MILLIONS of unpaid carers are missing out on thousands of pounds every year.
Some are being left out of pocket by an average of £207 a month, according to experts.
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This means that the average unpaid carer is missing out on the equivalent of £2,494 a year – even with the additional benefit of receiving carer’s allowance.
The financial burden comes from the addition of expenses like travel, household bills, and any equipment costs, according to later living marketplace Lottie.
The company is calling on the government to help better financially support those juggling work and care responsibilities.
Chris Donnelly, co-founder of Lottie said: “All too often, the work of
informal carers across the country goes unnoticed and unrewarded.
“Carers – whether paid or unpaid – make an enormous contribution to society, and provide invaluable support for their loved ones.
“We are calling on the Government to better support carers across the country, alongside employers, who can do more to support their employees.”
But even then, half a million carers aren’t claiming benefits that they’re entitled to.
These households are missing out on £3,991 a year on average, according to research by Policy in Practice.
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The free cash is provided through carer’s allowance which is designed to help people who have caring responsibilities for more than 35 hours each week.
Those who qualify could get £76.75 weekly in extra support.
Who qualifies for carer’s allowance?
To qualify, the person you care for must already get one of these benefits:
- Personal independence payment (PIP) – daily living component
- Disability living allowance – the middle or highest care rate
- Attendance allowance
- Constant attendance allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Constant attendance allowance at the basic (full day) rate with a war disablement pension
- Armed forces independence payment
You don’t have to be related to the person or live with them to apply.
But if you share caring responsibilities with someone else, only one of you can claim.
You must also care for them for at least 35 hours a week, unpaid.
The type of care you provide can vary but includes things such as helping with washing or cooking, taking the person to medical appointments or helping out with household tasks such as shopping or organising bills.
To get the benefit, you must also meet a certain set of criteria:
- You must be 16 or over
- You have to spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone
- You need to have been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least two of the last three years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)
- You must normally live in England, Scotland or Wales or live abroad as a member of the armed forces (you might still be eligible if you’re moving to or already living in an EEA country or Switzerland)
- You cannot be in full-time education
- You must not be studying for 21 hours a week or more
- You cannot be subject to immigration control
You will also have to meet certain earnings criteria in order to get the benefit.
How much can I earn and still get carer’s allowance?
Generally, your earnings need to be £139 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses in order to qualify.
But if your earnings are sometimes more than £139 a week you might still be eligible if your average earnings are below the threshold.
To calculate your earnings, you need to add up any income from employment or self-employment and then deduct tax, National Insurance and expenses.
Your expenses can be quite significant and can include:
- 50% of your pension contributions
- Any equipment you need to do your job, such as specialist clothing
- Travel costs between different workplaces that are not paid for by your employer
- Business costs if you’re self-employed, for example, a computer you only use for work
You may also be able to include carer fees in your expenses for the time when you are at work.
If you pay someone to look after the disabled person or your children, you can treat costs that are less than or equal to 50% of your earnings as an expense.
The carer must not be your spouse, partner, parent, child or sibling.
You can find out more about what counts as earnings and what is excluded on Gov.UK.
How much you’ll get
If you are eligible, you will receive £76.75 each week – you can choose to be paid weekly in advance or every four weeks.
You’ll also get National Insurance (NI) credits for each week you are paid.
These credits are a way of maintaining your NI record when you are not making contributions
This means that you’ll continue to build up qualifying years over time, ensuring that you’re later eligible for state pension payments on retirement.
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
