Carers Allowance
What is Carers Allowance?
Carers Allowance is a taxable benefit to help a person who looks after someone who is disabled. You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person that you care for.
Prior to the introduction of Carers Allowance, people used to receive Invalid Care Allowance. It is essentially the same allowance.
Carers Allowance is a "need-based" benefit and it is paid to individuals who cannot work (or only work part time) because they spend at least 35 hours per week caring for another person who is sick or disabled.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
Who is eligible for Carers Allowance?
You may be able to get Carers Allowance if you are aged 16 or over and spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a person who gets either:
- Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for care
- Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Constant Attendance Allowance at the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension
You cannot get Carers Allowance if you are in full-time education with 21 hours or more a week of supervised study or earn more than £100 a week after certain deductions have been made.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
Can I claim Carers Allowance if I am already claiming other benefits?
Yes you can!
You can claim Carers Allowance in addition to other benefits and allowances.
Whether you are a home-owner or a tenant you can still be eligible for Carers Allowance as it is a "need" based benefit and can potentially increase other benefits already being paid.
Some people may find that they are eligible for Carers Allowance but do not receive some or all of the payments. This happens when certain other benefits are in payments that "overlap".
However, it is absolutely crucial that people still apply for Carers Allowance. Even if you do not qualify for actual payments, an under-lying entitlement is likely to grant you more in terms of Income Support, Pension Credit (Guarantee), Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. Carers Allowance can be an "invisible" friend in such circumstances. There is no doubt that it is complementary to other benefits..
To understand your full eligibility you need independent advice. For this, you need a dedicated professional to assess your complete circumstances confidentially.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
How much Carers Allowance can I get?
The weekly rate is £53.90.
This is reduced by the amount of certain other benefits, including State Pension that you receive. If you receive certain other benefits at £53.90 or more a week, Carers Allowance cannot be paid to you as well.
However, you must remember that Carers Allowance is also complementary benefit.
In certain circumstances:
- Carers Allowance can increase Income Support and Pension Credit (Guarantee) payments by over £30.00 per week
- Carers Allowance can also increase Housing Benefit by over £19.00 per week and Council Tax Benefit by over £6.00 per week.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
Case study
Seventy-three year-old Brian spent his working life as a car mechanic, a textile worker and then re-trained as a nurse. He was a very hard-working man who loved being busy. Unfortunately, the work ethic took its toll on many parts of his body and he is now struggling.
“Winifred (my wife) did not realise that she would be able to claim Carers Allowance for looking after me. We never saw any publicity. We did not feel encouraged to claim and we did not know how to claim”.
Winifred said‚ “Brian was finding it difficult to manage although he could not admit it. His arthritis was painful and he had difficulty getting out of bed. I was working part time and was always worried about how he was managing when I was out of the house”.
Through Housing Benefit Helpline, Brian realised that he could claim Attendance Allowance and then Carers Allowance. Following successfully applications (for both) the household budget received an increase of over £100 per week. This means that Winifred is now able to stay at home in order to look after him.
This case study is fictitious, but helps to illustrate just some of the many ways in which Housing Benefit Helpline can help change peoples lives for the better.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
Why does Carers Allowance go unclaimed?
Many people who could claim Carers Allowance often do not do so. Literally hundreds of millions of pounds is lost by carers not recognising there entitlement to Carers Allowance and, critically, not claiming.
Some of the reasons many people do not claim Carers Allowance are as follows:
- Carers do not always value their worth. Looking after a friend, relative or neighbour is commendable but it also means that you may have made other sacrifices in order to "care" for the individual
- People do not realise that they might be entitled to claim. What may have started out as a bit of help may have turned into a full-time caring role. You may not have noticed how much time you are devoting
- You may have been in contact with a health professional. That particular person may be inexperienced or too busy to advise you about Carers Allowance so may not be able to give you the best advice. This may lead to an unfair refusal, a reduced payment or wrong advice which may stop some genuine applicants starting their initial application
- You might not realise that the person you are caring for receives one of the qualifying benefits as referred to in the "Who is Eligible for Carers Allowance?" section. The "qualifying" benefit is your passport to potential Carers Allowance
- Claim forms can be lengthy and complicated. This can lead to a form being completed incorrectly or, in the worst case, not at all.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
What if I have been refused Carers Allowance?
Due to the inefficiencies of certain "officials" it has been known for refusals to be over-turned when the claim has been re-presented in a professional and methodical manner (i.e. by a professional company or consultant).
Many times, the refusal decision is based on an incorrect presentation of certain information by the claimant or by an incorrect assessment from the particular benefits office/r in question.
We have found 40% or sometimes more of "refused claims" have a very good chance of being overturned.
Needless to say, this issue is very important.
Full claim acceptance not only over-turns a previous refusal, but it also means you will probably be eligible for back-payments from the point of an initial claim.
This alone could often lead to thousands of pounds in back-payments due to you.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
How can I find out if I am eligible for Carers Allowance or if my refusal can be overturned?
This part is very simple!
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
What is the difference between using Housing Benefit Helpline or asking the Benefit office directly?
- Which gives a personalised benefits health check
- Up to 40% of rejected claims by the benefit office are found to be incorrect
- Similar to private health care, you will be given personalised time and attention, which is sometimes lacking in government offices
- The FREE Review can be done from the comfort of your own home, and in your own time, and at your own convenience
- We look to advise all applicants in maximising their entitled benefits from several benefit departments
- Professional, Impartial and non biased consultants, will show all available benefits you may be entitled to, and if required help you to claim them
- Housing Benefit Helpline have an Excellent track record for maximising claims, over turning rejected claims and securing back payments.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
Are you getting all the benefits you are entitled to?
Housing Benefit Helpline has a number of consultants who many have over twenty years experience in administering a wide range of benefits and allowances.
We can help secure rightful entitlement to Carers Allowance as well as other benefits and allowances.
This puts Housing Benefit Helpline in a very strong position with which to help potential claimants just like you.
To see what some of our existing clients feel about our service, read our testimonials.
We can undertake a full assessment of your circumstances for FREE and you can rest assured that we are working independently just for you - and nobody else.
Find out now if you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to, for FREE. Just click the link below to get started.
It only takes a couple of minutes to complete our review form. In so doing, it is essential that the information you provide is as accurate as possible to allow us to gather the full extent of Carers Allowance and any other benefits and allowances that may be available to you.
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