Carers
Carer’s Allowance: who can get it, and what it changes for both of you
The main benefit for unpaid carers in England and Wales, and the knock-on effects worth checking before you claim.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Carer’s Allowance is £86.45 a week in 2026/27 for someone who spends at least 35 hours a week caring for a person who gets a qualifying disability benefit, such as the daily living part of PIP, the middle or highest care rate of DLA, or Attendance Allowance. You do not have to be related to them or live with them. You must be 16 or over, not in full-time education or studying 21 hours a week or more, and earn no more than £204 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses. Only one person can claim for the same disabled person, and caring for two people does not double it. It is paid weekly in advance or every four weeks, it is taxable if your total income is above the Personal Allowance, and each week brings a Class 1 National Insurance credit. Claims can be backdated 3 months. Before claiming, check the effect on the person you care for: their severe disability premium, or the £86.05 severe disability amount in Pension Credit, usually stops.
Carer’s Allowance for your household
Carer’s Allowance a week
£86.45
| Result | Paid: £84.00 under the earnings limit |
| A year | £4,495 |
| Every 4 weeks | £345.80 |
| Effect on the person you care for | None on their disability benefit |
The rate and how it is paid
| Period | Amount in 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| A week | £86.45 |
| Every four weeks | £345.80 |
| A year (52 weeks) | £4,495.40 |
| Earnings limit, a week | £204.00 |
The weekly rate rose from £83.30 and the earnings limit from £196. GOV.UK says you can choose to be paid weekly in advance or every four weeks, into a bank or similar account.
Three sets of conditions
The person you care for must already get a qualifying benefit. You must spend at least 35 hours a week caring for them. And you must meet personal conditions about age, study, earnings and residence. All three apply every week.
| Benefit of the person cared for | Qualifying level |
|---|---|
| Personal Independence Payment | Daily living part, either rate |
| Disability Living Allowance | Middle or highest care rate |
| Attendance Allowance | Either rate |
| Adult Disability Payment (Scotland) | Daily living, standard or enhanced |
| Child Disability Payment, Scottish Adult DLA | Middle or highest care rate |
| Pension Age Disability Payment | Either rate |
| Constant Attendance Allowance | At or above the normal maximum (industrial injuries) or basic full-day rate (war pension) |
| Armed Forces Independence Payment | Any award |
The mobility part of PIP and the lowest care rate of DLA do not qualify. The 35 hours can include practical help such as cooking, washing, managing bills and shopping, and taking the person to appointments. The personal conditions add that you must have been in England, Scotland or Wales for 2 of the last 3 years (refugees excepted), normally live in England or Wales, not be subject to immigration control, and keep your earnings at or below £204 a week after deductions, which the Carer’s Allowance calculator works through.
The effect on the person you care for
This is the part most families miss. GOV.UK warns that when you get Carer’s Allowance, the person you care for will usually stop getting a severe disability premium paid with their benefits, or the extra amount for severe disability in Pension Credit, and may lose a Council Tax reduction. Their disability benefit itself is never affected.
Maureen, 81, lives alone on £232 a week of pensions and gets Attendance Allowance. Her Pension Credit includes the severe disability amount, so she receives £92.05 a week. If her daughter Joanne claims Carer’s Allowance for caring for her, Maureen’s Pension Credit falls to £6.00, a loss of £86.05. Joanne gains £86.45, plus National Insurance credits. Across the family the cash is almost a wash, so the decision often turns on Joanne’s own situation: whether she needs the credits for her State Pension, whether the allowance reduces her Universal Credit, and whether Maureen would also lose Pension Credit-linked help. Ask the Pension Service or the council to confirm the figures before claiming. Attendance Allowance explains Maureen’s side.
The effect on your own benefits
GOV.UK says your total benefit payments usually go up or stay the same. In practice:
- Universal Credit is reduced by the whole allowance, while the carer element is added whether you claim Carer’s Allowance or not. Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit shows the sums.
- Over State Pension age, the allowance overlaps with the State Pension, but an underlying entitlement adds £48.15 a week to Pension Credit. See Carer’s Allowance and the State Pension.
- Anyone getting Carer’s Allowance is outside the benefit cap.
- Tax credit claimants must tell HMRC.
Tax and National Insurance
Carer’s Allowance is taxable, though on its own, £4,495 a year, it is well inside the Personal Allowance of £12,570. Tax arises when it is added to other income. A carer aged 61 with an £11,000 occupational pension, which does not count against the earnings limit, has total income of about £15,495 and pays basic-rate tax of roughly £585 a year on the excess. Every week of Carer’s Allowance also brings a Class 1 National Insurance credit automatically, which counts towards the State Pension and some other benefits; carers who do not qualify for the allowance can often protect their record with Carer’s Credit instead.
Breaks in caring
Carer’s Allowance can continue through a temporary break, meaning any week in which you care for fewer than 35 hours, as long as the person keeps their disability benefit. You must tell the DWP if you or they 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. Report also a new job, a change in earnings, starting a course, a move, or the death of the person you care for.
Claiming
Apply online on GOV.UK, or by post with a form from the Carer’s Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297. You will need your National Insurance number (and your partner’s), bank details, your latest payslip or P45, course details if you study, and the date of birth, address and National Insurance number of the person you care for (their DLA reference for a child under 16). A claim can be backdated by up to 3 months. If you disagree with a decision, ask for mandatory reconsideration within 1 month.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Carers in Scotland apply to Social Security Scotland for Carer Support Payment, at the same £86.45 but with the Scottish Carer Supplement on top. Moving from England or Wales to Scotland, Carer’s Allowance stops 13 weeks after the move, so apply for Carer Support Payment straight away. In Northern Ireland, Carer’s Allowance has the same weekly rate and is claimed through nidirect.