New Style ESA Credits Only & Carer's Allowance.

Repin

I need to attain support group status with ESA national insurance credits only, but I also want to claim Carer's Allowance for helping my mother. Can I do both?

Rachel_Scope

Hi @Repin and welcome to the community. I found some information on Carers UK:

"You can’t usually claim and be paid Carer’s Allowance if you’re already claiming State Pension or income-replacement benefits such as contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance or contribution- based Jobseeker’s Allowance. The exception is if these benefits amount to less than £83.30 a week, in which case Carer’s Allowance can top up your income to this amount. These benefits tend to pay more than Carer’s Allowance so this rarely applies."

It says that you should still apply as you may be eligible for an 'underlying entitlement' where any means-tested benefit you receive could increase, or you may be entitled to a mean-tested benefit.

Hope that helps.

Repin

I'm 99% sure if I claim new style ESA I would not receive any payment and the claim would be to gain me National Insurance credits - I want to be assessed and get support group status in place for the future. Currently, my savings are above £16,000 and I have never been employed so I would expect the outcome of an nsESA claim to award National Insurance credits only, so my question is, if I did get awarded the NI credits with nsESA and then was assessed as belonging to the support group, - what would happen if I claimed Carer's Allowance would the nsESA claim completely close because the Carer's Allowance would provide National Insurance credits? This I am guessing is what would happen but, I am optimistically wondering if it is possible that although the NI credits may no longer come from nsESA that the support group status would somehow remain as an underlying entitlement. In an ideal world I would like nsESA support group status underlying entitlement, ready to kick in at any point should I need, with my receiving payment and NI credits from Carer's Allowance as the active entitlement.

flour

@Repin

You can claim both Carers Allowance and New Style ESA at the same time.

There might be little advantage in doing so. Carers Allowance and New Style ESA both give Class 1 NICs but there is nothing stopping you make two claims at the same time to two different benefit agencies. They will both write to you independently about it. They will share some information with one another.

If you want to get a full year of NICs you need to claim quickly as the tax year is about to end but you can backdate either claim by up to 3 months. For Carers you don't need to give a reason for ESA you need to have a fit note which goes back in the past.

I understand your asking about underlying entitlement. Will both claims stay open at the same time so in any week you always get class 1 credits?

I would expect so but cannot be sure. The only thing you can do is make both applications and wait and see. It means in some weeks you'll get double credits one from each benefit. Its common for people to check their NI record and have 104 weeks of credits often from two different benefits claimed at the same time.

Bear in mind, if its for a complete NI record you can also claim Carers Credit and back date this up to two tax years. You'll need to be quicker about this one if you want to back to 2024 as the deadline to do this will be by the end of next week. You can apply for Carers Credit and Carers Allowance and New Style ESA all at once.

Please update us on what happens .

Repin

Thank you ever so much. The person I am caring for receives Universal Credit, do you know if she will have to put a note on her UC journal to let them know that I am claiming Carer's Allowance for supporting her.

Kimi87

No she doesn't need to inform them about you getting Carers Allowance as it doesn't impact on her UC award at all.