Carer’s Allowance
For more information, visit the Parkinson’s UK website (last updated July 2025).
Carer’s Allowance is a benefit for people who regularly spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone with substantial care needs. It’s available if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
You don’t have to be related to the person you’re caring for or be living with them to qualify for Carer’s Allowance. The person you’re caring for must be getting a qualifying benefit.
You can qualify even if you’ve never been employed or paid National Insurance contributions.
Carer’s Allowance isn’t affected by how much you have in savings. However, if you (the carer) receive weekly earnings of £196 or more after tax, you won’t qualify. The benefit is also taxable.
You can get Carer’s Allowance even if you, the carer, are disabled and getting Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance.
If you claim Carer’s Allowance, it can sometimes reduce the amount of means-tested benefits that the person you care for can claim. To find out more, contact Citizens Advice or another organisation that gives benefits advice like your local welfare rights group, for example. For information about organisations that can help, contact the Parkinson’s UK helpline.
Carer Support Payment is the equivalent to Carer’s Allowance in Scotland, with similar rules. It was introduced in 2024, replacing Carer’s Allowance.
Qualifying for Carer’s Allowance
You must be spending 35 hours or more a week caring for someone who receives 1 of the benefits below to qualify for Carer’s Allowance:
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment daily living component (either rate)
- Disability Living Allowance care component at the middle or highest rate
- Constant Attendance Allowance from either maximum Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or full day rate of War Pension Disablement Benefit
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
You must also:
- be aged 16 or over at the time of your claim
- have been living in the UK for 2 of the last 3 years (and your immigration status doesn’t prevent you claiming)
- be ‘habitually resident’ in the UK
- not be in full-time education (which means you’re not on an educational course of 21 hours or more supervised study a week)
- not earn more than £196 a week (after tax), if you’re in paid employment
Some of the rules are different in Northern Ireland. Visit the government webpage about Carer’s Allowance in Northern Ireland at the link below to find out more.
Do other benefits affect Carer’s Allowance?
Yes. You can’t be paid Carer’s Allowance if you’re getting the same amount or more from any of the following benefits:
- State Pension
- Contribution/new-style Employment and Support Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Incapacity Benefit
- Maternity Allowance
- Bereavement Allowance, Widow’s Benefits or Widowed Parent’s Allowance
- Contribution-based/new-style Jobseeker’s Allowance
These benefits ‘overlap’, so you can only get paid the higher of the 2 benefits.
How to claim Carer’s Allowance
If you’re in England or Wales, you can apply online on the government website at the link below. Or you can get a paper claim form by phoning the number provided.
Make a claim for Carer’s Allowance
If you’re in Northern Ireland, you can apply online on the government website at the link below.
Carer’s Credit
Carer’s Credit is intended to protect the State Pension rights of carers who aren’t able to pay National Insurance contributions and aren’t entitled to Carer’s Allowance.
You could get it if you care for someone for at least 20 hours a week and aren’t entitled to Carer’s Allowance.
You won’t directly receive any money for Carer’s Credit. But by filling any gaps in your National Insurance record (for example, because you’re unable to work while caring for someone) it will help to protect your State Pension entitlement and other benefits that depend on National Insurance contributions.
You can claim Carer’s Credit online on the government website, or call the number provided at the link below.