Unpaid Carers .. We wonder if MPs would work for £2.00 per hour?
A carer is “a person of any age, adult or child, who provides unpaid support to a partner, child, relative or friend who couldn’t manage to live independently or whose health or wellbeing would deteriorate without this help. This could be due to frailty, disability or serious health condition, mental ill health or substance misuse.” – The Royal College of General Practitioners, 2011.
£69.70 per week .. for a minimum of 35 hours in a week. That equates to just £2.oo per hour!
And here are the hoops you have to jump through to even get your £69.70 per week.
And don’t forget the MINIMUM WAGE for an adult working a 35 hour week (£9.50 per hour) amounts to £332.50 per week
Eligibility
You may be eligible for Carer’s Allowance if you, the person you care for and the type of care you provide meets certain criteria.
The person you care for
The person you care for must already get one of these benefits:
- Personal Independence Payment – 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
- Child Disability Payment – the middle or highest care rate
- Adult Disability Payment – daily living component
If you care for the person with others
You cannot get Carer’s Allowance if you share the care of someone and the other carer is already claiming:
- Carer’s Allowance for that person
- The ‘caring for a severely disabled person’ extra amount of Universal Credit for that person
If you want to get Carer’s Allowance, speak to the other carer about changing their benefits.
If the other carer does not want to do that, you can still apply for Carer’s Allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will decide who should receive the benefit.
The type of care you provide
You need to spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone. This can include:
- helping with washing and cooking
- taking the person you care for to a doctor’s appointment
- helping with household tasks, like managing bills and shopping
Your eligibility
All of the following must apply:
- you’re 16 or over
- you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone
- you’ve been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)
- you normally live in England, Scotland or Wales, or you 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’re not in full-time education
- you’re not studying for 21 hours a week or more
- you’re not subject to immigration control
- your earnings are £132 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses
If you’re from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you and your family usually also need settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get Carer’s Allowance. The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021 for most people, but you might still be able to apply. Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
If your earnings are sometimes more than £132 a week you might still be eligible for Carer’s Allowance. Your average earnings may be calculated to work out if you’re eligible.
We will soon be campaigning for a substantial increase in the £69.70 per week allowance