Carers and children guide

Carer’s Allowance step by step: how to check, claim and keep it

Carer’s Allowance is £86.45 a week in 2026 to 2027. The form itself is not hard. The tricky part is checking the rules first, especially earnings and the effect on other benefits. This guide takes it one step at a time.

By the Disability Expert team. Last checked 11 November 2026.

Step 1: Check the person you care for gets a qualifying benefit

Carer’s Allowance depends on the disabled person’s award, not on their diagnosis. GOV.UK lists these qualifying benefits:

• the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment
• the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance, Child Disability Payment or Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance
• Attendance Allowance or Pension Age Disability Payment
• the daily living part of Adult Disability Payment, at the standard or enhanced rate
• Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, or at the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

For a child, that usually means the middle or highest care rate of DLA. The lowest care rate, or mobility only, does not qualify. If your child’s claim is still being decided, you can claim Carer’s Allowance once the award comes through. In Northern Ireland, nidirect says you may be able to backdate further than 3 months if the qualifying benefit was awarded in the last 3 months.

Step 2: Check your hours

You need to spend at least 35 hours a week caring. GOV.UK gives examples of what counts: helping with washing and cooking, taking the person to appointments, and helping with household tasks like bills and shopping.

You do not have to live with the person or be related to them. You do not get extra for caring for more than one person.

Step 3: Check your earnings

Your earnings must be £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance and expenses. This limit catches people out, so keep an eye on it if your hours or pay go up.

Expenses that GOV.UK says can be taken off include:

• half of what you pay into a pension
• equipment you need for your job, and travel between workplaces your employer does not pay for
• business costs if you are self-employed
• care costs while you work, for the disabled person or your children, up to half of your earnings, as long as the carer is not your partner, parent, child or sibling

GOV.UK’s example: if you earn £100 a week after tax and National Insurance and spend £60 on care while you work, you can take off £50. Money from an occupational or private pension does not count as earnings.

Step 4: Check the other rules

• You must be 16 or over.
• You must not be in full-time education or studying 21 hours a week or more.
• On GOV.UK, you must normally live in England or Wales and have been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years, with exceptions for refugees and people with humanitarian protection. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent rules on nidirect refer to living in Northern Ireland.
• You must not be subject to immigration control.
• If someone else already claims Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment or the Universal Credit carer amount for the same person, only one of you can get it.

Step 5: Work out the effect on other benefits

Do this before you claim. GOV.UK says that when you get Carer’s Allowance, the person you care for will usually stop getting a severe disability premium or the extra amount for severe disability in Pension Credit, and might lose a reduction in Council Tax. This mostly affects carers of adults, but check if it applies to you.

For your own benefits, GOV.UK says your total usually goes up or stays the same. If you get Universal Credit, it goes down by the amount of your Carer’s Allowance, but you may get the Universal Credit carer amount of £209.34 a month. Carer’s Allowance gives you Class 1 National Insurance credits, which count towards some benefits as well as your State Pension.

If you get a State Pension of £86.45 a week or more, you will not be paid Carer’s Allowance, although GOV.UK says Pension Credit may go up instead. Carer’s Allowance is taxable if your income is over the Personal Allowance. A benefits calculator or an adviser can run the numbers.

Step 6: Get your details together

GOV.UK says you need:

• your National Insurance number, and your partner’s if you have one
• your bank or building society details
• your latest payslip and employment details if you work, or your P45 if you recently stopped
• course details if you are studying
• details of expenses, such as pension contributions or care costs while you work
• the disabled person’s date of birth and address, and their National Insurance number if they are 16 or over, or their DLA reference if they are under 16

Step 7: Apply

Apply online through GOV.UK in England and Wales, or nidirect in Northern Ireland. If you cannot apply online, you can apply by post or phone the Carer’s Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297 for a form (GOV.UK, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm). In Northern Ireland, the paper forms are DS700, or DS700(SP) if you are over State Pension age.

You can backdate your claim by up to 3 months, as long as you met the rules during that time.

Step 8: After you are awarded

You can choose to be paid weekly in advance or every 4 weeks. You must report changes that could affect your claim. nidirect’s list is a good guide: starting a job, changes to your income, starting or finishing full-time education, either of you moving, stopping caring, the disabled person losing their benefit, or someone else claiming for them instead of you.

Breaks in caring, such as a hospital stay or respite care, have specific rules about how long Carer’s Allowance can continue, so check before a long break.

If you are refused, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again. This is called a mandatory reconsideration, and it comes before an appeal.

If you were overpaid Carer’s Allowance between 10 April 2015 and 2 September 2025, DWP is reassessing those overpayments. GOV.UK says you may get a refund or have the debt reduced or cancelled, and you do not need to contact the Carer’s Allowance Unit about it.

Related entitlement pages

• Carer's Allowance — A weekly payment if you care for someone at least 35 hours a week and they get a qualifying disability benefit.
• Carer Support Payment — Scotland’s replacement for Carer’s Allowance, with additional Scottish carer payments in some cases.
• Carer's Credit — A National Insurance credit if you care for someone at least 20 hours a week, to protect your State Pension record.
• Universal Credit carer amount — An extra Universal Credit amount if you provide care for a severely disabled person.
• Disability Living Allowance for children — A tax-free benefit for children under 16 who need extra care or have mobility needs.

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Frequently asked questions

Sources we checked

• https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/what-youll-get
• https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility
• https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/effect-on-other-benefits
• https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim
• https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/carers-allowance
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027

Last checked 11 November 2026. This is information, not an eligibility decision or legal advice. Always confirm the current rules on the official source before you apply.