Carer’s Allowance is a financial allowance given to a person who takes care of someone who is old by age, disabled or ill (mentally ill). If you are a carer looking to take care of someone for more than 35 hours a week, then you are eligible to get this payment.
Table of Contents
- Carer’s Allowance 2025
- Benefits of Carer’s Allowance
- Type of Care provided by you
- Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance
- Effect of Carer’s Allowance on Other Benefits
- How is Carer’s Allowance paid
- Claiming Carer’s Allowance
- Reporting Changes
- If you are a Working person
- Carers Allowance Updates
- FAQs
Carer’s Allowance 2025
The Carer’s Allowance is a benefit of £81.90 per week given by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to a person who takes care of old people, people with disability and people with illness. The amount paid for Carer’s Allowance is reviewed each year in April. The amount of Carer’s Allowance for this year 2025 is £81.90.
To be a carer person, it is not required for you to be related to, or live with the person you take care for. The carer’s allowance is a fixed payment and you do not get paid extra for taking care of more than one person.
If two persons are taking care of a person, only one of them can claim Carer’s Allowance.
Benefits of Carer’s Allowance
Following is the list of benefits which a carer will receive:
- Carer’s Allowance of £81.90 a week
- National Insurance Credits every week
You may also be eligible to apply for:
- Support from your local council
- A Council Tax Reduction (Council Tax Support)y
- Universal Credit if you’re on a low income or out of work
- Pension Credit if you’re over working age
- grants and bursaries to help pay for courses and training
Type of Care provided by you
To be eligible for Carer’s Allowance, you must take care of a person for at least 35 hours a week and help them with the following:
- You must help them with washing their clothes and dishes
- Making or Cooking Meals for them
- You must also take the person you care for to a doctor or hospital
- You must help them with daily tasks such as
- Shopping for them
- Managing their bank accounts
- Looking after their money and bills
Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance
To be eligible for Carer’s Allowance, if you, the person you are taking care of and the type of care you provide meet the following criteria:
The person you are taking care of
The person you are taking care for must be receiving one of the following benefits:
- The daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- The middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance.
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- At or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- At the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- If you live in Scotland:
- The middle or highest care rate of Child Disability Payment
- Daily living component at the standard or enhanced rate Adult Disability Payment
If you care for the person with others
One cannot get Carer’s allowance for a person with the following reasons:
- If you share the care of someone and other carer is already claiming:
- Carer’s Allowance for the same person
- Carer Support Payment for that person
- the extra amount of Universal Credit for caring for someone who gets a disability-related benefit for that person
To receive your Carer’s Allowance, you may get in touch with the other carer asking them to change their benefits.
If other carer does not want to change their benefits, you can still apply for Carer’s Allowance. In this case, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will decide who will receive the benefits.
Eligibility of a Carer person
To be eligible to apply for Carer’s Allowance, one must meet the following requirements:
- Your age must be 16 or over
- You must spend at least 35 hours a week taking care for someone
- You’ve been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)
- You normally live in England, Scotland or Wales, or you live abroad as a member of the armed forces (you might still be eligible if you’re moving to or already living in an EEA country or Switzerland)
- You’re not in full-time education
- You’re not studying for 21 hours a week or more
- You’re not subject to immigration control
- Your earnings must be £151 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses
Additional Criteria
- If your earnings are sometimes more than £151 a week you might still be eligible for Carer’s Allowance. In this case, your average earnings may be calculated to check if you’re eligible.
- If you live in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross or the Western Isles, you need to apply for Carer Support Payment instead of Carer’s Allowance.
- If you’re from the Europe, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get Carer’s Allowance.
Note: The deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply. Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
How to Calculate your earnings
Earnings means any income you receive from employment and self-employment after taxes, National Insurance and Expenses.
The expenses can include the following:
- The 50% share of your pension contributions
- Equipment you need for your job, for example specialist clothing, gadgets, appliances etc.
