Elderly Carer’s Allowance Application: Your Complete Guide

In recent years, experts in ageing and elderly care have increasingly discussed the benefits of “ageing in place” for older people. What does this mean? Simply that elderly people are often happiest if they are able to remain in their own homes, supported by carers and technology, rather than moving to a care home to receive support.

For family members and loved ones of the elderly, this can mean that much of their time is dedicated to caring for their elderly relative. That’s why the government has created the Carer’s Allowance. It provides money to people who are primarily occupied as carers for seniors if both the carer and the cared-for person meet certain criteria.

What are these criteria and how do you start a Carer’s Allowance application if you’re eligible? In this blog post, we’ll cover all the basics about Carer’s Allowance and how it can provide help to carers of the elderly.

What is Carer’s Allowance?

Carer’s Allowance is a £76.75 per week payment from the government to carers who fit eligibility criteria. It can be paid weekly or every four weeks.

Care work can include helping an older person maintain their home, health, hygiene or finances, or helping them with medical appointments.

Who is eligible to apply for Carer’s Allowance?

Both the carer and the person receiving care must fit the government’s eligibility criteria in order for the carer to receive Carer’s Allowance.

Eligibility criteria for carers

Carer’s Allowance is aimed at people whose care work is essentially their full-time job. That’s why some of the eligibility requirements are that:

• Carers need to be doing their care work for at least thirty-five hours per week.
• Carers are not occupied with education and studying for more than 20 hours per week.
• Carers need to have net weekly earnings of £139 or lower (after work expenses, National Insurance and taxes).

Other eligibility requirements for a Carer’s Allowance application relate to the age, residence and immigration status of the carer. They must:

• Be at least 16 years old.
• Be a resident of England, Scotland or Wales (with some exceptions, such as for military personnel stationed abroad).
• Have resided in one of these countries for at least two of the preceding three years – unless they have humanitarian protection or refugee status.
• Have an immigration status that allows them to apply for benefits.

People residing in some places in Scotland need to apply for a Carer Support Payment instead.

Lastly, there are some criteria relating to pensions:

• Carers receiving less than £76.75 per week via their State Pension are only eligible to receive a Carer’s Allowance payment that brings the total of State Pension and Carer’s Allowance to £76.75 per week. If their state pension is higher than £76.75, they won’t receive Carer’s Allowance.
• Carers who get Pension Credit with a pension over £76.75 will receive increased Pension Credit in place of Carer’s Allowance.

It’s also important to know that, if two carers are caring for the same person, they can’t both claim Carer’s Allowance. Also, a carer in this situation can’t claim Carer’s Allowance if the other carer is receiving a Carer Support Payment or additional Universal Credit related to their care for the same person.

Eligibility criteria for the person receiving care

The person who is being cared for needs to be receiving certain benefits in order for their carer to be eligible for Carer’s Allowance. These benefits include Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, and particular levels of Disability Living Allowance and Child or Adult Disability Payment.

For full details of the benefits that make a person’s carer eligible for Carer’s Allowance, see the government’s page on Carer’s Allowance eligibility.

Important to know: other benefits and pensions

Before you apply for Carer’s Allowance, be aware that this payment could impact the carer and the care recipient’s eligibility for other benefits. Take a look at the page on effects of Carer’s Allowance on other benefits to learn more.

How to apply for Carer’s Allowance

So, if you are a carer who meets all of these criteria, how do you apply for Carer’s Allowance?

First, you must tell the person you are caring for about your application and let them know about the benefits they might lose. If they agree that you should proceed, then you can start your Carer’s Allowance application on the UK government website.

When you apply for Carer’s Allowance, you’ll need this information:

• National Insurance number of the carer, the carer’s partner.
• National Insurance number of the person receiving care if that person is at least 16 years old – or if they’re not yet 16, their Disability Living Allowance reference.
• The address and date of birth of the person receiving care.
• Education or employment information of the carer, including a P45 form if their last job recently ended.
• Bank information of the carer and information about their expenses – including anything you pay for care while you are working elsewhere.

Supports for elderly people and carers from SureSafe

Being a carer is a challenging and immensely important occupation. That’s why it’s ideal for carers to use all the supports available to help themselves and the people under their care – including technology, in-person care and financial support. A Carer’s Allowance application allows a carer’s work to be recognised for its true importance and value.

Another form of great support for older people comes from personal alarms for the elderly. At SureSafe, we’re a market leader in providing these small devices that bring extra peace of mind and security for moments when carers aren’t immediately nearby.

For example, if you’re a carer concerned about an elderly person falling at night or while you’re in another room, an alarm with automatic fall detection can help. These alarms sense when their wearer has fallen and call for help all on their own. That way, you can do the washing up or finish cooking in the kitchen without the worry that your elderly loved one will be in trouble in the living room or bedroom while you’re unaware. One-touch alarms offer similar functions, allowing their wearer to call your phone with the touch of just one button.

You can also get the same reassurance when your elderly loved one is out of the house, going for a walk or visiting a friend, thanks to an alarm with a GPS tracker. Unlike some elderly alarms, these alarms don’t only work within the home. They offer the same fall detection and one-touch call functionalities anywhere. Plus, they allow you to track their wearer using GPS, which is great for older people with dementia who are at risk of getting lost or separated from a carer when they’re out and about.

These are just some of the ways in which our highly rated and affordable alarms can help give that extra layer of security to both carers and elderly people receiving care. To learn more about the wide range of functionalities our alarms offer, just give us a call on 0800 112 3201. Alternatively, you can reach out to us through our live chat or request a call back.