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Backdating carers allowance/element

JazCo

Hi

My partner and I are on UC and im currently awaiting my pip assessment.

If I get it (I should eventually get it) then my partner is going to apply for carers. The carer allowance I believe, just replaces our UC £1 for £1 but the element is extra?

Anyway, I was wondering, as my partner has not been able to take up work for a while as he has been looking after me, if my pip is approved and he qualifies for carers, are you allowed to request backdating to the date pip was claimed from? For the element that is in addition to UC.

Thanks for all your help in advance

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Chloe_Alumni

Hi @JazCo, you are able to backdate Carers allowance (up to three months) from the date the PIP is award. Unfortunately it cannot be backdated from when the PIP claim started. Hope this helps!

JazCo

So if I'm awarded it tomorrow for example, my partner can apply for carers allowance and element and request backdating for the previous three months as pip will be backdated to over 4 months ago (in that they accept I qualified for it from that date, and therefore my partner would have qualified for carers had I been awarded pip back then?) Does that make sense?

Thanks so much for your reply

Chloe_Alumni

No problem! If you got awarded PIP tomorrow (21st August), and the carers allowance takes a while to come through, you would be award CA from the 21st August

poppy123456

If your PIP claim is successful and you're awarded daily living PIP and your partner looks after you for at least 35 hours per week, then you can claim the Carers element of Universal credit. It will be backdated to the start of your PIP award., regardless of how long it took for a decision. You don't need to claim Carers Allowance to be eligible for the carers element of UC. You do need to make sure that your partners claimant commitment is changed. See link. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Caring-overview-Universal-Credit

JazCo

poppy123456 said:

If your PIP claim is successful and you're awarded daily living PIP and your partner looks after you for at least 35 hours per week, then you can claim the Carers element of Universal credit. It will be backdated to the start of your PIP award., regardless of how long it took for a decision. You don't need to claim Carers Allowance to be eligible for the carers element of UC. You do need to make sure that your partners claimant commitment is changed. See link. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Caring-overview-Universal-Credit

Thanks Poppy - by the start of the award, do you mean when they made their decision or when I first rang up to start my claim?

AS the element just replaces UC at a £1:1 ratio, if they backdate it, how would that work? Would they not just say that we got the caring element the whole time, it was just in the form of UC? Therefore no backdating required?

poppy123456

It's backdated to the day you rang to start your PIP claim, if the PIP award is daily living. Exactly the same as your PIP will be backdated to the day you rang to start your claim, if you're not transferring from DLA.

The Carers element doesn't replace anything, it's an added element to UC as your partner is caring for you for at least 35 hours per week. The carers element is £156 extra per month. I'm not sure what you mean by saying they can say you were getting the carers element the whole time. That's impossible because you haven't had your PIP assessment yet so you have no current daily living award.

You really should wait for your PIP decision before thinking about this any further. If your PIP is successful then your partner can claim the carers element. Good luck with your PIP.