Carer's Allowance in the UK: £86.45 a Week and the £204 Earnings Limit

If you look after an elderly parent, a disabled child or a partner who is ill, the UK pays a separate benefit for it: Carer's Allowance. It is not means-tested — your savings and your partner's income make no difference to the amount. But the conditions are strict, and one mistake about earnings turns the payment into a debt owed to the DWP. Here is who qualifies, what you get now, and how the claim can cost the person you care for.

Who can get Carer's Allowance?

Anyone who spends at least 35 hours a week caring for someone who already receives one of the disability benefits on a closed list: PIP (daily living component), DLA at the middle or highest care rate, Attendance Allowance, Pension Age Disability Payment, Adult Disability Payment (daily living, standard or enhanced), Child Disability Payment at the middle or highest care rate, Armed Forces Independence Payment, or Constant Attendance Allowance. If the person you care for has none of these, there is no Carer's Allowance, however demanding the care is.

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The 35 hours are not only medical help. Washing and cooking, taking the person to a doctor's appointment, shopping and sorting out their bills all count. You must be 16 or over, have spent at least 2 of the last 3 years in England, Scotland or Wales (refugees and people with humanitarian protection are exempt) and must not be in full-time education or studying 21 hours a week or more.

How much is Carer's Allowance and how is it paid?

£86.45 a week. You choose between weekly payments in advance and payments every four weeks into an account. It is taxable if your income is over the Personal Allowance, but it is not affected by the benefit cap. Every week of Carer's Allowance also gives you Class 1 National Insurance credits, which count towards the State Pension and towards other benefits.

How much can you earn and still keep it?

£204 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses. Expenses can include half of your pension contributions and some work-related costs, such as paying someone to care for your child or for the disabled person while you work. The limit is a cliff edge, not a taper: at £204 you qualify, above it you do not qualify for that week. This is where debts come from — a bonus, overtime or a pay rise that was never reported comes back later as an overpayment demand, and wrong information can mean a penalty or court.

What does the person you care for lose?

This is the trap people find out about too late. Once your Carer's Allowance is awarded, the person you care for usually loses the severe disability premium paid with their benefits and the severe disability addition in Pension Credit, and may lose a council tax reduction — check the rules with the local council. Do the sums for both of you: a household can end up worse off overall.

How does it work with Universal Credit and Pension Credit?

Universal Credit is reduced by exactly the amount of your Carer's Allowance, so the two do not stack. Universal Credit does have its own carer amount — an extra £209.34 a month — and you can get it for caring for someone on a disability benefit whether or not you claim Carer's Allowance. Pension Credit works the other way round: it goes up if you are entitled to Carer's Allowance. Universal Credit on its own only gives Class 3 NI credits, which count towards the State Pension and nothing else.

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How do you claim, and how far back does it go?

Apply online on gov.uk, by post on a paper form, or by calling the Carer's Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm). Have ready your National Insurance number and your partner's, your bank details, your latest payslip or P45, course details if you study, your expenses, and for the person you care for their date of birth, address and NI number — or their DLA reference if they are under 16. A claim can be backdated by up to 3 months, so delay costs money.

What counts as a break in care?

A break is any week in which you care for less than 35 hours. You can keep the payment, but you must tell the DWP if you or the person you care for will be in hospital, a nursing home or respite care for more than 12 weeks, or if you stop caring for more than 28 days for any other reason. You must also report starting work, changes to your income, a change of address, a change to your immigration status, the death of the person you care for, and another carer claiming for the same person.

What if you live in Scotland or care for fewer hours?

In Scotland, Carer's Allowance has been replaced by Carer Support Payment and that is what you apply for. If you move to Scotland from England or Wales, Carer's Allowance stops 13 weeks after the move, so apply straight away. If you care for at least 20 hours a week but not 35, there is Carer's Credit: it pays nothing, but it fills gaps in your National Insurance record, and your income and savings do not affect it.