Care and support

What happens to carer’s allowance?

Carer’s allowance is a benefit for people who care for a disabled person for 35 hours a week or more. To qualify, the person you care for must also be receiving attendance allowance or disability living allowance (care part) at the middle or highest rate. When a disabled person’s attendance allowance or disability living allowance care stops because they’ve gone into a care home, the carer’s allowance usually stops too.

Even if the person you care for continues to receive attendance allowance or disability living allowance because, for example, they are self-funding, carer’s allowance will usually stop because you will no longer be providing 35 hours a week of care.

Some carers will be getting an extra income support or pension credit ‘premium’ because they are entitled to carer’s allowance. When the entitlement to carer’s allowance stops the premium continues for a further 8 weeks only.