Take action on Carer’s Allowance earnings limit

2 mins read

Thursday 10 November 2022

Contact is calling on the government to increase the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to £199.50 per week.

This is the value of 21 hours at the National Living Wage and will allow carers to earn more without losing their entitlement to this vital benefit.

Tweet your MP and call for action

It’s really important MPs understand why this is such an important change for those juggling paid employment with their disabled loved ones. See our explainer below.

We need MPs to make the case for raising the earnings limit so the Chancellor acts.

Tweet your MP now and tell them to put this issue on the agenda.

It takes just one minute to tweet your local MP using our template message. If you’re not on Twitter use our template email to write to your MP

What is the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit?

If you are in paid employment while claiming Carer’s Allowance, you must not earn more than the “earnings limit” of £132 per week. 

In calculating your earnings for Carer’s Allowance purposes, certain deductions can be made from your gross wages. This not only includes any tax and national insurance you pay, but also pension contributions, and childcare.

If your earnings after these deductions are £132 per week or less, you can keep all of your Carer’s Allowance. If your earnings after these deductions are even 1p more than £132 per week, you will lose all of your Carer’s Allowance.

Visit our Carer’s Allowance webpage for more information on the earnings limit and other eligibility criteria.