This benefit is dealt with by the Disability and Carer Benefits Service at the Carer's Allowance Unit

What is it?

Paid to full-time carers
Your other benefits may increase or decrease
Certain benefits for the person you look after may sometimes reduce

Can I get it?

Are you:

aged 16 or over?
spending at least 35 hours a week looking after someone who is getting or
waiting to hear about these benefits:

- Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Constant Attendance Allowance
- War Pensions Constant Attendance Allowance?

If YES to both, claim CA.

What else should I know?

Before 28 October 2002, carers aged 65 and over cannot qualify for CA. This age limit is removed from 28 October 2002. Carers aged 65 and over can make claims before this date, but entitlement will only start from 28 October 2002.

If the person you care for is getting or waiting to hear about Constant Attendance Allowance under the Industrial Injuries scheme, it must be at the normal maximum rate or above. If the person you care for is getting or waiting to hear about Constant Attendance Allowance under the War Pensions scheme, it must be at the basic (full day) rate or above.

You cannot get CA if you are in full-time education.
You cannot get CA if you earn above a certain amount.

We will not count money you pay out for things like, some National Insurance (NI) contributions

Income tax

Half of any money you pay towards a personal or occupational pension

Paying someone who is not a close relative to look after the disabled person while you are at work (up to a certain limit)

Paying someone who is not a close relative to look after children aged under 16 while you are at work (up to a certain limit)

Some other expenses

You may be able to get extra money for your family.

CA may carry on when you become 65 if your Retirement Pension is less than CA.

You may be able to get extra money added to Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. You may be able to get this if you claimed CA, but cannot get it because you already have another benefit paid at a higher amount. Check with your social security office.

If the person you are caring for gets Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, they may lose their severe disability premium.

Check with the person whether they are getting either of these benefits. If you have a short break from looking after the person you care for, your CA may be able to continue.

You will earn extra pension through State Second Pension for every complete tax year you are entitled to CA.

How much will I get?

Only use the amounts shown as a guide. The rules for benefits mean that your individual circumstances may affect the amount you get. This means you will not always be able to work out exactly how much you will get by using these amounts.

Weekly amount: £53.90

Improvements to CA from 28 October 2002. Removal of the CA upper age (65) rule. Carers aged 65 or over can, for the first time, claim CA on the same basis as younger carers.

Who will benefit from the change?

Abolishing the age restriction will benefit significant numbers of lower income carers and those carers with (mostly women) with no Retirement Pension or a reduced rate of Retirement Pension. CA after the death of the disabled person

If the disabled person dies, CA will continue for up to a further 8 weeks. This will help ex-carers who have recently been bereaved by giving them time to adjust and make plans for their own future.

How do I claim?

Claim straight away. If you delay you may lose benefit.

Claim online or contact your local office. Find your local office on this site or look in the phone book under Benefits Agency, Jobcentre Plus or social security. It is important that we can be sure of your identity when you make a claim. We may need to ask you about your background and look at any official documents you have to support the information you give.

Claim Carer's Allowance online

You can now claim Carer's Allowance online using our easy step-by-step form and send it to us electronically.

Just go to Carer's Allowance e-service and choose "Claim Carers Allowance". Then, on the "Carer's Allowance claim/welcome" screen, choose " I want to start a new claim form". Depending on your answers, you will then only be taken to the parts of the form that apply to you.

Throughout the form you will be presented with a number of “buttons” that will perform various functions. For example, if you enter your house number and postcode only, then press the “Generate address” button, your entire address will be completed automatically.

You do not have to complete the form in one go. If you are part of the way through a form and you want to finish it later, simply note down your transaction number before selecting the “save & exit” button. Please note that you MUST select the “save & exit” option before leaving the form. If you leave a saved claim form, we will keep it for five days. After the five days have passed, you will need to start a new form.

When you return to the form, you will be asked again whether you wish to make a claim or report a change of circumstances. Once you have confirmed that you wish to make a claim you will have the option of starting a new claim form or continuing with the claim form that you started within the last five days. If you wish to continue with a partially completed form you will need to enter your transaction number and surname to retrieve your details.

If you enter an incorrect transaction number or surname, the screen will reappear and you will be asked again to enter your transaction number and surname. If you enter the wrong details three times, you will be given a blank claim to complete.

Tell us about a change of circumstances

You can also report changes online. Just go to the Carer's Allowance e-service
and choose "Tell us about a change of circumstances".

The change of circumstances form lists a number of changes that may have happened to you or the person you are looking after. For example, some of the changes the list covers include breaks in caring, employment, full time education and change of address. If the change you want to tell us about is not included in the list, you can use the “Other information” section to let us know.

You do not have to complete the form in one go. If you are part of the way through a form and you want to finish it later, simply note down your transaction number before selecting the “save & exit” button. Please note that you MUST select the “save & exit” option before leaving the form.

If you leave a saved form, we will keep it for two days. After the two days have passed, you will need to start a new form.

When you return to the form, you will be asked again whether you wish to make a claim or report a change of circumstances. Once you have confirmed that you wish to report a change of circumstances you will have the option of starting a new form or continuing with the form that you started within the last two days. If you wish to continue with a partially completed form you will need to enter your transaction number and surname to retrieve your details.

If you enter an incorrect transaction number or surname, the screen will reappear and you will be asked again to enter your transaction number and surname. If you enter the wrong details three times, you will be given a blank form to complete.

Privacy Policy

The DWP website is covered by a Privacy Policy, which explains how they collect and use information about your claim. You should read the privacy policy before making a claim to Carer’s Allowance. Carer's Allowance e-service help information. You can get more help with the Carer's Allowance e-service:

I want to make a claim to Carer's Allowance
I want to notify a Change of Circumstances

Just go to Carer's Allowance e-service help information for advice about Carer's Allowance and how to use the eService.

