Carer’s Allowance campaign

A quarter of UK parents of disabled children provide an unimaginable 100+ hours of care every week. We campaign to ensure they get the support they need.

What we want

Increase in the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold in line with Minimum Wage

In order to get Carer’s Allowance, your earnings after allowable deductions must be no more than £151 per week. This means parents working more than 13 hours on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) of £11.44 will find that their wages are over the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit. As a result, they’ll lose entitlement to this vital benefit.

Unless a parent is able to make certain deductions to their earnings, reducing hours to retain Carer’s Allowance could lead to missing out on Working Tax Credit instead. This is because a single parent needs to work at least 16 hours a week to retain Working Tax Credit.

We get lots of calls about this on our helpline. Many carers think the earnings limit should increase to be in line with the National Minimum Wage, or scrapped entirely.

That’s why we are calling on the government to increase the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to at least £183.04 per week (the value of 16 hours at the current NMW rate) and link it to future increases in the NLW. This will allow carers to earn more without losing their entitlement.

Contact welcomes the announcement in the Autumn Budget (30 October 2024) that the earnings limit will increase to £196 per week from April 2025 and be linked to future increases to the minimum wage. A campaign win for parent carers who have spoken out and written to MPs.

Read our advice if you’re affected by this issue.

Increase in Carer’s Allowance

A quarter of UK parents of disabled children provide an unimaginable 100+ hours of care every week. This is the equivalent of working three full-time jobs simultaneously. This has increased in lockdown.

We want the government increase in the rate of Carer’s Allowance so that carers get the financial support they need and deserve.

We are also calling on the government to:

• Increasing the level of Carer’s Allowance, so that it better reflects the level of financial penalty carers incur.
• Provide a top-up payment for unpaid carers with an entitlement to Carer’s Allowance to recognise the additional costs they are facing amid the cost of living crisis.
• Introduce a Young Carers Grant and remove the 21 hour study rule for Carer’s Allowance across the UK to match Scotland
• Conduct a review of all carers’ benefits, including Carer’s Allowance, to ensure that they work well at supporting all types of unpaid carers and preventing them from falling into financial difficulties as a result of their caring role.

What you can do

If you have been affected by any of these issues, please email [email protected] or call 020 7608 8742.

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