Carer's Allowance

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To claim Carer's Allowance you need to be at least 16 years old and looking after a disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. The disabled person needs to be receiving Attendance Allowance or the middle or higher rate Care Components of Disability Living Allowance.

If you work, you can earn up to £95 per week net earnings (after tax, National Insurance and half of any pension contributions you make) and still claim.

It doesn’t matter whether you are related, or where you live, as long as you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for the person.

If you are awarded Carer's Allowance and you claim any of the following:

• Income Support
• Income- based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit, or
• Council Tax Benefit
  you will need to declare them as income. However, you will receive extra premiums in these benefits which may actually increase the amount you receive.
  
  If the person you care for normally lives alone, some of their benefits may be reduced if you claim Carer's Allowance. It is recommmended that you get a benefit check done for both of you to make sure. Your local Advice Works office can help you with this.
  
  The current Carer's Allowance rate is £50.55p
  
  If you receive certain other benefits, for example, retirement pension, widow's benefit or bereavement benefit, you may not be paid Carer's Allowance. However, you will be entitled to the Carer Premium when calculating means-tested benefits.
  
  You can get a form DS700 from your local Department for Work and Pensions office or apply online at the Department of Work and Pensions website.
  
  If the person you are caring for dies you can continue to receive Carer's Allowance for eight weeks.
  
  If the person you are caring for goes into hospital, their Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance care component stops after four weeks in hospital (or after twelve weeks if he or she is a child). This means that your Carer's Allowance also stops at this point. You should inform the Carer's Allowance Unit at Palatine House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1HB or phone 0177 2899655 and reclaim when/if the person returns home. If you are entitled to:
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit, or
• Council Tax Benefit
  there is an eight week run-on period when you will still receive the Carer Premium.
  
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  For further advice on Carer's Allowance or any other benefit, our contact details are below:
  

Paisley Advice Works:

• email: adviceworks@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone: 0141 887 7632
• fax: 0141 889 0057
• call in or write to us at: Advice Works, 42 High Street, Paisley PA1 2DQ

Renfrew Advice Works:

• email: adviceworks@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone: 0141 885 1188
• fax: 0141 886 5566
• call in or write to us at: Advice Works, 7 Dunlop Crescent, Renfrew PA4 8PQ

Johnstone Advice Works:

• email: adviceworks@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• phone: 01505 382328
• fax: 01505 381058
• call in or write to us at: Advice Works, 8 Collier Street, Johnstone PA5 8AR

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