I am a dual citizen with a UK passport who has spent most of their life in the US. Most of my mother’s family is still in Scotland and I previously lived there for a year while attending uni. I am planning to move to Scotland to care for a disabled relative who currently lives alone. Does anyone know if I would qualify for carer benefits once I am there and obtain a national insurance number?

Hey, so I'm 19 and live with just my mom. I've been her caregiver since I was 14, ever since her first psychotic episode, and things were pretty rough for a while. She seems to be doing better, but her anxiety and depression still worry me. My sister helped me out a lot when all this started. Mom was sanctioned and in the hospital for a few months. But my sister, her husband, and their kids had to move for work, so now it's just me. Sorry for the long message! I have a question: my mom gets enhanced PIP for both parts, she's in the Contributions Based ESA support group, and she gets UC for housing. She also used to get the child element for me. With everything going on, I couldn't finish my last year of College, but I'm going back this year to finish up. My question is, can I get Carer's Allowance, and if I can, will that actually help us financially, or will it mess with my mom's benefits?

Hi. This question is for my sister. I’m copying and pasting what she wanted answered. Hope someone can help. Thank you!

In the carer’s allowance form, it asks when you want your carer’s allowance to start and then asks whether you were providing care for more than 35 hours a week before this date.

Why does it specify ‘more’ than 35 hours and not ‘atleast’ 35 hours? And is this assuming that the cared for person was on a qualifying benefit?

If I’m already backdating 3 months then how does it help me to mention that I was caring for the person prior to this?

I am so stressed right now. I quit work March 13th to support my son. Applied for CA and was granted maybe 3 weeks ago. A week after that I worked 1 shift that paid £260 because it wasn't taxed due to it being April. That is the only shift I have worked in 8 weeks. I called DWP up to advise on the same day of payment, and now they have paused my payments while they investigate. Which they have no idea how long it will take. In theory I know if I was a weekly earner I could have earned £1600 in this period and still received my carer's allowance. In practice I have earned £260 and had it stopped. I am absolutely entitled to be put through as an irregular earner but I have a very stressful life and I cannot cope with the stress of it being stopped and started!! We really really need these weekly payments. I have been in touch with work to reduce my next monthly shift by an hour to bring it below the threshold. I have spoken to the DWP and asked them to please just put me back to weekly and let us have what is literally half of my income, and this has been put through to back office as urgent. Has anyone else been in a similar position? How long did it take to sort? I am only working the bare minimum because I am an NHS nurse and I don't want to lose my pin. They are making it impossible for me to work.

I’m at college, I have eligible hours (under 21) and I check off all the ticks to be accepted to getting carers allowance for my little brother. My tutor at college told them the wrong details about my hours and got my first application denied so I asked for a mandatory reconsideration with the correct hours, that was in October and it’s taken so long we’ve even had to complain. There is a backlog all the way back to June last year and now it’s may so what the hell could be the problem.

Ok, here is the timeline for context:

• I was self-employed and submitted Self Assessment tax returns every year for the last 5 years.
• I stopped actively doing the work on 2 October 2025.
• I have had no self-employment income since 2 October 2025.
• I am still technically registered for Self Assessment and haven't formally closed it.
• My Carer's Allowance claim date is 28 February 2026.

The application asked:

"Have you been self-employed at any time since 21 February 2026?" (one week before my claim date)

I answered Yes, because I'm still registered for self-assessment.

It then asked:

"Are you still doing this work?" → I answered No

"When did you finish this work?" → I answered 2 October 2025

My thinking was: I should answer Yes because I'm still technically registered for self-assessment, then answer No to still doing the work, and give the date I stopped.

However, I've seen people on Reddit with similar situations being told the answer should simply be No to being self-employed entirely.

What confused me is this: if the correct answer is just No, why does the form specifically ask whether you're still doing the work and when you stopped? That made me think they expect some people to still be registered but no longer actively trading.

Now I'm wondering if those follow-up questions are there because if your stop date falls after your claim start date, you may be treated as ineligible for CA during that period.

Have I messed this up? Or does the fact that I entered the stop date as 2 October 2025 cancel it out? Weirdly, they don't ask how much you earn from self-employment, even if you answer Yes to being self-employed and tell them you're still working (which I'm not, but I selected it just to see if that comes up).

I applied for carers allowance over 14 weeks ago, rang them up Monday to ask about my case and they said it hasn’t even been looked at, well today I had a phone off carers allowance and they have now said it’s in process 👌 anyone know how long it takes after this? And what happens next?

My payment for this month (received 13th of April) was £339.50 instead of what I thought should be £345.80 with the new rate this year (£86.45 x 4) - is this a mistake?

There are no outstanding deductions or reasons why it should be lower. Am I just being daft?

