Carers Element Universal Credit

Jonathan77

My wife and I have been on Universal Credit since August 2022 she has been my main carer a long time before that point. She recently had a commitments review meeting and was told that she was eligible for carers element for universal credit and it is backdated from when we first claimed. We didn't know anything about this.  (I receive LCWRA). Does anyone know whether this would be a backdated payment or whether the extra carers element payment will start from the next payment date?  

poppy123456

For your wife to be entitled to carers element you must be claiming a qualifying disability benefit such as PIP/ADP daily living or DLA mid/high rate care. 

If you are then It will be included in your UC payments going forward but for backdating it will be down to a decision maker to make the final decision. 

Jonathan77

I get PIP enhanced rate for both mobility and daily living 

bernadetta

Just on what poppy mentioned, the award of qualifying benefit like PIP is guarded by the regulation 12 of the UC, PIP, JSA, ESA decisions and appeals regulations 2013, and therefore since you were awarded PIP, your wife is entitled to carer element on UC (provided she is your carer for 35 hrs a week, etc etc) from the effective date of your PIP award. Effective date is on your decision letter, where is states your PIP is awarded for period xx to xx, not the date of the letter. If your effective date of PIP ( start of your PIP) was before claiming UC, then yes, your carer element starts from the beginning of your UC. If later, then in whichever assessment period your PIP started. 

The DWP staff often misunderstand this bit and may not to backdate it, always challenge it and ask the decision maker to take a look at it as it is cut and dry.