Carer's Allowance
Carer's Allowance is a non-contributory benefit in the United Kingdom, payable to people who care for a disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. It was first established as Invalid Care Allowance in 1976, and married women were not eligible. This policy was held to be unlawful sexual discrimination by the European Court in 1986 in the case of Jackie Drake.
In May 2020 around 1.1 million people in England were entitled to Carer’s Allowance, of which 780,000 people were being paid it, according to the National Audit Office.
Conditions
The claimant must be caring for at least 35 hours per week for a disabled person who is in receipt of one of the below:- Disability Living Allowance
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
The claimant must be over 16 years of age.
Excluded groups
People in full-time education and those who earn more than £196 per week, from employment or self-employment, are not entitled to Carer's Allowance. Net earnings are used. Income from occupational pensions and investment income is not considered as earned income, and is not included.Amount
£83.30 per week from April 2025 to April 2026. It is taxable and counts as earned income.Scotland
As of September 2018, the Scottish Government's social security agency, Social Security Scotland, makes extra payments to Scottish residents who are in receipt of Carer's Allowance on specific "qualifying dates," known as the Carer's Allowance Supplement. This payment is paid twice a year and does not need to be applied for. The first payment was £221.In 2023 Scotland replaced Carer's Allowance, with the Scottish specific Carer Support Payment. The rollout of this benefit was piloted, with new applicants applying for Carer Support Payment. Existing claimant's began to be moved to Carers Support Payment in February 2024 with the change over being made automatically.
Effect on other benefits
Counts in full as income for means-tested benefits but carries with it an entitlement to a Carer's Premium on all means-tested benefits, even if Carer's Allowance is not actually paid because of the overlapping rules.If you can't be paid Carer's Allowance because of this rule, you have an ‘underlying entitlement’ to Carer's Allowance instead. This might mean you could get:
- the extra amount for carers in Pension Credit
- the carer element in Universal Credit