Do you have to attend an interview for carers allowance? — Scope | Disability forum

Do you have to attend an interview for carers allowance?

mikey28
mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
edited October 13 in Benefits and financial support
Hi there I have severe arthritis and my partner is an unpaid carer she would like to apply for carers allowance but has her own issues whereby she doesn't like leaving the house, we get food etc delivered, if she applies for carers allowance will she have to attend an interview?
Many thanks.
Mike
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    HI,

    For your partner to claim Carers allowance you must be claiming a disability benefit yourself such as PIP daily living, DLA mid/high rate care or Attendance Allowance. https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility
    What benefits exactly do you both currently claim?

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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    I am on ESA  and PIP I don't get the high rate of PIP
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    It will be the daily living part of PIP you need to be claiming. To claim carers allowance your partner will not need to attend any interview. 
    Can I ask if your partner claims any disability benefit such as PIP or DLA? And are there any other adults living in the house with you? 
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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    Hi Poppy my partner doesn't claim any benefits she had a bad time when her father died a couple of years ago and only helping me made her feel better but it has led her to being somewhat insular, do you think if she applied online via gov.uk she will be awarded carers allowance, sorry to be naive about these issues its all quite new to me hence my enquires. 
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    Yes your partner can claim carers allowance and the quickest way to do this is online. https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim
    If your ESA is Income Related then it should include an amount for your partner, which would mean the carers allowance will be deducted in full from your ESA and then they add the carers premium. Your partner will receive the carers allowance paid to her, either weekly or 4 weekly, which ever they choose when applying. Your overall benefit amount will increase by £37.70 per week.

    The carers allowance claim can take 8-12 weeks, sometimes longer. It can also be backdated for a maximum of 3 months, so if she was caring for you at that time then she should ask for it to be backdated. No interview is required.
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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    Many thanks for your advice Poppy we will be applying for the allowance asap.
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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    Hi again Poppy I am still not sure if I am on the Income related group of ESA sorry to be so inadequate in my understanding of the processes I found my letter from the tribunal after I won my case but it doesn't mention if my claim  is Income related, will the process just work out as the DWP have my details and any reductions in my ESA will be automatically deducted?
    Many thanks for your previous help and encouragement.
    Mike.
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    A Tribunal letter won't tell you this information. Even the ESA letters from DWP are extremely difficult to understand. If you can tell me how much ESA you receive then this will tell me if it includes money for your partner.
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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    Hi Poppy I currently receive ESA  £213.08 per fortnight I hope this help you determine my situation.
    Many thanks.
    Mike.
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    Nope that doesn’t help, are you sure that this amount is correct? Are there any deductions being taken from it?
    Which group are you in for ESA? And how long have you been claiming it for? 
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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    Hi Poppy sorry I forgot I got a loan a couple of months ago from the DWP so it deducted the monies from my benefit the correct amount is £244.60 per fortnight my apologies for my error, I am in the support group and won my case at tribunal 04/07/2019.
    Mike.
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    I'm sorry but i still can't work out what exactly your ESA claim includes. It's too much to be just Contributions based and not enough to be couples rate. Are you 100% sure that's the amount you receive before any payments are taken for the loan?
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Member Posts: 3,419 Disability Gamechanger
    edited September 28
    It looks as if your award is at least partly income based but £244.60/fortnight doesn't make sense for a ESA couple. Is this the amount after deductions? If so can you confirm the amount before deductions?

    However if you are getting income based ESA if your wife claims Carers Allowance, although your ESA will go down, as a couple you should be better off by £37.70/week as advised by poppy.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    Thanks calcotti, i was hoping you'd see this but don't usually like to tag anyone for help because i know some don't like it.
    mikey28 said:
    Hi Poppy I currently receive ESA  £213.08 per fortnight I hope this help you determine my situation.
    Many thanks.
    Mike.

    The amount before deductions was stated as this ^^ i was begining to think my brain was fried tonight.
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Member Posts: 3,419 Disability Gamechanger
    poppy123456 said:..I was begining to think my brain was fried tonight. 
    Nope, it is hard making appropriate comments when the facts are unclear.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    Hi there I might have explained previously but my partner gets no benefits I am the sole provider (if that is the right term)  she has struggled since losing her father and doesn't want to enter into to whole benefits system however she does care for me in many capacities at home and when I it was first mentioned that no interview was needed it seemed ideal that it would give her some positives to try and get her back on track for being able to engage in life again as she has missed out since her fathers passing.
    I am sorry this thread has turned out so much more complicated than my original request which really was a genuine request for the correct information. 
    Mike.
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 24,839 Disability Gamechanger
    edited September 28
    mikey28 said:
    I am sorry this thread has turned out so much more complicated than my original request which really was a genuine request for the correct information. 
    Mike.
    Which can’t be given unless you give all the correct information. The figures you quoted do not make any sense. 
    It seems like at least some of your ESA is Income Related which means you must be claiming couples rate but your figures suggest otherwise.
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Member Posts: 3,419 Disability Gamechanger
    mikey28 said:
    I am sorry this thread has turned out so much more complicated than my original request which really was a genuine request for the correct information. .
    It isn’t complicated but we are just trying to make sure the advice offered is appropriate.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • mikey28
    mikey28 Member Posts: 10 Listener
    Hi Poppy well I am not sure what else to tell you the latter figure I gave you is the amount that gets paid into my bank each fortnight there was never any mention of claiming for couples at my interview or subsequent tribunals as previously mentioned sadly I am quite naive about the processes that go on.
    Mike.
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Member Posts: 3,419 Disability Gamechanger
    mikey28 said:..the latter figure I gave you is the amount that gets paid into my bank each fortnight ..
    OK so it’s the amount after deductions which is a question I asked earlier. Because we don’t know what is deducted we cannot confirm whether your ESA is correct but you are receiving more than you would if it was contribution based only so must include at least some income based entitlement.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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