- Travel costs between different workplaces that are not paid for by your employer, for example fuel or train fares
- Business costs if you’re self-employed, for example a computer you only use for work
Payments that does not count as earnings:
Following is the list of payments that are not counted as earnings:
- Money received from an occupational or private pension
- Contributions towards your living or accommodation costs from someone you live with (they cannot be a tenant or boarder)
- The first £20 a week and 50% of the rest of any income you make from someone boarding in your home
- A loan or advance payment from your employer
If you pay a carer to look after the disabled person or your children while you work, you can treat care costs that are less than or equal to 50% of your earnings as an expense. The carer must not be your spouse, partner, parent, child or sibling.
Carer’s Allowance and State Pension
Following are some examples how state pension can effect Carer’s Allowance:
- If you are receiving State pension, you cannot get the full amount of both Carer’s Allowance and your State Pension at the same time.
- If your pension is £81.90 a week or more, you will not get a Carer’s Allowance payment.
- If your pension is less than £81.90 a week, you’ll get a Carer’s Allowance payment to make up the difference.
Carer’s Allowance and Pension Credit
If your State Pension is more than £81.90 a week, you will not receive a Carer’s Allowance payment but your Pension Credit payments will increase instead.
Not eligible for Carer’s Allowance
If a person is not eligible for Carer’s Allowance, they might be eligible for Carer’s Credit.
Effect of Carer’s Allowance on Other Benefits
Following is how carer’s allowance can affect the other benefits received by both the carer and the person who is being taken care of.
List of Effects on the benefits of the Person who is taken care of
When a carer starts taking care of a person, then that person will usually stop getting the following benefits:
- A severe disability premium paid with their benefits
- An extra amount for severe disability paid with Pension Credit
- They might also stop getting reduced Council Tax.
For more information, visit the information page: https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/effect-on-other-benefits.
Effects on the Benefits of Carer
When you – the Carer claim Carer’s Allowance your other benefit payments may change, but your total benefit payments will usually either go up or stay the same.
Benefit Cap
You will not be affected by the benefit cap.
If you receive Universal Credit
Your Universal Credit payment will be reduced by an amount equal to your Carer’s Allowance payment when you receive the allowance. You may get an extra amount of Universal Credit for caring for someone who gets a disability-related benefit (whether you get Carer’s Allowance or not).
You can report a change on your Universal Credit account. Which benefits you get will affect which National Insurance credits you’re eligible for. If you get:
- Carer’s Allowance payments you get Class 1 National Insurance credits, which help you qualify for some other benefits and State Pension
- Universal Credit you get Class 3 National Insurance credits, which count towards your State Pension only
If you receive Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit
You must contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to tell them about your Carer’s Allowance claim.
If you’ve reached the age of State Pension
If you get Pension Credit, your payments will increase if you’re eligible for Carer’s Allowance.
It is important to know that – If you delay claiming your State Pension, this could increase the State Pension payments you get when you decide to claim it. You cannot build up extra State Pension during any period you get Carer’s Allowance.
How is Carer’s Allowance paid
Following is the ways in which carers can receive their allowance:
- Get paid weekly in advance
- Get paid in every 4 weeks
The carers allowance will be paid directly to you in to a bank account.
For people of Scotland
If you are living in Scotland and receive Carer’s Allowance, you may also be eligible for Carer’s Allowance Supplement.
If you live in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross or the Western Isles, you need to apply for Carer Support Payment instead of Carer’s Allowance.
You are currently receiving Carer’s Allowance
- If you are currently receiving the carers allowance, you will be automatically moved to Carer Support Payment by spring 2025.
- When the move begins, you’ll get letters from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Social Security Scotland regarding the same.
You are moving from Scotland to England or Wales
If you get Carer Support Payment, you must:
- Make sure to report your move to Social Security Scotland
- Make a new claim for Carer’s Allowance
NOTE: It is important to note that you must make a claim for Carer’s Allowance as soon as you arrive in England or Wales because your Carer Support Payment will stop 13 weeks after you move. If you delay in reporting your move, your payments could be affected.
Claiming Carer’s Allowance
Documentary Requirements
Following is the list of information required to claim Carer’s Allowance in UK:
Documents of Carer
- National Insurance number (if you have a partner you’ll need theirs too)
- Your Bank or building society details (unless you get your State Pension)
- Your Employment details and latest payslip if you’re working
- A P45 if you’ve recently finished work
- Course details if you’re studying
- Details of any expenses, for example pension contributions or the cost of caring for your children or the disabled person while you’re at work
Documents of the person who is taken care of
- Date of birth and Address of the person
- National Insurance number if they’re 16 or over
- Disability Living Allowance reference if they’re under 16
How much can I backdate a claim
A Carer can backdate their claim of allowance by up to 3 months.
