for to claim Housing Benefit.

If you have a mortgage, Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) helps people on means tested benefits to pay the interest on their mortgage. It is a loan charged against the property and is repaid when the property is sold.

Get more information on help with mortgage costs from GOV.UK.

What about Council Tax?

If you have made adaptations to your home to make life easier for a person with a disability you can apply for a reduction to your bill. People on a low income may get help towards their council tax by claiming Council Tax Reduction.

I’m living with my partner and children. If I gave up work to be a carer there would only be my partner’s wages. Is there anything else we could claim?

If you are entitled to CA and have children who are under 16 (or under 20 and still in further education) you can claim Universal Credit if your income is low enough and you have savings of less than £16,000.  

Savings of up to £6,000 will be ignored.  

Your children will be included in your claim.  

You may also be able to get a Housing Element to help pay your rent. UC has replaced Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit although some families will still be receiving Tax Credits. Most third and subsequent children born after April 2017 are not paid for in the UC claim but there can be other help through discretionary payments once you have claimed UC.

Is it worth me working part-time and paying for help with the caring?

This depends on how much you earn and how much care you give to the person with disability needs. You may be able to claim UC to top up your wages if you and/or your partner work part time and your income is low.

A carer claiming UC will be entitled to an extra element called a Carer Element as part of their UC. Under UC a taper of 55% will be applied to any money you earn. This means that you will be able to keep some of your earnings, but you will lose 55 pence in benefit for every extra pound that you earn.

If you claim CA, (but not UC as well) you can earn £132 a week before you lose CA.

If I stop work to be a carer what happens about my pension?

For each week that you receive CA, you will normally get a NI contribution credited to your NI record.

If you are caring at least 20 hours a week for someone, you can receive a Carer’s Credit. This is a National Insurance credit which helps carers build up qualifying years for their state pension.

If the person you care for does not receive either AA, the daily living component of PIP or at least the middle rate of Disability Living Allowance care component you can still claim Carer’s Credit, but you will need a medical or care professional to sign a care certificate, confirming that you are providing the care.

Download a Carer’s Credit application pack or phone the Carer’s Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297.

Financial support if you're too sick to work

The person with the disability

Someone who is ill and can’t work may be already claiming a benefit to provide them with a weekly income. This could be Universal Credit or New Style Employment and Support Allowance. They may also be entitled to extra benefit because of their disability, for example Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Attendance Allowance (AA) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

For more information on claiming benefits because you are too sick to work go to our Universal Credit, ESA, Sickness, and Disability page.

Attendance Allowance

This is a benefit for people over state pension age who have needed a lot of looking after for at least 6 months. You don’t have to have a carer to qualify, and it is usually paid in addition to any other income.

It is paid at 2 rates depending on how much help you need:

  • a lower rate of £61.85
  • a higher rate of £92.40

See our factsheet on Attendance Allowance for further advice on how to complete the form.

Disability Living Allowance

PIP has now replaced DLA for adults so you cannot make a new claim for DLA. People who are already claiming DLA will be sent a letter inviting them to claim PIP. It is important to respond to this letter because transfer onto PIP will not be automatic.

People who are terminally ill

People who are terminally ill and expected to live less than 12 months can get PIP or AA straight away. The highest rate of the daily living component of PIP or the higher rate of AA is automatically given. However, to get the mobility component of PIP they must still show that they have difficulty walking. The claimant need not be informed of the prognosis.

Ask your GP for a DS 1500 form.

Contact our Welfare Rights Team

You can:

  • send an email to welfarerights@ brighton-hove.gov.uk 
  • write to Revenues and Benefits, Brighton & Hove City Council, 1st Floor Bartholomew House, Bartholomew, Square, Brighton, BN1 1JE
  • phone the advice Line: 01273 291 116 - open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 10am to 1pm

Get more help or advice

The Carers Centre for Brighton & Hove

You can:

Citizens Advice Bureau - Brighton & Hove

You can:

  • go to the Citizens Advice Bureau website
  • visit the office at Hove Town Hall, Tisbury Road Offices, Hove Town Hall, Tisbury Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ
  • phone 0808 278 8715

Possability People (Brighton & Hove)

You can: