Benefits you may be entitled to

It is always important check how or whether an application for CA might affect the benefit of the person you are caring for, as it could be reduced in some circumstances. Advice about this can be obtained from you local Citizens Advice Bureau or Rethink's National Advice Service.

For personalisaed advice, contact the Rethink National Advice Service by "phoning 020 8974 6814 (open Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm),writing to Rethink Advice, 28 Castle Street, Kingston upon Thames, SURREY KT1 1SS or emailing advice@rethink.org. Or contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau. There are 3,200 CAB advice locations across the country and they gave advice for over 1.8 million benefit and tax credit problems in 2002-3, so they are real experts in this field. They can also help you fill in forms. You can find out where you closest bureau is by using the search on the CAB website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk looking in the yellow pages or other local directory or asking at your local library.

To claim it, you must:

• be 16 years or over,
• look after someone for at least 35 hours per week – (time spent preparing for a visit, or travelling counts towards this).
• live in the UK

The person you are caring for must

- receive one of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance (at either the middle or higher rate)
• Attendance Allowance 
• Constant Attendance Allowance.

You must not:

• earn more than £82 per week
  – (once income tax, national insurance, half your pension contributions and any childcare payments have been deducted)
  
• be a full-time student – (i.e. study more than 21 hours per week).
  
• already be in receipt of
  – incapacity benefit
  – state retirement pension
  – widow’s and bereavement benefits,
  – maternity allowance
  – severe disablement allowance
  – contribution-based Jobseekers Allowance
  
• However in these circumstances you may qualify for Carer’s Premium, so it might be worth claiming for Carers Allowance to find this out.

Being awarded carers allowance might lead you to be awarded other benefits like Income Support that you did not previously receive.

Carer’s Premium is not a benefit in itself, but it is included in the calculation of Income Support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or Pension Credit. In order to receive it, you will need to apply for the Carer’s Allowance. If your application is successful and you are on Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, you should receive the Carers Premium
automatically. If you are receiving Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax benefit however, you will need to tell the office dealing with your benefits that you have been awarded the Carer’s Allowance or that you have an underlying entitlement to it. They will then recalculate your benefit.

To claim either of these benefits, you need to fill in a claim pack DS700 – you can get this by:

• Contacting your local social security office
• ‘Phoning the benefits enquiry line
  (0800 882 200)
• Applying online at the Department of Work
  and Pensions website: www.dwp.gov.uk.