Pip carers element

ogracey60

Hi I’m wondering if somebody could help me I’m a cater for a family member as they get pip and I claim universal credit and get carers allowance on my universal credit i have had the back payment of that from when they started claiming pip BUT for some reason I have been accepted carers element but they are saying I do not get any back pay from when they started claiming pip? I’m so confused as to why as I have been told u should get it as a lump sum in your bank as the back payment but I’ve been told today no payment as they “cancel each other out”can somebody tell me if I am untitled to the back pay pls

poppy123456

ogracey60 said:

carers allowance on my universal credit

To be clear, Carers allowance is a completely separate benefit to UC. Is it carers allowance you're claiming as well?

Does your UC include the LCWRA element for yourself?

ogracey60

My family member gets lcwra I just thought I would get the carers element back dated as I got caters allowance back dated from august last year I just wanted to know if I should look into this as I have been told I am not getting carers element backdated but I thought I might of got it?

poppy123456

Usually they won't backdate carers element unless you reported being a carer. However, as the carers allowance was backdated from August 2022 then i see no reason why the carers element can't be paid from the assessment period in which the changes took place.

However, as you've now been paid the carers allowance which was owed to you and you were claiming UC the whole time you will now have an overpayment of UC because the carers allowance is deducted in full. They could offset the money from the carers element from the money you owe them for carers allowance.

However, they don't usually offset one against the other so you should have the carers element backdated to when the carers allowance was awarded from. Just don't forget you'll still have that overpayment for Carers allowance.

ogracey60

Yes they take that off me the carers element so do u think I need to go to citizens devise for help about this for the carers element back payment?

ogracey60

I mean the allowance sorry 

ogracey60

Because they backdated the money for carers allowance I thought they have have done the same for carers element as I rang them and got told the money would get put into my bank in the next few weeks but them I rang them again today as I got another messages on my journal and they said they are not pay paying the carers element and they said they cancel each other out so do u think I should go to my local welfare rights or citizen advise for help?

poppy123456

Carers allowance and carers element do not cancel each other out at all. If they are saying otherwise then they are incorrect. The carers allowance will be deducted in full from your UC. 

Carers element will then be included in the calculation of your maximum UC entitlement. 

ogracey60

I am going to go to my local welfare rights next week as they are not there u til next week now I will have to let u know what they say as I am so confused lol

ogracey60

The amount of Carers Allowance is automatically deducted from Universal Credit which has meant that any underpayment of Carers Element has been eradicated by the overpayment of Carers Allowance (this is what I got sent)

poppy123456

Yes, that makes perfect sense, though they don't usually offset the carers element against the overpayment for UC. It means they have awarded the carers element from the start of the PIP award but you won't receive it because of the offset. This is what i advised here..

poppy123456 said:

They could offset the money from the carers element from the money you owe them for carers allowance.

You will still have some overpayment for UC because the carers element is less than the deduction is for Carers allowance. For the remainder of the overpayment they will reduce your UC payments each month to pay it back.

ogracey60

So will I not get any back payments from the carers element??

poppy123456

No, not if the money is used to offset what you owe UC for the carers allowance. When claiming UC there's no financial gain to claiming carers allowance at the same time. The only difference is you will receive class 1 NI credits for carers allowance but UC is only class 3.

You haven't lost out on anything, it just means you now owe UC less money. It's a lot more logical doing it this way.

ogracey60

But they still haven’t added the £185 on to my monthly money

poppy123456

They should include it in your statements. As they haven't then you need to put a message onto your journal. Carers allowance doesn't cancel out the carers element.

When you ring UC you're speaking to someone from a call centre who have very little benefits knowledge. I'm assuming you reported a change of circumstances then clicked caring for someone and reported your caring duties this way?