Do you have to be related to the person you care for to claim Carers Element on Universal Credit?

ponies

Do you have to be related to the person you care for to claim Carers Element on Universal Credit 

ponies

Also will it affect Council Tax 

janer1967

Hi there 

Simple answer no 

ponies

Thank you once again Janer1967

calcotti

Be aware that if you claim carer element of UC they will lose the Severe Disability Premium if they are getting it in any benefits they claim.

ponies

The person gets Attendance Allowance 
at lower rate. He is married & gets a state pension & claims for himself & his wife. They also get a bit of pension credit. His wife will be getting her own state pension in June 2021. Then they won’t be getting any pension credit, as wife has paid enough contributions to be entitled to any pension credit.

ponies

Would they be entitled to claim S.D.P. 

calcotti

ponies said:

Would they be entitled to claim S.D.P. 

Only if wife gets a disability benefit also. If not, then no.

ponies

Okay thanks calcotti

ponies

If both husband and wife get Attendance Allowance do they then qualify for S.D.A

ponies

If someone claims a Carers element who receives Universal Credit who caring for one of them, would they still be able to get S.D.A if they are both receiving A.A.

calcotti

ponies said:

If both husband and wife get Attendance Allowance do they then qualify for S.D.A

If someone claims a Carers element who receives Universal Credit who caring for one of them, would they still be able to get S.D.A if they are both receiving A.A.

If both husband and wife get AA and nobody claims CA for looking after them then are entitled to a double SDP in the Pension Credit calculation.

If both husband and wife get AA and somebody claims CA for looking after one of them then are entitled to a single SDP in the Pension Credit calculation.

If both husband and wife get AA and there are two people claiming CA for looking after them then there is no SDP entitlement. 

Note - SDP is not a separate benefit. It is an additional amount included in the calculation of the Pension Credit amount payable. If they had other income there might still be no Pension Credit payable. Each SDP is worth £67.30/week whereas the carer element of UC is only worth £163.73/month (equivalent to £37.78/week).

calcotti

Username_removed said:

If both claim AA then it makes more sense to claim CA for caring for each other. That would establish underlying entitlements to CA i.e. it wouldn’t be paid because SRPs were in but consequently you get double SDP and a couples rate CP.

Thanks Mike - I should have spotted that!

ponies

What does SRPs ?
if only one of them have a Carer, can the other one on A.A get SDA 

ponies

Or they would be better off to claim care allowance for each other.
Also will their pension credit entitlement stop altogether when one of them gets her retirement pension if She has paid enough stamps over the years. At present Husband claims for both of them on his retirement pension & gets some pension credit included 

calcotti

ponies said:

What does SRPs ?

State Retirement Pension

calcotti

ponies said:

Or they would be better off to claim care allowance for each other.
Also will their pension credit entitlement stop altogether when one of them gets her retirement pension if She has paid enough stamps over the years. At present Husband claims for both of them on his retirement pension & gets some pension credit included 

It depends on their entitlement and how much her pension is. Pension Credit entitlement will be worked out as a maximum amount and then the pension income (and any other relevant deductions) will be deducted. The amount left is the Pension Credit payable. Has she had a pension forecast?

ponies

Yes She has had a pension forecast as She’s due to reach state pension. Was told She wouldn’t be entitled to pension credit or council tax, as it will be classed as an overlapping payment. She gets Carers Allowance at the moment for looking after a family member, but was told that will also stop 

ponies

She has paid NI contributions & was told because of them, together with her pension, her husbands pension they won’t be entitled to P.C.
was also told She will not qualify for Carers Allowance.

ponies

I thought you could still be a Carer on Pensions then it would be classed as an underlying payment when calculating there entitlement to both of their pensions 

ponies

Giving them entitlement to some P.C. & Council Tax reduction