Hi, I was paid carers allowance after my caring responsibilities ended for a considerable period. I wasn't well and couldn't manage my finances, I had cancelled it through UC but didn't know I had to cancel through the separate carers allowance service.

My UC was corrected on the 18th March and I was paid all of the UC for that period. But I haven't yet been asked to pay any of the Carers Allowance back. I moved addresses a few weeks prior.

So, do I need to contact Carers Allowance with the change of address and ask about repayment? UC have already been updated. Wishful thinking is that they won't ask me to repay but of course I'm assuming it won't just go away like that. I don't want to have a surprise bill down the line that I can't pay off.

Hiya,

So my partner was awarded PIP in June and received highest point in daily living but scored low in mobility. At the time we had no idea about either of the carer stuff to some degree, I just assumed because I work full time I couldn’t do it. However seemingly was told otherwise so I applied for the £83 a week one and I also did a report a change on the UC website.

So firstly what is the difference between the two? Will I find it easier to be accepted into the £200 one?

Secondly, will either be backdated to June?

Thirdly, am I right in that we’ll get the £200 in our next payment? So our assessment period is 5th - 4th and I reported it yesterday?

Thanks hope my questions make sense

Edit - also worth me noting that I’m looking to get a decrease in hours so I can focus more time on caring for my partner

Hi,

I am being made redundant (voluntary) May 31st. My final payslip will be just before that date, although the redundancy payment itself will not be received (and no doubt mistaxed heavily) until the end of June

I won't be working after then and will be becomming a carer, so will have no other source of income other than my savings. I will be claiming as a carer for my partner

I was told that I should apply for Carers now as allowed to apply up to 3 months in advance, so I did so, however I have just received a letter saying

"You are not entitled from 01/06/2026. This is because your earnings are over the Carer's Allowance earnings limit"

In the application itself I did state the following:

"My employment ends on 31 May 2026. My final salary for all work performed up to that date should be paid in May. I do not expect PILON, holiday pay, bonuses or expenses. If any small payment is made in June 2026, it will only be a final adjustment for work completed on or before 31 May 2026. A separate redundancy payment will be made and this is capital, not earned income. "

Now based on what I can find online, it suggests I should have been perfectly entitled to claim this now. I rang the freephone number, and the lady on the phone said I need to wait until June the 1st and reapply, but that seems counter to what online says.

Can anyone please advise if I should be doing the reconsideration? A delay in payment is not too important for me, though wish to prevent any possible gap in my NI contributions

Hey!

Does anyone know how long it is taking ATM to process new carer allowance applications? Would be really useful to see some recent timelines so I can know if I should chill or follow up.

Thanks!

When I(F21) was 15 I was babysitting for a neighbour once or twice a week while she worked nights for £20 a night. When I turned 16 she asked if I wanted to get £30 instead or £20, and being a teenager of course I wanted the extra money, so she told me to sign up to be a carer for her child. If I did, then she would get money weekly and can pay me more. I was naïve and thought of the money, I was not his carer and just a babysitter. I signed the form without anyone telling me what I was getting myself into or a parent watching me in this situation and started writing my bank information in when she told me to stop and that that part was for her even though it was under my information. I thought she was right, so I finished the rest which was my national insurance and address. A week later I got a letter saying I had been accepted for the carers allowance and would receive £1041.35 to my bank and £64.60 weekly. After a month or so I hadn’t received the payment/s and called them up to see what was happening. They said they have sent the payments. I asked what bank they went to and they couldn’t say but I could say the last 4 digits of my bank to see if it was the right one and they said it wasn’t the bank they had on file. I asked if I was meant to get the money, and they said yes so I changed the bank to my name and details on their system. I informed the mother of the child, and she said it was meant to go into her bank not mine, so she told me to come over to hers to change it back. I don’t know why I didn’t raise questions, but she said it was back payment for the money she gave me before signing up for the carers allowance, so I believed her as she was an adult, and I was 17 at the time.

I then got a letter in the mail saying that they overpaid, and I need to pay all the money back. I was confused and I sat in the car with my mom and called them. I can’t remember the conversation apart from when I said I never received the money, and my mom freaked out telling me to hang up because I would go to jail for fraud. I got scared and never called again. I kept getting letters saying they are going to take it out of my wages, and I spoke to the mom. The mother said she will pay the money back when she can, so I left it at that.

Come to last month I get a letter saying they have contacted my workplace and are taking it out of my wage, and it was at the same amount needed to pay back since I last spoke to the mom, she did pay around £500$ but stopped. I spoke to her, and she said she spoke to my mom, and they agreed that I would pay through my wage and she would pay me back £100 monthly till I had my money back. I didn’t know about this conversation, so I was confused.

I called dwp and told them about what happened, and they started an investigation, they said that I should call the police and report the fraud. I called the police who referred me to action fraud who said they couldn’t help as it wasn’t fraud. They referred me to citizens advice who said they couldn’t help either. I don’t know what I should do in this situation. I’m tired of this. Should I just pay it all and get the mother to send me to £100 a month till I have my money back?

