Carers Allowance & ESA

Rockingmonkey24

Hello,  my child has just been entitled to DLA middle rate so I was told I can claim carers allowance as I care for her over 35 hours a week. 

But I get ESA (support group) old style contributions based. Being it is me getting this and I am in the support group, do I still qualify for carers allowance for my 12yr old child ? Or do Carers allowance and ESA rule each other out completely?

When I looked at carers allowance it did not say anything about the support group of ESA (as this is to help and support my own health) and the money I get from this is less than the money it said you could have coming in to qualify.

I am really confused, is there anyone who could help me/ advice me with this ?
Many thanks

poppy123456

Contributions based ESA and carers allowance are overlapping benefits so you can’t receive both at the same time.

Are you 100% sure that your ESA is contributions based? If you receive more than £129.50/week then at least part of it will be Income Related so you will be able to claim it. Providing you do not work and earn more than £139/week. 

Rockingmonkey24

Hello and thank you for your response.

Yes I am on the old style contributions based ESA and I am in the support group. Yes I get £129.50 per week. I am on PIP but apparently this does not count. I do not get any other income. Thank you

Rockingmonkey24

Hello and thank you for your response.

Yes I am on the old style contributions based ESA and I am in the support group. Yes I get £129.50 per week. I am on PIP but apparently this does not count. I do not get any other income. Thank you


* So even though my ESA is £129.50 per week, so less than the £139 per week you can earn up to),
I still would not qualify for any carers allowance ?

poppy123456

Your ESA isn’t earnings it’s an earnings replacement benefit. As I advised above because it’s an overlapping benefit with Carers allowance, you can receive both at the same time and only the higher benefit is paid. 

Is there any reason why your ESA doesn’t include an income Related top up? 

Do you live with a working partner? Have savings/capital of more than £16,000? 

Rockingmonkey24

Yes I live with my husband and so they take his wage into account hence I am on contributions based ESA and not income related ESA.  No savings and no money at the end of each month when mortgage/bills have come out but on paper because of his wage our household income is enough to live on. 

poppy123456

Thanks. Then unfortunately you will not be able to claim Carers allowance.

Have you ever checked entitlement to Universal Credit? It’s a means tested benefit so you would need to claim as a couple with your partner. If you have capital of more than £16,000 then you’re excluded from claiming.

As you’re in the Support Group for ESA then you would be entitled to the LCWRA element from the start of your claim. You would also be entitled to the disabled child element. Your partner would be able to claim casters element for looking after your child. There’s no earnings limit to carers element of UC like there is with carers allowance. 

When using the benefits calculator please make sure you put in all of those details and it will tell you if there’s any entitlement.

Your ESA will continue as normal but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator

Albus_Scope

Hi @Rockingmonkey24 and welcome to the community!

I can see Poppy is already helping you with your conundrum, but I wanted to stop in and say a quick hello.

Rockingmonkey24

Thank you Poppy123456 for clearing this. It is all so confusing and very unfair.

It says I am entitled to UC however when we looked into it before it did not look like we were, but I will look into this again and see if we would be better of on it.

Is the disabled child element and casters element for looking after your child, both if I was to get UC?

Isn't LCWRA element just for the new ESA ?  or does it apply to old style ESA too....

Thank you

Rockingmonkey24

Thank you Albus-Scope for the welcome. Glad to be here and very happy to finally be getting some help and only wish I found this site and joined a long time ago. 

poppy123456

New style ESA is the same as contributions based ESA and both are different to UC. 

Carers element, child element, LCWRA element, disabled child element are all part of UC. 

You have nothing to lose by putting in a claim because your ESA will just continue as normal but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement. 

You and your partner would both need to start a claim and one of you will be sent a linking code. You would then use that code to join both claims together. Once you have access to a journal you should put a message on there telling them that you are claiming ESA in the Support Group. 

Your partner will need to make sure they report being a carer and then the carers element will be included. You will not be able to claim carers element for yourself because the same person can’t receive this as well as the LCWRA element. 

Rockingmonkey24

Thank you. 
I am on the old style ESA and I was previously told by an adviser I was better of staying on the old style (for exact reasons I can't remember now).

My husbands income was taken into account and there fore the amount of UC was not a lot each month and the fact it over took ESA I think this may have been why they said to not apply for it as we would actually loose out.


I put in a quick UC entitle and it looks like I would qualify and because of mine and my daughters health we would get some money each week however when you go through putting in household income and benefits mainly because of my husbands wage it comes out with hardly anything and does not come up saying we are entitled to the carers element or anything else.  All the calculator comes up with is we could get child tax credits BUT because we don't get working tax credits we can't get qualify for child tax credits.

Same old same old, always something cancels out the other.

I am unsure how we can qualify for Carers element, child element, LCWRA element, disabled child element as it would appear from using the calculator they do take in my husband earnings and so there fore don't qualify sadly.

poppy123456

As your ESA is contributions based then this will continue, you will not lose that if you claim UC. Yes, because you're living with your partner then entitlement to UC will be based on your joint circumstances. 

You will not be able to claim for any Tax credits because it no longer exists for new claims. UC has replaced it. 

When I said you would be entitled to those elements, what I should have included was those elements will make up your maximum UC entitlement. Your husbands earnings will then reduce your UC entitlement by 55% for earnings received above the work allowance. UC entitlement is based on earnings received each month. 

A benefits calculator is only as useful as the information you put into it. If you don't put the correct information in then the result will be incorrect. 

When you filled out the benefits calculator did you include the details that you're in the Support Group for ESA? Did you also put in your partner being a carer? As well as your PIP, Childs DLA award etc etc?

I would happily do a benefits calculation for you but I would need to know all of your details, such as do you rent your home, partners earnings (after deductions) how many children and ages. Of course this is a public forum so please also be aware of that. Please do not give personal details such as names and addresses. 

Alternatively you can contact an advice agency for a full benefits check. 

Rockingmonkey24

Thank you and yes I put in all the details and it said after deductions we could be entitled to £65 a month BUT I thought UC overlapped ESA contributions based so there fore I would loose ESA which is more money. 

Plus ESA is my money and the £65 UC would be joint so I would be worse off.

Thank you for the offer of helping with he calculator I have put everything in correctly and doesn't look like we would be better of or entitled to any more than what I have recently applied for already got. 

poppy123456

Rockingmonkey24 said:

Thank you and yes I put in all the details and it said after deductions we could be entitled to £65 a month BUT I thought UC overlapped ESA contributions based so there fore I would loose ESA which is more money. 

It is deducted in full from any UC entitlement. However, as I keep advising, you will not lose your ESA and it will continue to be paid as normal every fortnight. For this reason it's impossible to be any worse off by claiming UC. 

Rockingmonkey24

Thank you Poppy123456, Apologies what was confusing me was It is deducted in full from any UC entitlement. So this is why I presumed it would be taken off.

Good to know it wouldn't, maybe I need to speak with an adviser for a full benefit check. As I am worried something might interfere with something we already get so there fore someone to look through it would be good. Do you have any recommendations of who to speak to about this....  Thank you again 

poppy123456

If you're only claiming contributions based ESA then nothing can be taken from you or interfere with anything if you claim UC. If your ESA is the old contributions based ESA then this will automatically concert to New style ESA and you won't even know about it. The rules are the same so nothing to worry about there. 

This link will help you find an advice agency local to you.welfare-benefits

Rockingmonkey24

Thank you