How to Claim Carer’s Allowance in UK
You can Apply Online to claim your Carer’s Allowance by visiting the official portal from here: https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim.
For more information and enquiries
If you are unable to apply online, you can also apply for Carers Allowance by post or call the Carer’s Allowance Unit to request a form.
For General enquiries:
- Telephone: 0800 731 0297
- Textphone: 0800 731 0317
- Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 731 0297
- British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service if you’re on a computer
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
Location Address: Carers Allowance Unit, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 2AB.
How to Claim Carer’s Allowance in other places
If you live in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross or the Western Isles, you need to apply for Carer Support Payment instead of Carer’s Allowance.
Disagree with a decision
If you disagree with the decision about your Carers Allowance claim, you can challenge a decision about that claim. This is known as asking for mandatory reconsideration.
Reporting Changes
Reporting a change in circumstances
If you have applied or currently claiming Carer’s Allowance, you are required to report the changes in your circumstances, which includes the following:
- Starting a job
- Starting or ending full-time education
- Changes to your income
- Stopping being a carer
- The person you care for no longer getting their disability benefit
- Someone else who cares for the same person claiming Carer’s Allowance instead of you
- Someone else who cares for the same person claims the carer’s element of Universal Credit
- Changes to your immigration status, if you’re not a British citizen
NOTE: It is to be noted that a carer must inform the Department for Work and Pensions if the person they are caring for dies.
What happens when Wrong Information is provided
If wrong information is provided or change in their circumstances are not informed by the carer, then the carer will be taken to court or have to pay a penalty.
Temporary Stoppage in providing care
If you temporarily stop providing care for someone, you can still receive Carer’s Allowance. This means any period when you spend less than 35 hours a week caring for the other person.
The person you care for must still receive their disability benefit. You must tell DWP if you temporarily stop providing care and:
- you or the person you care for will be in hospital, a nursing home, or respite care for more than 12 weeks
- you stop caring for more than 28 days for any other reason
If you have been paid too much
In a case where you have been paid too much, then you may have to repay the money if you:
- Did not report a change straight away
- Gave wrong information
- Were overpaid by mistake
If you are a Working person
If you are a working person, you can work and also get carer’s allowance, as long as you spend at least 35 hours a week in your caring role. You may be also eligible to get support for you or the person you care for from your employer, local councils and other organisations.
Time off for an emergency
You can ask your employer for time off to deal with an emergency involving someone else who depends on you for care. How much time off you get depends on your situation.
If you do not qualify for time off, your employer may allow you ‘compassionate leave’ for emergency situations.
Flexible working
If you need to work more flexibly, for example work part-time or work from home, you can request flexible working.
You do not have to tell your employer about your caring role or give another reason why you need to work more flexibly.
Respite care or ‘short break’ care
If you need someone to help look after the person you care for while you’re at work, you can apply for respite care (also known as ‘short break’ care).
Respite care options include the following:
- getting a paid carer or a volunteer to sit with the person you look after for a few hours
- a regular place in a day care centre for the person you care for.
Your local council may pay for respite care but you and the person you care for will need an assessment before you can apply.
Advice on starting work
If you need help starting or returning to work, contact your local Jobcentre Plus for help on how to combine work with your caring responsibilities.
Carers Allowance Updates
For latest updates on Carers Allowances and Discounts, Follow us on Facebook @CarersAllowance and Join @CareersAllowance group.
FAQs
The amount of Carer’s Allowance is £81.90 per week in 2025. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pays a weekly payment of £81.90 per week to a Carer person who takes care of old people, people with disability and people with illness.
You can claim carers allowance by visiting and applying the Claim Application form online. Here is the complete list of information and documents required to claim Carer’s Allowance.
Carers Allowance is a weekly payment given by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to a person for taking of care of old people, people with disability and people with illness (including mental illness). The amount of Carers Allowance is £81.90 per week.