How do I add carers element to universal credit?

[PinkPolkaDotUmberella]

Got an existing UC, dh works full time earning 67K a year, we have 2 dc and rent from a HA, we get roughly £650pcm UC. I’ve been caring full time for my mil for a few years and recently found out from the district nurse that as mil gets PIP at the highest rate I am entitled to claim carers element from UC. How would I go about claiming this element? Mil doesn’t live with us but I care for her 7 days per week and over the minimum 35 hours a week.

Agree it's a massive amount. I just don't understand how these kind of figures are sustainable especially with the lifting of the two child cap come April.
The benefits system is just such a quandry to me even after working in it for eight years ! on the one hand I'm seeing desperate people ( often ill ) trying to survive on a pittance of £90 a week and unable to cover their rent, then you ahve the p opposite ends of the extreme like this with people on a 67k salary being entitled to around £1500 a month ( inc DLA ) in benefits. I guess at least op's husband is a higher rate taxpayer !

@Overthebow yes my child gets DLA which they will receive their entire life (I am aware it changes to pip at 16.) I’m grateful for what we receive as I can’t currently work considering I am caring for two separate people with very different conditions 24/7, I would happily go back to work tomorrow if you have a magic wand.

It's an insane amount of benefits for that salary. My family situation is exactly the same as yours. Married, 3 children (one on higher rate DLA for severe disability), council house.

Husband full time (44hrs per week) - £28000
Me part time (10hrs per week term time) and carers allowance - £8800
UC - £725
savings well below threshold (just used the last £2k on a new car seat for disabled 10year old DC).

I think op's child can only be getting middle rate DLA rather than higher with the amount of UC child disability element that she posted. I guess yours is lower also because your carers allowance will be coming off the UC.

OP has HA house. So lower rent too.

Yes sorry i realized that after I had posted so edited my post !

Even with my income being deducted that's still a household income of more than £20k less than OP. It's very strange the amount she gets. But the benefits system is a law unto itself.

@RavenclawWitchy Carers allowance comes off UC £ for £, earning from employment are deducted at a lower rate of .55p. I may have misunderstood that but if it is correct you would be losing £360.90 a month in UC because you get it in carers allowance.
Your £725 UC+360.90 CA totals £1112.96 substantially more than the £615 UC I have to date been receiving, so not really sure what point you’re trying to make.

I'm trying to make the point that the benefit system makes no sense. I am not saying you are at fault. But you have to agree it's slightly insane that a home with a £67k income receives government help.

Again I am not saying this as a negative to you personally as you are only claiming what the system says you are entitled to. I am saying the system is at fault.

One of my dcs (2 degrees) is working ft for £28k, weekends and one evening in pub for approx. £200 a week, living in 1 small room in shared house in London, paying tax and claiming nothing.
Surely this is not fair, and unsustainable.

It is based on individual circumstances, no two claims are the same.

If you don't claim housing costs or have low rent, are single, don't have children, any caring responsibilities or even any disabilities then your claim will look very different.

My max claim without childcare is £600 less than the OP's but that's because she has one more child than I do, couples allowance and the disabled child element. To wipe that £600 would take an additional £1000 net earnings over any work allowance. So obviously the higher the full claim before deductions the more it takes to take it to nil.

I don’t understand the benefits system either. I’ve got two incurable cancers, on permanent chemo and am going through ill health retirement.

Until that. process is completed ( which could take months) DWP give me £92 a week, until THEY decide whether I’m sick enough to be given the higher rate of £140 a week. I’ve worked all my life and paid tax. What a strange and complicated system we have. Although some countries have no “ safety net”
so we should be grateful I guess.

Yes this was the point I was making earlier upthread. In my job I regularly see people in your position, become too ill to work, maybe have a mortgage to pay and getting just £92 a week until they've been assessed and even that extra element on UC for sick people is being halved from April for new claimants. God help anyone who gets too sick to work and is a single person but maybe not disabled enough to get PIP.

Yes, They will, unhappily. And things will change.

I’ve been online and I’ve set up an account.

we currently use tax free childcare with the HMRC account but looks like we will get some UC as part of childcare element but nothing else but looking at this we will be about £150 a month better off and anyone who claims UC (even only getting the childcare element) is eligible for free school meals currently £2.60 a day in primary and they credit secondary school kids thumb print accounts (not sure with how much per day) and a lot of schools also give a subsidised payment amount for school trips and music lessons so it’s worth claiming for me - thanks mumsnet!

The free school meals for all universal credit claimants are from September 2026

WTAF!!!

Congrats, yes the subsidises really make a massive difference. Our local art gallery it’s like 2.50 to get it on UC. £20 per adult for self funders.

I really should check again.

So someone on 67k salary will get free school meals?

Not at the moment, but from September 2026 anyone who gets universal credit is entitled to free school meals.

Was querying that too...

Once she starts needing care in the night there's also another element to add. My mum looks after my gran full-time and just found out from the Dr to add on the night time element also since her dementia is worse and my mum is up several times a night to her

DH is on just under 30k and we get just marginally more per month UC payments than OP. I'm staggered myself by this. And I also have three disabled children in my family. One high rate, one middle, one low rate.

OP no one is saying you're living the high life here, it's even surprising from those of us who are also recipients too. I had no idea people on over £60k could claim.

This country is truly fucked. The benefits system should be a safety net not a lifestyle choice. You don’t “need” even more money, “it’s handy to have” meanwhile we’ve stuck at one child when we would love more as it’s all we can afford….

OP you’re embarrassing and grabby. Pay for yourselves and stop taking money off me and others.