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 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 Living Wage 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 Living 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 National Living Wage rate) or scrap it. This will allow carers to earn more without losing their entitlement.

Use our template email to write to your MP about this unfairness.

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 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.

Ahead of the General Election later this year, we want to see every political party commit to policies that would help unpaid carers who are currently living in poverty or who are experiencing financial difficulties, as well as setting out comprehensive plans to prevent any carers from falling into poverty in the first place. Read the Carers Poverty Coalition Manifesto which Contact is proud to support.

What you can do

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

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

It takes just one minute to email your local MP using our template message.

If you have been affected by any of these issues, please email una.summerson@contact.org.uk or call 020 7608 8742.

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