Carers allowance and other benefts
Payment of benefits can sometimes be affected if you take a break or you or the person you are looking after goes into hospital or residential care.
Carers allowance
Carer’s Allowance can be paid during breaks in care. You can have up to a total of 4 weeks’ break in any 26-week period and be paid Carer’s Allowance during these breaks. The breaks can be for any reason. For at least 22 of the past 26 weeks, you must have been providing 35 hours or more of care a week.
If your Carer’s Allowance stops due to a break in care you may be able to claim Carer’s Credit to protect your National Insurance contribution record during the break. For further information please contact your local Carers Service. You should also let the relevant disability benefit office know about any time spent in hospital or a care home. Other benefits can also be affected by a stay in residential or hospital care. For more information, seek advice from your local advice centre, which you can search for at Advicelocal.
Getting a benefits check
You may be missing out on some benefits that might help to pay for extra care. You can arrange a benefits check by contacting Carers UK Helpline team advice@Carersuk.org. They will need to ask you some questions about your current circumstances to help. Note - you can also get a personalised benefits check online, for example at Benefits calculator | Carers UK. This will take about 20 minutes to complete. These online tools are not suitable for everyone. You may be able to get face-to-face benefits help from a local advice centre such as your local Citizens Advice, Age UK, Carers’ organisation or disability charity. Search for local advice centres at Advicelocal.