to expect the earnings limit for Carers to be reviewed?

[CarerClaire]

The £100 cut-off earnings limit is out-dated & has NEVER risen in line with the minimum wage, other state benefits or inflation.

Carers provide an invaluable service & save the government £119 billion p/a
carersUK

To qualify for Carers allowance you need to be caring for a minimum of 35 hours p/w - that leaves a lot of time for working age people to be able to seek some fulfilment outside of their caring duties, however with the minimum wage on £6.19 that restricts any jobs to 16hours p/w.

I find it a little out-dated
but then this is a benefit that was only made available to married women in 1986

So am I being unreasonable to expect the earnings limit to raise with the cost of living?

[fridayfreedom]

No yanbu. It makes life as a carer even more difficult!

[TabithaMcKitten]

You are absolutely right. The amount of carer's allowance is also ridiculously low, especially when you consider the majority of carers are spending almost all of their time fulfilling their caring duties and so this is their only income.

[TabithaMcKitten]

You don't get paid NMW for being a carer, you get paid £58.45 a week.

[extremepie]

Yanbu at all!

As you already pointed out, carers save the government an awful lot of money and yet they receive less p/w than people on jobseekers.

It seems that if you care for a loved one you are put in an unfortunate position, if you work full time, which would be difficult enough if you are caring for someone 35hrs a week, you lose your carer's allowance, if you only work 16hrs a week you can't earn enough to live on even with the carer's allowance :(

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Yanbu and they should stop deducting it from other benefits.

[Trazzletoes]

What?

You want LESS people to be able to claim Carers Allowance?

I claim it and I work (incidentally I was told that, regardless of earnings you are only allowed to "work" 12 hours per week, but I appreciate that may not be right).

I often can't work because my DS spends a lot of time in hospital, but I don't get Carers Allowance then because the Government says I'm not caring for him but that's a-whole-mother thread.

Your name sounds like you are a Carer. Being a Carer is incredibly important to am society. Why do you want to LIMIT the people doing it? I couldn't cope financially without Carers Allowance.

YABU.

[CoolaSchmoola]

No Altinkum - carers have to be providing care for a minimum of 35 hours a week.... For which they receive £58 and some pence.

Carers are allowed to work as well but are only allowed to earn a max of £100 a week - the OP was making the point that in a secondary nmw job, paying the £6.19 an hour, a carer could only work a max of 16 hours.

Resulting in maximum income (if a 16 hr min wage job can be found) of £158 a week for 51 hours ago plus a week. (35 minimum caring plus 16 working).

Which is utterly shit and we'll below nmw.

[CarerClaire]

No Altinkum carers in fact receive a maximum of £1.67 p/h to care for someone.
I was referring to the fact if on a minimum wage a carer could work a maximum of 16hrs p/w & still be entitled to carers allowance, once you earn over £100 p/w from paid employment you lose your whole entitlement.

I am qualified in my profession as well as being a carer & find this severely restricts the jobs I can apply for/ employers willing to employ me.
However I find employment really helps me to cope day to day with the repetition & responsibility of being a carer.

[CoolaSchmoola]

*well - and no idea why stupid phone added the word 'ago'.

Why is auto correct always wrong?!

[Trazzletoes]

Sorry. I'm confused. Do you mean that the earnings limit should be lowered rather than raised?

[VinegarDrinker]

YANBU

This archaic rule affects my Mum. It is truly a case of people being worse off working in many situations, which is ridiculous.
The amount paid is also stupidly low.

I think the poster who thinks this will reduce the number of people who can claim CA has got the wrong end of the stick.

[Sunnywithshowers]

YANBU at all. The government gets caring on the cheap.

My DH has MS and one day it will be me being paid buttons for full time care.

[CarerClaire]

trazzletoes You want LESS people to be able to claim Carers Allowance?

That is the opposite of my post

Thankyou coolaschmoola that is my point, Carers should have more options of working whilst caring, it can be a thankless task as it is - working enhances some Carers ability to continue to care.

[VinegarDrinker]

No Trazzle OP says the earnings limit should be raised ie people earning over £100 pw but still caring for >35 hrs pw should qualify.

[CarerClaire]

The £100 cut-off earnings limit is out-dated & has NEVER risen in line with the minimum wage, other state benefits or inflation.

Please not the use of the word 'risen' in my OP, you may read it as raised if you prefer.

[CarerClaire]

'please note' not 'not'

[fiverabbits]

I get carer's allowance because I look after my disabled son aged 32 years old. BUT as soon as I get my state pension in May I will not get carer's allowance anymore but I will still do all the caring for my son until he dies or I do, that's caring on the cheap.

[Trazzletoes]

Ahhhhh I get it now! Sorry YANBU (and I'm dense...)

[CarerClaire]

That's ok trazzle
I may NBU but what can be done about it?
five I will also be in your position one day or I could 'allow' the LA to place my child in assisted living - at their cost

[TabithaMcKitten]

It shouldn't be a taxable benefit either.

I'm 'lucky' in that it is my son I am a carer for and that my husband also works, so our situatuon isn't quite as precarious as others. If my husband was ill and I became his carer, that £58.45 a week would be our income :-/

[Trazzletoes]

What can one do about anything like this? Make a fuss. Speak to your MP etc etc.

I think it's bloody unfair that I don't get carers allowance when DS is in hospital. The government says the nurses are caring for him. The nurses say he can't be left without a parent/carer here with him (he's 3). I can't work while he is here but I can't get financial support from the government either.

We need to speak up and maybe some day someone will listen.

[Trazzletoes]

Ah yes. Taxable benefit. So I now have the "pleasure" of filling in a tax return as well.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

[TabithaMcKitten]

Trazzletoes, I think you probably shouldn't tell them that he is in :-)

[AudrinaAdare]

In what world does £153 p.w for the hours equal NMW? YANBU OP. Thanks for starting this because there seems to be a lack of awareness...