You can download Carer's Allowance claim forms

You can download Carers Allowance claim forms in a PDF format. These forms do not apply in Northern Ireland. Please choose a form from the options below.

You can download documents marked in blue using Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free of charge.

We recommend that you save this file to your computer hard disk or a CD before completing it. To save a copy of the file to disk right click with your mouse on the link above and choose the 'Save Target As' option. You cannot save the form once you have opened it in an internet browser.
After you have completed the form on screen, you will have to print and sign it.

Carer's Allowance, print out a form to fill in with a pen (248k).
If the person you are caring for is getting or waiting to hear about:

Attendance Allowance
or Constant Attendance Allowance
or Disability Living Allowance

If you have dependants you also wish to claim for click here to fill an additional form with a pen (194k). These forms come with notes that will help you fill them in and tell you where to send them once completed.

I am already getting it. What happens if:

I go into hospital or someone I claim for goes into hospital?

Carer's Allowance may stop straight away if you, or someone you get extra money for, goes into hospital. But in certain circumstances it may continue for 12 weeks. You must tell the Carer's Allowance Unit as soon as you go into or come out of hospital. You must also tell them if someone you get benefit for goes into hospital.

The person I care for goes into hospital/respite care?

Their Carer's Allowance may stop straight away if the person you look after, goes into hospital/respite care. But in certain circumstances it may continue for 12 weeks. You must tell the Carer's Allowance Unit as soon as the person you care for goes into hospital or respite care.

I go on holiday or the person I care for goes on holiday?

Carer's Allowance can continue in payment during a break in caring if it is temporary, a total of 4 weeks break can be taken in any 26 week period. You must tell the Carer's Allowance Unit if someone you get benefit for or you go on holiday for more than 4 weeks.

I go to live abroad or visit?

You cannot get Carer's Allowance if you are going abroad permanently but if your stay abroad is temporary, you may get Carer's Allowance for four weeks. You may be able to get Carer's Allowance for longer if you are going abroad only to help the person you care for, and the person can still be paid Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance. Your stay must still be temporary. You may also be able to carry on getting Carer's Allowance if the person you care for is getting Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance paid during a permanent stay in an EEA country. If your benefit is paid into an account, this can continue. Otherwise we will save your benefit and pay it to you when you return to the UK.

Let us know as soon as you can that you are going abroad. Tell the Carer's Allowance Unit. You can get more information about social security agreements with other countries through this site.

I am part of a service family visiting or living abroad?

If you are getting Carer's Allowance, this can usually continue if you are living abroad with a serving member of the forces.

If you are the carer and you go abroad for more than 4 weeks you will not usually get Carer's Allowance, unless you are accompanying the disabled person and they continue to receive disability benefits.

Tell the Carer's Allowance Unit if you or someone in your family is leaving the UK (telephone numbers and address below).

I start work?

Contact the Carer's Allowance Unit straight away.

I start voluntary work?

Carer's Allowance is not usually affected by voluntary work.

Report changes online

If you are resident in Great Britain you can now report changes of circumstances that affect your Carer’s Allowance online by using our easy step by step form and send them to us electronically. Just go to the Carer’s Allowance Online Menu, choose 'I want to start a blank Change of Circumstances form'. From a list, you will need to choose which sort of change you want to report and then you will be taken to the parts of the form you need to fill in. If the change you want to report is not listed then use the form which allows you to report any other changes.

If you are part of the way through the form and you want to finish it at a later time, simply note down your transaction number. When you return to the form, you will need to input this transaction number and your surname to retrieve your details.

Your form will saved for 2 days from when you last used it.

You can also make a new claim for Carer’s Allowance online. Just go to the Carer’s Allowance Online Menu, choose 'I want to fill in a new Carer’s Allowance form'.

To get more information or leaflets, get in touch with the Carer’s Allowance Unit.

More information

For more information and leaflets about help available for carers, get in touch with your local social security office.

The leaflets about help for carers are:

SD4 Caring for someone? - a basic guide to benefits you may be able to get if you are looking after someone who is ill or disabled.

You can also contact the CA Unit on:

01253 856 123. People with speech or hearing problems should dial: 01772 899 489. Or write to them at:

CA Unit
Palatine House
Lancaster Road
Preston
PR1 1NS
Email: CA-Customer-Services@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

A confidential telephone service is available for people with disabilities, their representatives and their carers. Ring the Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) on:

0800 88 22 00. People with speech or hearing problems using a textphone can dial: 0800 24 33 55.

The person taking your call will not have your personal papers but will be able to give you general advice. This advice must not be taken as a decision on any matter about which you are making an enquiry. You can also get leaflets and forms from the Benefit Enquiry Line

Disability and Carers Service Customer Charter (English - 110k) PDF

Gwasanaeth Anabledd a Gofalwyr Siarter Cwsmeriaid (78k) PDF

Tell us your comments and complaints (English - 109k) PDF

Tell us your comments and complaints (English/Welsh - 127k) PDF

Other help available from DWP

Council Tax Benefit
Home Responsibilities Protection
Housing Benefit
Income Support

Definitions:
The European Economic Area (EEA) is made up of all European Community (EC) countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom (UK).

UK means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but not the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales.

Remember that this information is only a general guide to benefits and schemes, and is not a full and authoritative statement of the law. We have made every effort to ensure that the information on this website is correct at the date this Website was updated. However, changes in the law may make the website become gradually less accurate.

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