carers element on uc or carers allowance - help?

hannah1111

I need some help !!! I'm confused my partner and I are relatively new to uc and I am also on pip , we get the couples amount of  uc , I'm told my partner should get carers element and he asked on journal 18 sept got no answer after much back and forth  questions from me my coach replied and said claim carers allowance , which he has now done and it's on going , I am now told he still has to claim carers element on uc even though o was told claim carers allowance ! can anybody clarify and give me a how to do this correctly help many thanks 

poppy123456

Hi,

When claiming UC if you claim a qualifying benefit such as daily living PIP then you don't have to claim carers allowance to claim the Carers element of UC. You just have to be caring for the person that claims the PIP for at least 35 hours per week to qualify.

As your partner has now claimed the carers allowance then the carers allowance will be deducted from your UC, CA will pay him £64.40 per week separately and the UC will add a carers element of £156 per month. So, you'll be £156 per month better off. It may seem like you're worse off for your UC monthly payments when you're not. It's very complicated.

Your partner just needs to make sure that his claimant commitments are switched off so they're not made to look for work or attend any appointments.

Are you claiming LCW and sending in fit/sick notes from your GP or do you work?

Pippa_Alumni

Hi @hannah1111, and welcome! I hope the above advice is helpful.