Looking after someone 2017, Northern Ireland | Page 22

Carer’s Allowance
If you’re looking after a family member or
friend, you may be entitled to Carer’s Allowance.

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You may be eligible for Carer’s
Allowance if you meet all of the
following conditions:
• you look after someone who
gets a qualifying disability
benefit - this includes the middle
or the higher rate of the care
component of Disability Living
Allowance (DLA), either rate of
the daily living component of
Personal Independence Payment
(PIP), either rate of Attendance
Allowance, Constant Attendance
Allowance (at a certain level)
and Armed Forces Independence
Payment (AFIP)
• you look after that person for at
least 35 hours a week
• you are aged 16 or over
• you are not in full-time education

called the ‘underlying entitlement’
to Carer’s Allowance, even though
you won’t be paid the benefit itself.
This is because this ‘underlying
entitlement’ to Carer’s Allowance
can help to increase any meanstested benefits you might be
getting (such as Pension Credit,
Housing Benefit and Rate Relief),
or it could mean that you become
entitled to means-tested benefits
for the first time.

• you don’t earn over £110 a week
(after deductions)

Claiming Carer’s Allowance never
reduces the amount of Disability
Living Allowance (DLA), Personal
Independence Payment (PIP),
Attendance Allowance or State
Pension that the person you are
looking after gets. However it can
sometimes affect any meanstested benefits they get.

• you satisfy UK presence and
residence conditions
If you are getting certain other
benefits, including a State Pension,
then you might not be able to be
paid Carer’s Allowance at the same
time.
However, it might still be useful to
make a claim and receive what is

Looking after someone

Claiming Carer’s Allowance can
sometimes have an impact on
other benefits you receive, but this
shouldn’t put you off thinking about
making a claim, as it can often
increase your household income
overall.

Find out more at
carersuk.org/carersallowance

carersni.org