Care and support

Does CA affect other social security benefits?

You cannot get CA while you are getting at least the same amount from the following benefits: (this is known as the ‘overlapping’ benefits rule)

• contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance
• state pension
• maternity allowance
• widowed mother’s/parent’s allowance
• incapacity benefit
• bereavement allowance
• contributory employment & support allowance

If your husband or wife gets an addition for you as their dependant as part of their social security benefit, this may stop if you claim CA.

If you claim CA and have no, or very little, other money coming in you may be able to claim pension credit (if you are aged 60 or over) or income support to top up your weekly income. You may also be able to claim housing/council tax benefit to help pay for your rent and council tax. CA is treated as income for these means tested benefits but you will usually be better off by up to £27.75 per week as you will get an extra amount called a carer premium/additional amount added into the calculation.

If you cannot get CA because you get another higher benefit instead, it might still be worth claiming if you get income support, pension credit, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit, or council tax benefit. This is because you may get extra benefit due to the carer premium.

For example – George looks after his wife Antonia, who gets attendance allowance. He has a state pension of £90.70 per week and she gets £54.35. This is all topped up by pension credit of £44.30. George applies for carer’s allowance. He won’t get it, because his pension is higher than the CA, but simply by applying, he has got proof that he is a carer. They can then get £72.05 pension credit, an extra £27.75 per week.

If the person you are caring for gets income support, pension credit, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit or council tax benefit in their own right and this includes a severe disability premium, they will lose this premium if you are paid CA. However if you cannot be paid CA because of the overlapping benefit rules, the person you care for won’t lose their severe disability premium. Get advice before claiming CA in these circumstances.