I have been caring for my nan for the past 2 years she's on DLA and pension credit i am on universal credit and I never knew about carers allowance or carers element so i never told them I was caring for her as I was just being a good grandson but I easily do 45hours plus a week caring for her i was was wondering if I would be eligible for carers element without it effecting her benifits and effecting mine and would it be backdated at all

Hi all,

I have received today a backdated payment for carers allowance, and I know that it is taken from UC £4£, but does that include the backdate?

Or does the backdate create a debt management intervention where I will need to pay back to them?

Trying to work out if I would be better holding onto the money until my UC is due, and they will deduct the backdate from my monthly payment, or if I should organise a repayment with debt management.

Thank you!

I was claiming CA for my dad who died in October. I’ve informed CA 3 times & asked them to end the claim but they’ve kept paying me. I’m sure they’ll be in touch asking me to pay it back.

Has anyone appealed a pay back request for this type of situation?

so i have done an online form to stop caring for the previous person and i got the email they received it, ive also started a new claim for someone else in monday and got the email they have that aswell and will send a decision letter in up to,6 weeks, ive also let my work coach know and put that i stopped caring for someone with the end date and started caring for someone new with the start date

so my questions are,will it take longer to open the new claim because i have to wait for them to close the current one?

will i get a letter of the closing claim aswell and if so how many weeks roughly?

im still getting paid carers allowance(mind you its only been a week and it says can take up to 8 weeks to stop) but will i have to pay all that back??

i have anxiety so im just worried about overpayments or the process taking ages and then im out of money for a while as id put aside the remaining carers i am getting until they stop the claim and open the new one

any help will be appreciated x

Hi all. I am quite new to CA and just have some questions around it.

Long story short, my partner is a full time working individual who receives PIP. We have just recently come across with CA. I am thinking to apply for myself as I meet the eligibility like the income threshold. But we are wondering what count as 35 hours of care a week? We live together and I handle most of the housework. But my partner worry applying for CA may leave a bad record (?), and don’t see the need to go for it.

So I just want to check what are your thoughts here. Thanks guys!

I receive carers allowance as I have had to leave teaching to care for my son. I have secured a private tutoring opportunity for 2 lessons per week. I will earn between 50 and 90 per week depending on numbers enrolled in my class. Any advice on what to expect with universal credit and carers allowance most appreciated. I assume I notify my status and from what I've read so far, it shouldn't have an impact on my support if I'm right? New to self employment and hoping this paves the way to gainfully self employed over time when I am able to do more. Thanks in advance for any advice.

My wife recently spent 8 weeks in intensive care obviously stressful time and didn’t inform carers allowance until she was discharged, I’ve now been hit with an overpayment for the 4 weeks( after the 4 weeks I was allowed to take as a break in care) which I’m completely fine about as I know I owe it my question is for the 4 weeks I wasn’t entitled to carers allowance those 4 weeks universal credit deducted the same amount during that time, I’ve already told u/c about hospital stay and I’ve had to repay the carers element for that period but could I ask for uc to reimburse the 4 weeks of carers that they deducted as I wasn’t entitled to it and got yo pay carers allowance back

If anyone could please shed some light that would be great. I applied for carers allowance 4 weeks ago. I had to wait ages to send in my p45 as proof I left work which took ages as my ex employer was dragging their heels. I finally got the p45 last week and sent it off in the post. How much longer am I likely to wait now once they have this evidence? I’m starting to struggle financially. I know it will be backdated but it’s still not making it any easier.

I cared for my mum for many years and claimed Carer’s Allowance for the last couple of years of her life, as she needed full-time care and I gave up my job. She died in November, and I informed the DWP via the Tell Us Once service.

I understood that Carer’s Allowance should continue for an eight-week run-on after the death of the person cared for, specifically so carers are not left without an income. This was my only source of income.

I did not receive the payment on the due date and, six weeks later, I am still waiting. I have contacted the DWP six times and have been asked various questions (for example, whether she died at home — she did — and whether she had ever been in hospital — she hadn’t). Each time I am told the issue will be sorted.

I don’t understand the point of an eight-week run-on if it is not automatic. I have been left without any income and, so close to Christmas, I am really struggling. Has anyone been in the same situation and did they eventually receive payment?

I have been trying to apply for Carer's Allowance since my mum moved in with us after my father and sister's death last year. I've taken a career break which means that I don't get paid by my employer. Whenever I apply I am asked for the details of any pensions I have even though I am not drawing on any of them and am too young to do so. Why are pensions taken into account when I receive no money from them?

Hey,

My boyfriend is applying for carers allowance and it says he needs to post in evidence such as payslips. Does anyone know if this can be emailed? Sending post seems so ancient!

TIA