Carer's Allowance for your mum or dad: how to claim in the UK

If you're doing a lot of the caring for your mum or dad, you may be entitled to Carer's Allowance, and a surprising number of families never claim it simply because nobody told them it existed. Here's the plain-English version.

One important note up front: the exact payment amount and earnings limit change every tax year, so this guide sticks to how it works and sends you to gov.uk/carers-allowance for the current numbers. Don't rely on figures you read in an article, always check the official page.

What Carer's Allowance is

It's the main benefit for unpaid carers in the UK, a weekly payment for people who spend a significant amount of time looking after someone with substantial care needs. It isn't means-tested on savings, but there is a limit on how much you can earn from work and still qualify.

The main rules to check

To claim Carer's Allowance for looking after a parent, generally all of these need to be true:

• You spend at least 35 hours a week caring for them.
• The person you care for already gets a qualifying disability benefit, most commonly Attendance Allowance, the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or Disability Living Allowance care component.
• Your earnings (after certain deductions) are below the weekly limit set for that year.
• You're not in full-time education (21+ hours a week of study).
• You meet the usual UK residence rules.

The 35 hours can include a lot of what you already do, not just hands-on personal care but shopping, cooking, managing medication, appointments and keeping them company.

The catch worth knowing: overlapping benefits

Carer's Allowance can't usually be paid on top of certain other benefits, most notably the State Pension. If your parent-carer situation involves someone already on a full State Pension, they may not receive the Carer's Allowance payment itself but could still get an "underlying entitlement" that unlocks extra amounts in other benefits like Pension Credit. This is fiddly and genuinely worth getting checked.

How to claim

1. Check the current rate and earnings limit on gov.uk/carers-allowance.
2. Confirm the person you care for gets a qualifying benefit (if they don't, it may be worth looking at Attendance Allowance for them first).
3. Apply online at gov.uk, or by post if you'd rather. You'll need your details, their details, and information about your earnings.
4. If anything's unclear, a benefits calculator or a free chat with Citizens Advice or Carers UK is well worth the time, they do this every day.

Making the caring itself easier

Carer's Allowance helps with the money side. The day-to-day coordination, who's visiting, whether Mum's had a good day, sharing it fairly between siblings, is where Getwello is designed to help. If you're new to all this, our guide to looking after an ageing parent is a gentle place to start, and if you share the care, sharing care with siblings is written for exactly that.

This article is general information, not financial advice. Always check your own situation against gov.uk or with a benefits adviser.