Carer’s allowance

[DottyWott]

Has anyone made an application for carers allowance recently? How long are they taking to process? DH applied 6 weeks ago and not heard anything. Do you get an email acknowledgment of application? He doesn’t seem to have one...

My MIL applied last year and it took so long to be approved that my FIL had already died by the time they wrote to her. They did backdate the claim, and still paid the 8 weeks after his death as well, so she got a lump sum. She didn’t have an email or text acknowledgement either so I think that part is normal.

Yes he should have received an email like this one.

Ah, I stand corrected about the email. My MIL applied by post rather than online, so this may be why she didn’t get one.

@Myneighboursnorlax yes sorry I should have clarified too. Op your dh would only get an email confirmation if he applied online.

@DottyWott has your dh sent the required documents to the carers dept? ( they may not be the same as the ones I needed to send) .

@DottyWott oh and if you phone just a heads up the currently close at 2pm!

Thank you he did apply online. He does have form for not reading emails properly and also for telling me he has done something when he hasn’t

It was online, he has had carers before but became ineligible due to earnings. He is on SSP now so should be eligible. He has not sent any documentation.

Yes, just tried to phone and found they are open 10-2 and you can’t email them!

It’s ridiculous isn’t it , I know Covid has meant shorter house but four hours a day to answer calls is ridiculous. Carers allowance are however much more understanding that other dwp departments so it’s likely it won’t be too late to send documents in. Also claims can be backdated by three months. So if six weeks ago was when he first became eligible, then in the worse case scenario he could always make a new claim.

I think claims are backdated to the date you made the claim, rather than when you became eligible. He’ll phone tomorrow, thanks. I am just hoping he has actually made a claim otherwise we won’t get anything for the last 6 weeks!

@DottyWott no you can definitely backdate them by three months. So if he became eligible to claim on 20th December for example you have until 20 March to claim. If you claimed on 30th of March you would only lose one week of carers allowance.
So you will get the money for the last six weeks either way.

*sorry ten days not one week.

@DottyWott
Your claim can be backdated for up to three months if you were eligible. You don’t have to give a reason why you’re claiming late.

Ask for your Carer’s Allowance to be backdated when you apply – you should ask for this on the claim form where it asks ‘When do you want your Carer’s Allowance to start’?

I applied online on 11th Nov and got a confirmation email straight after then recieved backdated payment on 9th December and my award letter a few days after that

@MyDcAreMarvel thank you

@ShalomToYouJackie that’s pretty quick then!

I waited the full 6 weeks for mine to be awarded.