Carers Allowance question

Peterph

Hi All

I will be retiring in July this year and then hopefully getting to claim Carers Allowance for caring for my wife. She is currently on PIP and ESA, are there any tips etc for starting the claim in July

TIA

poppy123456

When you say retiring, do you mean you'll be claiming your State Pension?

Peterph

No , Sorry i wont be getting state pension just early retirement

calcotti

Be aware that when calculating CA your earnings are projected forward. This means that if you are paid monthly and receive your final earnings at the end of July you likely will not be entitled to any CA until the end of August and if it is paid 4 weekly in arrears your first payment will therefore not be until late September.

What type of ESA does your wife claim? New style or old contribution based, I'm assuming not income based if you have been working full time?

Peterph

Thanks for that calcotti that is something to bear in mind. She has the  New Style ESA

calcotti

If you have savings below £16,000 you may be entitled to claim Universal Credit. You would receive the standard allowance, if your husband is in the Support Group he would get the LCWRA element of UC, you could get the carer element for looking after him. You do not need to claim CA in order to get the carer element (although claiming CA would get you Class 1 NI credits instead of just Class 3 on UC).

Those three elements of UC would give you you a maximum UC amount of £1017.27/month (at current rates). Her ESA would be deducted and if you claim CA that too would be deducted. If you have savings there would be a deduction of £4.35/month for every £250, or part thereof, over £6,000. Any other income would also be taken into account.

If you rent your home UC would also include help with rent.

You might also be entitled to Council Tax Reduction from your local council to help with your Council Tax.

You can use a benefits calculator to check things for yourself 
Benefits calculators - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Peterph

Cant claim UC so it will just be the Carers Allowance, i don't think that  should effect her ESA or PIP ? or  am I wrong 

calcotti

Peterph said:

Cant claim UC so it will just be the Carers Allowance, i don't think that  should effect her ESA or PIP ? or  am I wrong 

Correct. It does not affect the PIP or ns-ESA.

Peterph

Thanks

Alexander13

There is a limit on any other earnings for carers though so if you have other income watch out. 

poppy123456

Alexander13 said:

There is a limit on any other earnings for carers though so if you have other income watch out. 

Earnings from employment affect Carers allowance if you earn more than £128 per week. If someone claims certain benefits then claiming Carers allowance may affect them.

In the OP's case, these don't apply because once they finish work they will have no earnings and their partners benefits will not affect their carers allowance, as advised above.

Alexander13

Sorry confused. The individual said early retirement which indicates a pension albeit not the state one. Apologies if I missed something but assumed there will be pension income. 

Ta

calcotti

Alexander13 said: The individual said early retirement which indicates a pension.

To me retirement = stopping work (with or without a pension). Even if a pension is payable this is not counted as earnings for Carer's Allowance and therefore has no impact on entitlement.

Alexander13 said:

There is a limit on any other earnings for carers though so if you have other income watch out. 

It is only earnings that affect entitlement to CA. Other income which is not earnings makes no difference.

Alexander13

Thanks for clarifying that. Wasn’t aware of the pension bit but that’s good. 

calcotti

Alexander13 said:

Thanks for clarifying that. Wasn’t aware of the pension bit but that’s good. 

It's because CA is an earnings replacement benefit to compensate people (inadequately) for having their ability to work restricted by their caring needs. It isn't mean tested in any other way.

Peterph

Thanks

L_Volunteer

You are welcome @Peterph. It is the very least you deserve. Do you feel your question has been addressed now? If you do need any further clarification or have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us 

Peterph

Hi all,
Following on from my original question i have now retired from work on the 15th July and am now looking to apply for Carers allowance to look after my wife. The only problem is i havent received my P45 from my old employer, can i still apply now as i am under the impression i need my p45 in order to apply 
Thanks

poppy123456

You may not be able to claim until end of August depending on when you receive your final earnings. See here

calcotti said:

Be aware that when calculating CA your earnings are projected forward. This means that if you are paid monthly and receive your final earnings at the end of July you likely will not be entitled to any CA until the end of August and if it is paid 4 weekly in arrears your first payment will therefore not be until late September.

Peterph

Thanks for that, my final day in work was 15th July and that is when i got paid until

L_Volunteer

You are welcome @Peterph. It is the very least you deserve. How are things for you at the moment? I appreciate it has been a little while since you last posted on this thread now