What financial help is there for my mum?

Artlove

I’m trying to find out what financial help there is for my Mum because she is my carer. She only sees me for two days a week as well as the first afternoon followed by the two days . But she helps me with a lot. Most of how she helps is medication reminding, appointments reminding, comes to medical assessments, communicates with my estate agents as they stress me out, does house work, garden work. Tidying my garage etc. She also puts petrol in my car even when it makes her short. Which upsets me. But if she didn’t do it I wouldn’t get to see her. She’s 70 and if she got a carets Allowance it would really help her financially and it’d mean she wouldn’t have to keep rushing around so much as she’d be able to at least get pay s cleaner to ease up on her. I’m on P.i.p higher rate mobility. 

Pippa_Alumni

Hi @Artlove, and welcome to the community!

As you say, Carers Allowance sounds as though it could be really helpful. You can check your eligibility and apply for the allowance on the gov.uk page, and you may also like to check the online benefits calculator ahead of time too.

You may also be interested in this page on extra money and help PIP entitles you to.

JennysDad

Lovely to see you here, @Artlove I do hope we prove to be of use to you.
Warmest best wishes to you,
Richard
(from AIA)

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi @Artlove

To claim Carer's Allowance, the person you care for has to receive some of the Daily Living element of PIP, so the high rate mobility won't do it I'm afraid.

If it's the financial situation that is the issue, which seems to be the case from what you state above, then both of you need to do benefit checks using one of the benefit calculators. You could also use the PIP self-test on the benefits and work website to see if it is worth asking PIP to reassess your claim to try and get the Daily Living element added on. https://benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-self-test

One word of hesitation from me, is that the tasks that your mother is assisting with you don't sound like the common 'care' tasks that carer's often perform - e.g. tidying your garage and communicating with the estate agent on your behalf - these are quite arduous and stressful tasks for everyone rather than day to day things - I note that you also say she helps with housework, so it may just be that I have gotten completely the wrong end of the stick - but do consider whether this help is care arising as the result of a disability need, and not just being helped out with particularly difficult tasks...

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mary

jaycee6

I always thought that when you get to  pension age,and claim your pension, you could not get carers allowance any more ,,Is this true,,

CockneyRebel

Eligibility

The person you care for

The person you care for must already get one of these benefits:

• Personal Independence Payment - daily living component
• Disability Living Allowance - the middle or highest care rate
• Attendance Allowance
• Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Constant Attendance Allowance at the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

Your eligibility

You must earn no more than £116 a week after tax and expenses. Expenses can include some of your pension contributions - and some of the costs of caring for your children or the disabled person while you’re at work.

All of the following must also apply:

• you’re 16 or over
• you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone
• you’ve been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this doesn’t apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)
• you normally live in England, Scotland or Wales, or you live abroad as a member of the armed forces
• you’re not in full-time education
• you’re not studying for 21 hours a week or more
• you’re not subject to immigration control

You might still be eligible if you’re moving to or already living in another EEA country or Switzerland.

You might be eligible for Carer’s Credit if you’re not eligible for Carer’s Allowance.

The rules are different in Northern Ireland.